Procurement and Operations Assistant at CNFA

Location:Abuja

Project:   USAID Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity

Country:  Nigeria

Positions:1

Job Type:Full-time (contract)  

Period of Performance: November 2022 – June 2023

Position Description

The Procurement and Operations Assistant is a job with dual reporting and responsibilities.  First, as the Operations Assistant, s/he will work under the direct supervision of the Director of Finance and Operations to provide administrative support to the Operations Unit for the efficient and effective functioning of the Agribusiness Investment Activity’s Country Office in Abuja and the 7 State-based offices. As the Procurement Assistant, the main responsibility is to support the Procurement efforts of the Activity Country Office in Abuja with occasional liaison with the Employees in the Focal States. This role will be supervised by the Procurement Officer.

CNFA
CNFA is a US-based nonprofit nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works to stimulate economic growth and improve rural livelihoods by empowering the private sector through five core capabilities: (1) Productivity, Food Security and Nutrition; (2) Input Supply and Farm Services; (3) Economic Resilience and Rapid Recovery; (4) Value Chain Development; and (5) Volunteer Technical Assistance. CNFA assists smallholders in increasing household-level food security and nutrition through improved agricultural practices, introduction of new varieties, diversification of crop production, food preservation and storage, development of farmer-based organizations (FBOs) and strengthened linkages to markets.

Program Description

The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.

Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment across the 5 crops in the following 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  The USAID/Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity is a 5-year year, $15 million-dollar project implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative.  The project’s goal is to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. Activities will encompass three broad but interrelated components. First, the Agribusiness Investment Activity will improve the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; second, the Activity will expand access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and third, the Activity will promote investment opportunities for agribusinesses to strengthen their readiness to expand and scale up their operations. Taken together, these efforts will increase the volume, added value, and diversification of agribusiness investments.

  Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties of the Procurement and Operations Assistant are the following:

• Support the procurement process, ensuring integrity, fairness, openness, and adherence to CNFA policies, procedures, and controls.
• Support full cycle procurement process in compliance with established procedures and regulations including but not limited to identifying procurement needs to creation of procurement requests and compiling payment documents.
• Ensure that complete procurement related backup documentation is provided prior to submission to Finance Team.
• Support in the management of the Activity’s inventory and asset register.
• Assist with filing, reception, and other administrative duties, as requested by the Director of Operations.
• Conduct vendors’ vetting on WatchDog Elite, document verification, and reference checks.
• Support Procurement Officer on the coordination and review of documents for approval.
• Other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Finance and Operations.

Qualifications

• At least 2 years of relevant, professional experience in administrative and operational support
• Experience supporting donor-funded projects is required, USAID experience preferred;
• Experience working in or with relevant public and private sector actors strongly preferred;
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, or a related field required;
• Additional skills in IT will be plus.
• Fluency in English is required.