Procurement Assistant at Mercy Corps

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation.
• With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs.
• As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps’ strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long-term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment, and local conflict

General Position Summary

• The Procurement Department is committed to implementing and maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and integrity in the purchase of goods and services.
• The overriding objective for all Mercy Corps procurement activity is the prompt and effective provision of materials and services to Mercy Corps’ beneficiary populations in compliance with donor specifications.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Update contract tracking sheet on a weekly basis.
• Update On-going PR Master list with all assigned purchase requests and share with program team on a weekly basis
• Printing Purchase Requests (PRs) in coordination with Procurement Coordinator and the Procurement Officers; ensuring that PR is given to the originator for appropriate signature
• Has a full understanding of MC procurement policies and format
• Collects quotations and bids from the market for PR-s as assigned by coordinator – as per Mercy Corps standards and formats.
• Interact with vendors during the collection of quotations – explain Mercy Corps formats and ensure that vendors will use the provided for
• Ensure fair competition and strictly adhere to MC procurement rules regarding vendor relations as described below:
• Interact with vendors, in coordination with Procurement Coordinator and the Operations Lead; coordinating with Finance department to ensure payments are facilitated in a timely manner.
• Ensure goods are received in accordance with Mercy Corps standard
• Prepare the required documentation of supplies and transactions are completed to MC standards.
• Update Completed PR Master list with all assigned.
• File completed transactions as necessary.
• Assist the procurement team by scanning all procurement files and upload to drive.
• Assist Procurement Coordinator and the Procurement Officer during tender opening and evaluation sessions
• Follow up with the finance team to retrieve documents submitted for reviews.
• Identify assets during procurement and notify the Asset Controller on receipt of assets.
• The Procurement Assistant will conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
• Work closely with Mercy Corps Nigeria country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its implementation process.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work.
• Accountable for following Mercy Corps Field Procurement Manual, the MC Code of conduct regarding procurement activities and MC Conflict of Interest policy.

Accountability:

• Supervisory Responsibility: None
• Reports Directly to: Procurement Coordinator

Knowledge and Experience

• Candidates should possess a relevant Bachelor’s Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND).
• Conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment.
• Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks.
• Willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel.
• Good spoken and written English is required, fluency in Hausa & Kanuri languages is desirable
• Computer literate and strong organizational skills.

LivingCondition / Environmental Condition:

• The position is based in Maiduguri and will require travel to the Deep field offices in and around Mercy Corps Nigeria as and when required.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.
• Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges.
• We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact.
• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
• We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members.
• As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.