Advisor II, Procurement

Catholic Relief Services | CRS•United States,

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Advisor II, Procurement will provide technical advice, support and capacity building to procurement and non-procurement staff in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) procurement policies and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices. The Advisor will work with global, regional and country colleagues (both CRS and Partner) to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. This role will contribute to effective, adaptive, and innovative procurement throughout CRS. In-depth technical knowledge in procurement and donor regulations as they pertain to the project along with critical skills such as learning design, influencing without authority, and communication will be required for success.

Requirements

Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision. Ability to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgments.
Ability to network and build relationships with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
In-depth knowledge of donor procurement regulations, including USAID, Global Fund, DFID, KfW, etc.
Proficient in MS Office packages, Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills.
Ability to leverage a proactive, resourceful and results-oriented mindset.
Fluency in English required.
Must be willing and able to travel 30% of the time
Ability to legally work where the position is to be performed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in supply chain management/Procurement, Public Administration, Business Administration or related field.
Certifications in Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Project Management Professional (PMP), UN Procurement Training, or Fritz Institute/CILT UK’s Certification in Humanitarian Logistics (CHL)/ Certification in Humanitarian Supply Chain Management (CHSCM)
Fluency in French, Spanish or Arabic highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Provide guidance to global, regional and teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply procurement planning and implementation standards, best practices, tools, and M&E, ensuring high-quality implementation of procurement processes and procedures.
Contribute to global, regional, and country efforts to pre-position CRS for procurement-related growth by advising project teams on integrating donor strategies, priorities, and technical requirements.
Offer hands-on support for complex procurement activities, including contract negotiations, strategic sourcing initiatives, development of large and/or complex proposals, including defining procurement processes and indicators, and project start-up processes.
Support the development of tender and evaluation templates, as well as contract templates, in close coordination with the Procurement Contracts Manager and the Office of General Counsel (OGC).
Support supply chain readiness through the mapping of and prepositioning of vendors, goods and service providers in target countries
Support capacity building efforts through close coordination with Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) Knowledge Management and Learning (KML), Global Procurement Managers and Specialist IIs.
Create and support learning opportunities for staff, help to develop trainings and facilitate workshops. Provide mentorship and coaching to global, regional, and CP staff.
Engage with non-procurement staff responsible for submitting and approving requisitions to ensure understanding of their role and importance in the procurement process.
Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing procurement data, evaluating strategic procurement initiatives, measuring impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.
Support capacity building needs for procurement modules in Insight (CRS’ Oracle-based ERP system), in partnership with Procurement BPO.
Identify gaps and update content for CRS policies, procedures and processes related to procurement ensuring they are up to date with donor regulations and best practice.
Coordinate with the GSCM KML to edit, finalize, publish and disseminate new or updated policies/procedures.
Advise staff on compliance requirements, including responding to questions about specific donor regulations and interpreting complex procurement rules.
Execute end‑end procurement processes under tight timelines, including cost estimates, solicitation documents, bidding process facilitation, negotiations, and preparation of purchase orders, contracts, and related documentation for emergency goods, services and partner agreements.