PROCUREMENT OFFICER – Palladium

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the project’s procurement plan in coordination with technical and operations teams, forecasting upcoming needs for goods, services, and minor works.
• Source and pre-qualify vendors and suppliers; maintain and regularly update an approved vendor list/database, including vendor registration and compliance documentation.
• Draft and issue solicitation documents, including Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and Invitations to Bid (ITBs) for goods, services, and minor works, ensuring solicitations are clear, compliant, and competitive.
• Ensure that all quotations and bids are solicited fairly, transparently, and competitively, in accordance with Embassy of Ireland in Malawi requirements and Palladium’s procurement policies and procedures.
• Obtain quotations and process project micro-purchases as requested and respond to or escalate vendor queries during the solicitation period.
• Prepare procurement requisitions and evaluation matrices; critically review purchase requisitions for completeness and policy compliance before proceeding to solicitation.
• Coordinate procurement evaluation committees, consolidate bid/quotation comparisons, and prepare award recommendation and selection documentation for goods and services procurement.
• Provide administrative and documentation support to procurement evaluation processes, including scheduling meetings, preparing minutes, capturing decisions, and maintaining signed evaluation records.
• Negotiate pricing, delivery terms, and contract terms with vendors and suppliers to ensure value for money and cost-effective procurement.
• Draft, review, and issue purchase orders and procurement contracts, and review draft procurement contracts prior to submission for signature to confirm alignment with project procurement policy.
• Lead procurement processes end-to-end, ensuring contract and purchase order terms align with project procurement policies and donor requirements.
• Track purchase orders and procurement contracts to ensure timely, cost-effective delivery of goods and services, and monitor deliveries against agreed terms.
• Coordinate the receipt and inspection of procured items with the designated technical recipient and the Operations Associate, verifying quantity and quality against purchase orders and specifications, and ensuring proper documentation and storage in coordination with the Operations Associate.
• Prepare complete procurement documentation packages (requisitions, quotations, evaluation records, purchase orders) to support vendor payment processing, coordinating with the Finance Officer and the Operations Associate on payment packages and delivery tracking.
• Monitor vendor performance and maintain vendor relationship records, addressing delivery, quality, or compliance issues as they arise.
• Work collaboratively with project teams to provide sound, compliant, and effective procurement guidance and solutions.
• Ensure procurement actions follow approved thresholds, delegated authority levels, required approvals, and segregation-of-duties controls.
• Conduct and document proportionate supplier due diligence before award and throughout the supplier relationship, escalating adverse findings, suspected fraud, collusion, coercion, conflicts of interest, or other procurement integrity concerns through the appropriate reporting channels.
• Obtain and maintain signed confidentiality, impartiality, and conflict-of-interest declarations from staff and evaluation committee members involved in procurement actions
• Maintain a standardized procurement file checklist and verify file completeness before award, payment, and close-out.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready procurement files and tracking systems, and document decision-making processes in accordance with Government of Ireland and Palladium’s regulations.
• Ensure that donor and project procurement procedures are adhered to, and that project colleagues are familiar with and trained on procurement requirements and processes, including maintaining a transparent process for receiving, recording, acknowledging, and escalating supplier complaints, bid challenges, and requests for debriefing, ensuring that responses are authorized, documented, timely, and consistent with confidentiality requirements.
• Support internal and external procurement audits and reviews by ensuring files are complete, well organized, and readily available.
• Submit complete, accurate, and well-organized procurement documentation for internal review and approval, and follow up on pending reviews and approvals to avoid delays.
• Prepare regular procurement status reports, procurement pipeline updates, supplier performance summaries, and procurement plan implementation reports for management review.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Logistics, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• A minimum of 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement or supply chain management, with at least 2 years on an internationally donor-funded program (e.g., Irish Aid, EU, USAID, FCDO, or other bilateral/multilateral donors).
• Demonstrated experience managing competitive solicitation processes (RFQs, RFPs, ITBs), vendor sourcing, and purchase order/contract administration.
• Working knowledge of donor procurement rules and regulations and of Malawian procurement requirements.
• Professional procurement certification (e.g., CIPS or equivalent) and membership or eligibility for membership with MIPS or CIPS, are an advantage.

How to Apply