Procurement Assistant job at ReliefWeb

About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion, or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.

Job Summary:

As a Procurement Assistant, you will play a key role in supporting the end‑end procurement cycle, ensuring the timely, efficient, and compliant acquisition of goods and services needed for effective program delivery. Through strong attention to detail and sound judgment, you will help maintain the quality, accuracy, and integrity of all procurement processes. Your contribution will uphold the highest standards of stewardship, transparency, accountability, and ethical practice, enabling program teams to achieve high‑quality results.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Procure goods and services in accordance with CRS procurement principles, policies, standards, donor regulations, and applicable statutory requirements.
• Support the maintenance of procurement trackers, including the procurement plan and contract tracker, to ensure timely communication of needs, status updates, and efficient service delivery.
• Participate in vendor mapping and supplier visits to gather information that supports due diligence and the identification of reputable, reliable, and competitive suppliers.
• Ensure accuracy and completeness of procurement documentation, maintaining all records required for timely vendor payments and resolving discrepancies with requestors, suppliers, or other stakeholders.
• Maintain organized and up‑to‑date procurement files, including master files, vendor records, and other documentation, following established filing standards.
• Coordinate with the Administration Department to verify that goods and services delivered match the specified quality, quantity, delivery timelines, and agreed‑upon costs.

Basic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement and Logistics Management, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience supporting procurement, purchasing, logistics, and/or administrative functions.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Strong written communication skills.
• Good understanding of local market conditions.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio) and information management systems. Proficient in Word.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail, with excellent organizational, time‑management, and prioritization skills.
• High ethical standards and adherence to organizational codes of conduct.
• Strong customer‑service orientation with effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions‑oriented, and results‑focused.

Required Languages:

Excellent command of written and spoken English required.

Travel:

Must be willing and able to travel up to 30% within the region of operation.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability - consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others - works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn - seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change - continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others - builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset - understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team principles.

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory Responsibilities: None.

Internal: procurement manager, procurement officer in Kampala, and CRS staff.

External: Vendors.

• Procure goods and services in accordance with CRS procurement principles, policies, standards, donor regulations, and applicable statutory requirements.
• Support the maintenance of procurement trackers, including the procurement plan and contract tracker, to ensure timely communication of needs, status updates, and efficient service delivery.
• Participate in vendor mapping and supplier visits to gather information that supports due diligence and the identification of reputable, reliable, and competitive suppliers.
• Ensure accuracy and completeness of procurement documentation, maintaining all records required for timely vendor payments and resolving discrepancies with requestors, suppliers, or other stakeholders.
• Maintain organized and up‑to‑date procurement files, including master files, vendor records, and other documentation, following established filing standards.
• Coordinate with the Administration Department to verify that goods and services delivered match the specified quality, quantity, delivery timelines, and agreed‑upon costs.

• Strong attention to detail, with excellent organizational, time‑management, and prioritization skills.
• High ethical standards and adherence to organizational codes of conduct.
• Strong customer‑service orientation with effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions‑oriented, and results‑focused.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement and Logistics Management, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience supporting procurement, purchasing, logistics, and/or administrative functions.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Good understanding of local market conditions.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio) and information management systems. Proficient in Word.