Senior Procurement & customs clearance officer

Work Unit: Procurement and Customs Clearance Division

Reports to: Procurement and Customs Clearance Division Manager

Terms of employment: Permanent

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) wants to hire employees in the following vacant positions the details of which are mentioned below.

About the Ethiopian Red Cross Society

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) was established in 1935 and is one of the oldest and largest humanitarian organizations in Ethiopia. ERCS provides services to communities affected by natural and manmade disasters through the provision of emergency responses, ambulance and first aid, family reunification, essential drugs, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian services. ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. Currently the ERCS has a structure consisting of Currently the Society has 14 regional branches, 40 zonal branches, 180 woreda branches, and 5,871 Kebele Red Cross Committees.

ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs relating to food security, climate change adaptation, livelihood diversification, and institutional capacity building interventions, with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. ERCS works in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), partnering National Societies, members, volunteers and the communities we serve.

II. Job Summary

The Senior Procurement & customs clearance officer is responsible for planning, implementation, coordination, and control of procurement and transit activities to ensure the timely acquisition and delivery of goods and services at competitive prices. This role ensures compliance with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and quality standards while maintaining transparent and efficient procurement processes. Key responsibilities include preparing tender documents, analyzing bids, and managing supplier relationships to secure goods and services that meet organizational needs. The officer facilitates the entire procurement lifecycle, from soliciting quotations and bid evaluations to issuing purchase orders, ensuring timely deliveries, and processing payments. Additionally, they oversee the transit of procured items, coordinating customs clearance, insurance coverage, and communication with relevant authorities to ensure safe and timely delivery to designated locations. The role also involves maintaining accurate records of procurement activities, preparing annual budgetary requirements, and continuously reviewing and recommending improvements to purchasing procedures. The officer identifies and registers qualified suppliers, explores new markets, and updates the organization’s procurement database to enhance efficiency. They ensure compliance with procurement specifications, review supplier submissions, and prepare discrepancy reports to address issues such as loss, damage, or non-compliance during transit. The Senior Procurement & customs clearance officer also plays a key role in expediting relief items, managing foreign purchases, and ensuring proper insurance coverage for goods in transit. They foster positive supplier relationships, evaluate supply options, and maintain systematic documentation of requisitions, purchase orders, invoices, and shipping records.

III. Specific Duties and Responsibilities

1. Participate in planning, implementing, coordinating, and controlling the division’s procurement and transit activities.
2. Assist in the formulation and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure efficient and cost-effective procurement.
3. Conduct market surveys, compile accurate data on commodities to be procured, prepare bid documents, advertise procurement opportunities, solicit quotations from suppliers, and analyze offers.
4. Facilitate the bid opening process, conduct preliminary and comparative bid analysis, record minutes, issue purchase orders to the winning bidder, follow up with suppliers for timely and quality deliveries, and assist in facilitating payments and closing the procurement case.
5. Procures the right quality and quantity of low-value and frequent procurement needs such as spare parts, office supplies, and other consumables at the right price and time from the right supplier
6. Perform comparative bid analysis upon receiving pro-forma invoices.
7. Prepares tender documents and offer analysis in cases of open tender purchases; maintains up-to-date and systematic records about prices, suppliers, procurement schedule, etc.;
8. Prepares and presents complete, accurate, and appropriate procurement and payment documents for approval and processing;
9. Facilitates the procurement process of foreign and local purchase activities by fulfilling the required formalities, including obtaining foreign exchange permits, customs clearance.;
10. Carries out clearance formalities of acquired relief items, and foreign purchases and expedites the transit of incoming acquired and procured items to destinations arranged by the National Secretariat;
11. Follows up the transit process of acquired and procured items through appropriate means of communication and correspondences with authorities and agencies and reports to superior in cases of complex ties;
12. Handles the purchase of capital and consumable goods based on specifications prescribed by requesting work units and purchase committee;
13. Reviews and prepares annual budgetary requirements for consideration by superior;
14. Maintains suppliers’ list for both foreign & local procurement needs;
15. Studies and recommends improvements in purchasing procedures, forms, and processes to enhance efficiency;
16. Recommends change for continuous improvements of procurement activities through analysis of purchasing policies and procedures;
17. Ensures that proper and adequate insurance coverage is secured for the movement of goods inland transit;
18. Maintain positive supplier relations, evaluate supply options, follow up purchases, and ensure accurate record keeping
19. Gather procurement needs from different work units and develop a comprehensive procurement plan for the purchase of goods, services, and work
20. Establish, maintain and manage relationships with suppliers, including soliciting and negotiating quotes; maintain continuous communication with suppliers, including order confirmation, following up on deliveries, and payments to the suppliers;
21. Prepares discrepancy reports on commodities supplied and lodges appropriate claims with the manufacturers/suppliers and coordinates insurance claims related to loss, shortage, damage, and theft of items in transit;
22. Ensures the proper maintenance of requisitions, purchase orders, invoices, receiving reports, shipping, and other documents;
23. Responsible for organizing the supplier list, registering the qualified and eligible suppliers/ consultants/contractors in the database, identifying new potential suppliers/ consultant/ contractors and registering them in the database after approval, searching new markets and new opportunities, and reviewing the status and performance of suppliers,
24. Prepares, reviews, and updates the national society standard specification of goods, services, and works. The specification should be sufficiently detailed and comprehensive to provide a complete and exact description to meet the quality and standard of the national society.
25. Reviews samples and documents submitted by the suppliers to ensure compliance with procurement requirements, policies, and procedures;
26. Assists in budget preparation, budget monitoring, and long-range planning and goal setting for the Society’s Procurement activities;
27. Performs other related duties and responsibilities of the job as the Procurement Manager assigns.

Job Specification

• Second/First Degree in Supply (Chain) Management, Management, Procurement Management, Materials Management, Marketing Management, Business Administration,
• and 6/8 years’ relevant experience out of which 3/4 years in senior position.