Senior Lead- Procurement

At M-KOPA, We Finance Progress. Recognized twice by the Financial Times as one Africa's fastest growing company (2022 and 2023) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 , we've served over 3 million customers, unlocking $1 billion in cumulative credit for the unbanked across Africa. At M-KOPA, we empower our people to own their careers through diverse development programs, coaching partnerships, and on-the-job training. We support individual journeys with family-friendly policies, prioritize well-being, and embrace flexibility. Join us in shaping the future of M-KOPA as we grow together. Explore more at . Job purpose The Senior Procurement Lead will be responsible for securing our cost-effective agreements with suppliers and coordinating end-to-end procurement processes, activities, and supporting our stakeholders to achieve M-KOPA's vision and strategy. You will report to the Procurement Manager. This is a #LI-Hybrid" role.

Main responsibilities

• You will support the Procurement Manager in developing and implementing strategies for procuring and negotiating with suppliers to secure advantageous terms and value for money.
• You will Liaise with key stakeholders to gain clarity on the specifications and expectations of the business.
• You will Review and recommend approval for goods and services ordered.
• You will Monitor the performance of existing contracts and suppliers and maintain a relationship with performing suppliers whilst negotiating the best prices.
• You will Monitor business trends and product availability to pay the best price for goods and services while maintaining quality and delivery times.
• You will Assist the Procurement Manager in controlling spend and building a culture of long-term savings on procurement costs.
• You will Conduct due diligence on selected pre-qualified vendors to mitigate risk.
• You will Ensure procurement documents are stored and / or uploaded in dynamics , proposals, quotations, analysis, deviation forms, work completion certificates, etc.
• You will Participate in monthly reporting of procurement KPIs (including savings achieved, vendor clean-up, supplier performance reviews, market intelligence, etc.)
• You will work with Accounts Payables to ensure timely payment processing for vendors within the category.
• You will Manage supplier dispute resolutions under the guidance of the Procurement Manager.
• You will Organize and lead negotiations and credit terms for all new and existing suppliers.
• You will attend site surveys and provide debriefing sessions to suppliers to understand the scope of work.
• You will Approve purchase orders in dynamics and follow up with suppliers to ensure timely deliveries.
• You will Use judgment, diplomacy, and confidentiality with respect to the complete procurement process, ensuring the integrity of the respondents' bid information.
• You will Carry out market research on potential suppliers and vendors to ensure that the vendor database also includes new entrants in the market.
• You will Ensure the timely close-out of tickets on fresh desk service as per the agreed SLA and provide feedback to stakeholders.
• You will support the various stakeholders such as departmental heads and the budget team to implement purchasing plans, lead-time improvement, and inventory reduction programs for the M-KOPA sourcing needs.

Qualifications

Key competencies required :

What's in it for you

M-KOPA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained staff. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.M-KOPA explicitly prohibits the use of Forced or Child Labour and respects the rights of its employees to agree to terms and conditions of employment voluntarily, without coercion, and freely terminate their employment on appropriate notice. M-KOPA shall ensure that its Employees are of legal working age and shall comply with local laws for youth employment or student work, such as internships or apprenticeships. M-KOPA does not collect / charge any money as a pre-employment or post-employment requirement. This means that we never ask for ‘recruitment fees’, ‘processing fees’, ‘interview fees’, or any other kind of money in exchange for offer letters or interviews at any time during the hiring process.