Senior Sourcing & Category Specialist

The Partnership for Supply Chain Management Job Description

TITLE:                                Senior Sourcing & Category Specialist

REPORTS TO:                   Deputy Director Sourcing

LOCATION:                       Project Management Office, Woerden, NL (PMO-NL) or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, or Nairobi,                                                Kenya, other East/Southern African hubs may be considered.

STATUS:                            Full-time

Organization description

The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM) focuses on strengthening and managing secure, reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable global supply chains to enhance health and well-being in low- and middle-income countries by increasing access to quality and affordable health products. We assist governments, non-profit organizations, commercial firms, and humanitarian agencies in achieving their public health objectives through cost-saving procurement, efficient logistics, pharma-grade storage, last-mile delivery solutions, and real-time data tracking. PFSCM is dedicated to customer satisfaction and service excellence, which is reflected in our adherence to an ISO 9001:2015 certified Quality Management System and alignment with ISO 20400 for Sustainable Procurement, which underpins all our processes and services.

PFSCM, an affiliate of JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), a leading international public health and education consultant company in the U.S., operates from its project management headquarters in Washington D.C., and has an operational facility in Woerden, Netherlands. Additionally, we leverage the extensive network of 25 JSI offices around the world, allowing us to access their technical and operational expertise.

PFSCM's global team includes a diverse array of professionals from various countries who contribute to the effectiveness of our services. This diversity enriches our ability to connect with clients and collaborate internally. We believe our mission can be achieved by fostering a purpose- and results-driven culture. We strive to create an environment where our values of collaboration, learning, proactivity, problem-solving, and outcome orientation are reflected in our daily work.

Overall responsibilities

The Sourcing & Category Specialist is responsible for sourcing and contracting with new and existing suppliers of assigned categories, as determined by PFSCM for the international supply of products to PFSCM. The Sourcing & Category Specialist acts as an expert and utilizes supplier technical expertise for various quality-assured, health-related pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical product contracting. The Sourcing & Category Specialist is expected to ensure compliance with PFSCM, Quality Assurance, funder, and/or client requirements and adhere to PFSCM quality management standards. The Sourcing & Category Specialist is further expected to lead or contribute to analysis of supplier and/or product trends as directed.

The Sourcing & Category Specialist, working with the Sourcing Process Manager, Senior Sourcing & Category Specialists, Supplier Performance Specialists, Product Technical, Client Account Management and Quality Assurance Units works to identify and manage timely RFQ and RFP processes, including due diligence, while providing regular status updates to stakeholders as needed. 

The Sourcing & Category Specialist is expected to use in-depth product knowledge to build and maintain relationships with important suppliers in the industry, as well as negotiate/renegotiate contracts on behalf of PFSCM, working with the Contracts Unit, and maintain data accuracy in the collection and maintenance of supplier data in the SRM system. The Sourcing & Category Specialist is a member of the Sourcing Unit within the Strategic Supply Chain Division.

Specific responsibilities

• Manage the sourcing and contracting process for specified categories of products, including bidding, due diligence, and ongoing contract performance management.


• Ensure that all contracts meet the funder/client’s procurement and quality policy on product, availability, and other product’s quality consideration. 


• Act as a liaison with the Client Account Management and Supplier Performance Units to ensure ease of procurement and ordering processes. 


• Proactively identify issues with ordering trends and/or contract terms and resolve and/or communicate the issues to management in a timely manner, as needed. 


• Contribute to the troubleshooting of supplier performance, working with the Supplier Performance Unit, challenges and define and implement corrective action in case of irregularities.


• Perform due-diligence and on board new suppliers for PFSCM as required, ensuring a smooth handover to Supplier Performance Unit, maintaining data accuracy standards using SRM system.


• Coordinate team functions and performance as required.


• Contribute to performance management for certain groups of suppliers and provide information on trends and forecasts; as well as perform analysis of current and historical data and contribute to the sourcing strategy as required.


• Provide proactive customer service while acting as primary point of contact for suppliers’ contracts, working with Supplier Performance and Client Account Management Units.


• Work collaboratively with the suppliers, funder/client, internal and external units, and partner organisations on supplier sourcing issues.


• Manage sourcing-related incidents; log incident into PFSCM Incident Management System, provide inputs for incident investigation and contribute to the resolution within incident set timelines. Translate CAPA from incidents to amend process or procedure where needed.


• Maintain system-related changes required on contract pricing, terms, etc. in coordination with Product Information Management, Supplier Performance, Client Account Management, 4PL & Logistics, and Finance & Accounting Units.


• Adhere to established procurement policies and standard operating procedures; and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.


• Perform procurement duties in a transparent and ethical manner.


• Identify opportunities for improvements in the operational processes and daily activities.


• Contribute to the development of work-instructions (processes) and standard operating procedures.


• Document and share all relevant information concerning sourcing knowledge.


• Contribute to projects as needed to enhance operational work flows and strategic sourcing. 

Qualifications

Professional and Technical Knowledge

• Bachelor’s Degree in sourcing, procurement, public health, or other related area or equivalent experience. 


• 3+ years’ experience sourcing and procuring health products required.


• 5 years Diagnostics/Medical Devices category experience. 


• Knowledge of the international, public health sector and experience procuring pharmaceuticals and/or diagnostic, medical devices and laboratory supplies is preferred. 


• Developed negotiation skills; contracting and service-level agreement management experience with product suppliers.


• Previous experience working with international donor agencies is preferred.


• Experience working in a developing country is a plus.


• Knowledge of EU GDP requirements is desirable. 


• Ability to work comfortably with Microsoft Office software, preferably with experience with SRM or CRM systems.


• Willingness and availability to travel, and perform other duties as needed.


• Must be eligible to work in the Netherlands.
  

Interpersonal skills/Communication 

• Fluency in English is required, other languages (French, Spanish) are a plus. 


• Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills with strong sense of customer service.
  

Priority Setting, Problem Solving, & Detail Orientation 

• Strong organizational skills and ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, set priorities, and work in a team with diverse cultural backgrounds.


• Solution oriented with a high sense of quality, attention to detail, accuracy, efficiency and meeting tight deadlines. 


• Team player who is also able to work independently and handle conflicting priorities while maintaining consistent, quality performance standards.


• Ability to manage multiple tasks within tight deadlines and prioritize effectively, while delivering high quality work.


• Ability to approach a problem from different cultural perspectives; and be aware and mindful of cultural differences.
  

Disclaimer:

PFSCM is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees and to fostering a workplace free from discrimination. We believe in upholding the values of individual merit, hard work, and excellence, and we actively oppose any practices that promote illegal preferences or actions in hiring, contracting, or other employment decisions or practices. We strive to create an environment where every individual is treated with dignity and respect, and we are dedicated to promoting a culture that recognizes and rewards individual initiative and achievements.

If you are an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and unable to apply online for an available position, you may submit your request for reasonable accommodation by calling Human Resources at 617-482-9485.