Senior Procurement Specialist

Join Harambee as a Senior Specialist: Procurement (SA & Rwanda)!

Are you passionate about building ethical, transparent, and value-driven procurement practices that enable meaningful impact? Do you enjoy balancing governance, commercial thinking, and stakeholder engagement while helping an organisation achieve its mission? If so, Harambee could be the place for you.

At Harambee, we're dedicated to solving youth unemployment through innovative partnerships, data-driven solutions, and systems change. Every role contributes to creating pathways to earning and learning opportunities for young people, and we believe in working collaboratively, courageously, and with purpose.

The Role

The Senior Specialist: Procurement (SA & Rwanda) provides leadership and governance oversight across Harambee's procurement and third-party risk environment in South Africa and Rwanda. You'll ensure procurement practices are ethical, transparent, compliant, and deliver value for money while strengthening supplier governance, risk management, and organisational accountability.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve Harambee's procurement policies, processes, and governance frameworks.
• Drive strategic sourcing and supplier management initiatives.
• Oversee RFQs, RFPs, evaluations, negotiations, and tender governance.
• Manage supplier due diligence, third-party risk assessments, and supplier performance.
• Develop procurement plans and provide spend analysis and reporting.
• Strengthen procurement controls and support audit readiness.
• Provide procurement advisory support across South Africa and Rwanda.
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and business teams to ensure compliant and effective procurement practices.

How You'll Work

• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Use data, governance principles, and market insights to inform procurement decisions.
• Balance strong controls with practical business needs.
• Drive continuous improvement and procurement excellence across South Africa and Rwanda.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced procurement professional who combines governance expertise with commercial acumen and strong stakeholder management skills.

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Procurement, Commerce, or a related field.
• 10+ years of procurement experience.
• Strong experience in procurement governance, strategic sourcing, supplier lifecycle management, and risk-based procurement.
• Proven experience managing tender and sourcing processes.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Office proficiency.

Nice To Haves

• CIPS membership or professional procurement qualification.
• Experience in a non-profit or donor-funded environment.
• Cross-jurisdictional procurement experience, particularly across African markets.
• Exposure to enterprise risk management, compliance, or audit environments.

Who You Are

• You have high levels of integrity and a strong commitment to ethical procurement.
• You can influence and build credibility with stakeholders at all levels.
• You simplify complexity and provide practical, risk-aligned solutions.
• You are analytical, detail-oriented, and delivery-focused.
• You are passionate about contributing to Harambee's mission and impact.

Why Join Harambee

At Harambee, you'll find more than just a procurement role. You'll have the opportunity to contribute to work that creates real opportunities for young people while helping shape the governance and procurement practices that enable our mission to succeed. We are a purpose-driven organisation that combines innovation, collaboration, and high performance to tackle one of South Africa's most pressing challenges. Here, you'll work alongside passionate and talented colleagues, be trusted to take ownership, continuously grow your expertise, and contribute to meaningful change at scale. We believe that diverse perspectives make us stronger and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to do their best work.

Accessibility & Inclusion

Harambee is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and able to contribute. We strongly encourage applications from people living with disabilities and are committed to providing an accessible and supportive recruitment process