Procurement Assistant

Job Description

Helen Keller

Job Announcement –Internal / External

Procurement Assistant

Job Type: Full time 

Location: Freetown

Start Date: 15th March 2025

End Date: 14th March 2026 (Annual renewable)

Reports to: Procurement Officer

Grade F

Helen Keller International is a global health organization dedicated to eliminating preventable vision loss, malnutrition, and diseases of poverty. Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty and is devoted to scaling up evidence-based, cost-effective solutions to improve care practices and ensure that basic health and food and nutrition security interventions reach vulnerable people, with a focus on women, youth, and children.

Helen Keller Intl has been operating in Sierra Leone for nearly 20 years in support of the Nutrition and Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) components of the National Health Development Plan of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, as well as the food security component of the Ministry of Agriculture.

 Helen Keller is recruiting for a Procurement Assistant who will work under the direct supervision of the Procurement Officer with a dotted line reporting to Admin & Operations Manager Freetown.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Activities:

• Execute procurement processes following Helen Keller Intl and donor policies, from requisition to delivery
• Ensure strict compliance with organizational and donor policies
• Prepare procurement advertisements, solicitations for simple goods and services
• Handle routine procurement correspondence and inquiries
• Collect and evaluate vendor quotations, preparing bid documents as needed
• Support bid evaluation processes and technical specifications review
• Coordinate with the Bid Evaluation Committee, including meeting organization and minutes
• Draft service agreements and purchase orders for review
• Manage the Watchdog Pro vendor vetting process

Documentation and Compliance:

• Monitor requisitions to ensure compliance with procedures
• Secure appropriate approvals throughout the procurement cycle
• Maintain organized paper and electronic procurement files and documentation in accordance with organization standards
• Generate monthly procurement and contract reports
• Act as the point of contact for the filing and retrieval of procurement documents.

Vendor Management:

• Conduct market research and maintain current price lists
• Build and maintain professional relationships with vendors
• Coordinate with vendors and requestors to ensure timely delivery

Project Support:

• Assist Program Staff in development and implementation project procurement plans, ensuring the timely submission of requisitions, which will lend to a timely processing and delivery of requirements
• Liaise with requestors to guarantee proper delivery
• Undertake other procurement and finance related duties as required by the Country Director.

Qualification and Experience

• University Degree in procurement or related field. 
• 2-3 years’ experience in procurement. 
• Planning and scheduling skills.
• Experience of having worked in an NGO preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff, clients, and consultants. 
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and ability to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality. 
• English fluency including business terminology required. 
• Demonstrated intermediate computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications.
• Experience in pay to procure system a plus.

How to Apply.

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and an updated CV with three (3) referees to SierraLeone.Recruitment@hki.org; or hand deliver to: Helen Keller Int Office at 16H James Maccarthy Drive, Spur Road, Wilberforce Freetown. The closing date for the receipt of applications is on 31st January 2025. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Please mark your application as per the references stated in the position above (referencing the SUBJECT heading)

“Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply”