Procurement Officer

Job Description

Procurement Officer NOB – Bridgetown, Barbados | World Food Programme

The Tone:
This is a full-time, fixed-term role at the World Food Programme, located in Bridgetown, Barbados. WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and extreme weather. This role is crucial for ensuring the effective planning and implementation of procurement activities in accordance with WFP policies and standards, contributing to strengthening operations and timely acquisition of goods and services. The Procurement Officer will also play a critical role in supporting emergency preparedness and response operations in the Caribbean, ensuring rapid mobilization of essential items and maintaining humanitarian assistance continuity.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Fixed Term, National Professional, NO-B
• Location: In-person Bridgetown, Barbados
• Team: Operates with a high degree of independence and guides more junior staff within the Procurement unit.
• Mission: Ensures efficient, transparent, cost-effective, and compliant procurement processes for food, non-food commodities, services, and work required by WFP.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Planning & Compliance: Contribute towards the development of procurement plans and processes, ensuring compliance with wider procurement policies and WFP standards, and support auditing of activities.
• Operational Management: Support or manage procurement programs and operational activities, such as issuing tenders, evaluating offers, and negotiating/awarding contracts for food and non-food commodities or services.
• Performance Optimization: Track and analyze data to provide recommendations for process improvement and contribute to accurate and timely reports of procurement activities for informed decision-making.
• Partner Collaboration: Work in close collaboration with internal counterparts and external partners including suppliers, to align procurement activities with wider programmes and ensure a coherent approach to meeting food assistance needs.
• Emergency Response & Guidance: Follow standard emergency preparedness practices, deploy goods and services during crises, and guide more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting their development.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Advanced University degree in Economics, Commerce, Business Administration, Engineering, Legal, or Accounting, or a First University degree with additional relevant work experience and/or training/courses.
• Experience: At least 3 years post-graduate progressively responsible professional experience in Supply Chain and Procurement, including experience with general procurement activities (purchasing, vendor research), conducting cost analyses, and working with vendors or other partners.
• Skills: Ability to contribute to procurement planning and policy adherence; experience in managing tenders, evaluating offers, and contract negotiation; capacity for data tracking and analysis for reporting; strong collaboration skills with internal and external stakeholders; capability to guide and supervise junior staff.
• Bonus: Fluency in Spanish is not required but would be an asset.