Procurement Officer

Job Title: Procurement Officer

Location: Borno

Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

• The Procurement Officer will be responsible for coordinating procurement requests, sourcing suppliers, obtaining and evaluating quotations, preparing procurement documentation, monitoring purchase orders, maintaining supplier records and ensuring that procurement activities comply with LPF policies, donor requirements, approved budgets and applicable procedures.
• The successful candidate will work closely with Finance and Operations, Programme Management, Grants and Partnerships, Logistics, Administration and other relevant teams to ensure that procurement plans reflect programme needs, purchases are completed within agreed timelines and all procurement transactions are properly documented and authorized.
• The role requires strong organizational, analytical, negotiation and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple procurement requests, maintain accurate records and identify opportunities for cost savings and improved value for money in a complex humanitarian and development environment.
• The Procurement Officer will contribute to organizational accountability by promoting fair competition, ethical supplier relationships, effective procurement controls and responsible use of organizational resources.
• This is an opportunity for a committed professional to strengthen LPF's procurement systems and support the efficient delivery of quality humanitarian and development programmes for vulnerable and crisis-affected populations.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Planning and Coordination:

• Coordinate procurement activities in line with approved budgets, programme work plans, operational requirements and established procurement procedures.
• Work with Programme Management, Finance and Operations, Logistics and other relevant teams to identify procurement needs and establish realistic purchasing timelines.
• Support the preparation, consolidation and updating of procurement plans for projects, departments and field locations.
• Review purchase requests to ensure that requirements are clearly defined, properly justified, adequately budgeted and appropriately authorized.
• Confirm the availability of approved budgets and ensure procurement requests are consistent with authorized programme activities.
• Prioritize procurement activities according to operational urgency, programme implementation schedules and delivery requirements.
• Monitor procurement timelines and follow up on outstanding requests to minimize delays affecting programme implementation.
• Identify potential supply constraints, market limitations and procurement risks and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Maintain an updated procurement tracking system showing requests, approval status, sourcing activities, purchase orders, delivery schedules and outstanding actions.
• Provide regular updates to the Finance and Operations Manager and relevant programme teams on procurement progress and anticipated delays.

Supplier Identification and Market Assessment:

• Identify and maintain a pool of qualified suppliers, service providers and contractors capable of meeting LPF's procurement requirements.
• Conduct market assessments to identify available goods and services, prevailing prices, supplier capacity and relevant market conditions.
• Source suppliers through appropriate channels in accordance with LPF procurement procedures and applicable donor requirements.
• Request quotations, proposals or tenders from eligible suppliers using approved procurement methods.
• Ensure that suppliers receive clear specifications, quantities, delivery requirements, submission deadlines and other relevant purchasing information.
• Maintain an updated supplier database containing contact information, business details, product categories, performance records and relevant supporting documentation.
• Verify supplier information and documentation as required before recommending supplier engagement.
• Assess supplier capacity, reliability, delivery timelines, quality standards and ability to meet contractual obligations.
• Identify alternative suppliers where necessary to reduce supply disruptions, improve competition or address procurement constraints.
• Promote fair access to procurement opportunities and avoid practices that unfairly favour particular suppliers.

Competitive Sourcing and Quotation Management:

• Coordinate the collection of quotations, bids and proposals in accordance with approved procurement thresholds and procedures.
• Ensure that sourcing methods are appropriate to the procurement value, nature of the requirement, urgency and applicable donor conditions.
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity throughout quotation collection, bid opening and evaluation processes.
• Check submitted quotations for completeness, validity, compliance with specifications and consistency of pricing information.
• Prepare quotation comparison sheets and procurement evaluation documentation to support objective supplier selection.
• Coordinate technical evaluations with requesting departments where specialized knowledge is required.
• Ensure that procurement recommendations are based on documented criteria, including price, quality, technical compliance, delivery timelines and supplier capacity.
• Document justifications for supplier selection, including cases where the lowest-priced offer is not recommended.
• Escalate non-competitive procurement requests, emergency purchases and proposed exceptions for the required approval.
• Ensure that procurement decisions are properly documented and approved by authorized personnel before commitments are made.

Procurement Documentation and Recordkeeping:

• Prepare and maintain complete procurement files for all purchasing activities in accordance with LPF policies and applicable donor requirements.
• Ensure procurement files contain relevant documentation, including approved purchase requests, specifications, quotations, evaluation records, approvals, purchase orders, delivery notes and invoices, as applicable.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date procurement registers, purchase order trackers, supplier records and related documentation.
• Ensure procurement documents are properly organized, securely stored and accessible to authorized personnel.
• Verify that procurement records clearly demonstrate the purchasing process, approvals, supplier selection rationale and receipt of goods or services.
• Follow up on missing documentation, incomplete approvals and discrepancies identified during procurement reviews.
• Ensure changes to specifications, quantities, prices or delivery arrangements are appropriately documented and approved.
• Maintain records of procurement exceptions, cancellations, contract variations and other significant purchasing decisions.
• Support periodic reviews of procurement files to identify documentation gaps and strengthen compliance.
• Ensure procurement records are available for internal reviews, donor verification, external audits and other authorized assessments.

Purchase Orders and Contract Administration:

• Prepare purchase orders and other procurement documents following the required review and approval process.
• Ensure purchase orders accurately reflect approved specifications,