Category Specialist – Procurement

Role Overview

This position anchors procurement for a banking environment, turning complex business needs into workable sourcing plans while protecting the bank through rigorous governance. Every day involves running competitive tenders, negotiating supplier terms, tracking performance against contracts, and advising colleagues on how to buy within policy and regulatory boundaries. The work directly supports operational resilience, cost discipline, and the bank’s strategic goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop sourcing strategies for assigned categories based on actual demand, market conditions, spending patterns, and long-term business priorities.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing events, including preparing bid documents, managing RFIs/RFQs/RFPs, hosting e-auctions, evaluating supplier responses, and presenting award recommendations with supporting commercial analysis.
• Handle supplier relationships within a designated spend portfolio, monitoring deliverables, SLAs, and KPIs, and coordinating quarterly reviews or corrective action plans when service falls short.
• Conduct due diligence on new suppliers, including financial health, operational capability, information security, continuity, and ESG considerations, while meeting regulatory and internal risk requirements.
• Oversee the contract lifecycle, supporting drafting with legal, tracking renewals and obligations, and alerting stakeholders to upcoming expiry or performance issues.
• Collaborate with internal business units to clarify procurement requirements, offer sourcing guidance, and run cross-functional evaluation panels with finance, legal, technology, operations, and compliance teams.
• Monitor purchase orders, budget alignment, cycle times, and reporting dashboards, recommending process or data improvements to strengthen procurement efficiency.
• Identify, quantify, and report cost savings and value enhancements, contributing directly to annual savings targets and continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements & Qualifications

Education & Professional Certification

• Bachelor’s degree in procurement, supply chain management, commerce, business administration, finance, law, engineering, information technology, or an equivalent recognized field.
• Mandatory professional certification in procurement and supply chain management, plus active membership with the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM) in good standing.
• Preferred: CIPS Level 4 or above; MCIPS is an added advantage. Additional certification in contract management, supplier relationship management, project management, risk management, or ESG is also valuable.

Experience & Technical Skills

• Minimum 4 years in procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, or supply chain, ideally within banking, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, or another regulated environment.
• Proven experience executing complete sourcing cycles—reverse auctions, tenders, RFQs/RFPs, negotiations, and contract administration—and delivering measurable savings or cost avoidance.
• Demonstrated ability to manage supplier performance, enforce SLAs, deal with poor performance, and work with third-party risk frameworks that cover financial, operational, security, and reputational exposure.
• Hands-on knowledge of procurement governance, delegated authority, auditing requirements, and regulatory compliance, together with strong financial and commercial judgment.
• Familiarity with ERP systems, and specifically e-procurement, source-to-pay, or procure-to-pay platforms.

Core Competencies

• Strong analytical thinking for spend assessment, supplier evaluation, and commercial forecasting.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder-facing skills, with the ability to influence and guide senior colleagues and cross-functional teams.
• Attention to detail and disciplined record-keeping to preserve audit trails and governance documentation.
• Professional integrity, high ethical standards, and a commitment to confidentiality in all purchasing matters.
• Proactive, results-focused mindset with the capability to solve problems, negotiate effectively, and work collaboratively across a diverse organization.