Local Category Specialist at Coca-Cola Beverages Africa

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa is the largest African Coca-Cola bottler, accounting for 40% of all Coca-Cola volumes on the continent.  CCBA is a market leader in the NARTD (non-alcoholic ready-to-drink market) in Africa. CCBA has an extensive footprint in Africa, employing over 13,000 employees. 

Key Purpose Statement

The Local Category Specialist acts as a point of contact towards internal and external customers for procurement-related questions, manages local purchasing requests in collaboration with the sourcing and category management organisation and guarantees efficient contract implementation and acceptance on-site, related to one or several sites.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Planning Procurement Activities

• Provide guidance and assistance to departments in all procurement aspects
• Ensures that all purchasing is in compliance with policies and procedures related to purchasing practices and in accordance with CCBA standard practices.
• Develops and updates department’s procedures and recommends changes to relate organizations standard practices; interprets policies and procedures to departments in their need to purchase supplies and services.
• Solicits information regarding a variety of commodities by telephone interview or written requests ensuring cost effectiveness commensurate with quality
• Prepares technical specifications for request for proposals, including terms and conditions and evaluation criteria.
• Manage local purchase requisitions according to defined strategies and framework(mainly for direct categories)
• Execute local, low value purchase requisitions
• Close/change/modify Purchase Orders related to spot buys
• Act as the single point of contact for the procurement function at a site or country
• Coordinate local contract implementation tasks with Category Managers and users
• Support strategic sourcing initiatives

Requisitions / Circulation and Approval Process

• Checks requisitions raised by user through IBIS.
• Process requisitions and adjudicate RFQ and send to Vendors for PFIs
• Capture approved PFIs in IBIS for Approval.
• Follow up on IBIS approvals

Purchase Order( P.O)

• Consolidates purchase orders (P.O)
• Send PO to supplier with delivery schedules.
• To follow up on non-delivered items.
• To close POs delivered.

Expediting orders

• Initiate effective procurement practices and ensure management of the ‘functional’ talent pipeline, to meet the required requirements (short, and long-term).
• Expedites outstanding purchase orders to ensure delivery requirements are met.
• Coordinates and resolves problems with end-user departments and suppliers.
• Assists shipping and receiving with shipment/transportation-related discrepancies and variances.

P.O and GRN Process

• Aligning POs with items delivered & invoices sent to Finance
• Solve invoice discrepancies with Finance & suppliers. If any.

Employee Relations

• Develop a good employee relations and collective environment that supports the delivery of procurement methodology and ensures communication directly with all employees on delivering of goods and services to boost productivity.

Reward

• Ensures effective and efficient implementation of the Reward approach within the ‘Procurement function’, in line with our business strategy.

Procurement Excellence

• Team up with Specialist to create effective and integrated Procurement practices for application in the country
• Works with the business to deploy the procurement practices in the functional business units.
• Provides feedback to internal and external stakeholders about procurement practices and work with them to identify continuous improvement opportunities.

Skills, Experience & Education

Judgement and decision-making

• Manage local purchase requisitions according to defined strategies and frameworks (mainly for indirect categories)
• Execute local, low-value purchase requisitions
• Close/change/modify purchase orders related to spot buys
• Act as the single point of contact for the Procurement function at a site or country
• Coordinate local contract implementation tasks with Category Managers and users
• Support strategic sourcing initiatives

Qualifications

Minimum requirement: Min – HND in Purchasing and Supply

Added advantage: Ideal – Preferably graduate with an economic/technically oriented degree.

Minimum requirement:

2- 5 years of general business experience, broad background across different business functions, preferably in the Procurement area (low to mid-level spending) in a middle-sized or large organisation; basic experience within supplier selection, negotiation and contracting area is necessary. Experience in purchase order administration only is not fully sufficient.

Competencies

• To drive organisation performance.
• Ability to influence and engage suppliers and user departments across different levels.
• Ability to develop clear steps to support business strategy.
• Brilliant communication skills.
• Ability to analyse & diagnose.
• Integrity and the ability to build trust.
• Reputation for discretion and sound judgment.
• Technical process expertise.
• Ability to collaborate, and work effectively in Teams.
• Inclusiveness and ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to generate ideas, agree on direction, influence and plan actions through productive relationships with groups and individuals.
• Excellent Problem solving ability.
• Change management and performance improvement.
• Ability to develop strong, professional relationships with internal customers, through integrity and delivery.
• Credible, trustworthy and able to recommend solutions that are aligned with user needs and long-term interests of the organisation.
• Ability to facilitate team discussions and shape positive behaviours.