Job Title: Group Procurement Manager
Organisation: Simba Group
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About Organisation:
What started out as Patrick and Carol working late into the night in their first shop in Uganda turned into the largest airtime distributor, mobile phone retailer, and mobile money distributor in East Africa. While Simba Telecom achieved continuous success in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, Patrick chose to continue to follow the entrepreneurial philosophy he had developed at a young age: find a real customer need, take a calculated risk, and deliver the best possible quality of goods and service possible. This entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the understanding that the Group needed to find “new waves” to ride, led Simba Group to make key strategic investments in a number of areas, including property development, power generation, agriculture, micro- finance and media.
Job Summary: This role will provide strategic leadership and centralized governance for end-to-end procurement across the Simba Group. The role shall be responsible for restructuring the processes, enhancing internal controls, and driving substantial cost savings through a modern, digital, and compliant framework for procurement. In ensuring that there is robust risk mitigation, operational excellence, and strict conformance with standards across the Group, the Group Procurement Manager plays a direct, integrative role in supporting Simba Group’s Vision 2030 pillars of profitability, governance, and operational efficiency
Key Results:
- An implemented and enforced Group Procurement Policy and governance framework.
- Successful and cost-effective procurement of heavy machinery and major CAPEX items, ensuring timely delivery and operational readiness.
- Achievement of explicit annual cost savings targets.
- Successful migration from a cash-based to a credit and PO-driven procurement environment.
- Full implementation and adoption of the Group’s ERP/procurement system.
- A consolidated and professionally managed Approved Vendor List (AVL).
- Closure of audit findings related to procurement and vendor management.
- Regular performance dashboards and reporting for senior management.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Group-Wide Governance
- Develop and implement a Group-wide procurement strategy in line with Vision 2030.
- Exercise functional leadership over all procurement activities and staff within the Group
- Collaborate directly with the Group Strategic Director, Finance, Internal Audit, and Legal to ensure strategic alignment.
- CAPEX, Heavy Machinery & Cross-Border Procurement
- Provide oversight and expertise on major CAPEX projects, with a specific focus on technical procurement of heavy machinery and industrial equipment.
- Manage the entire process of importing machinery, including identification of international suppliers, technical evaluation, negotiation of price, shipment, customs clearance, and delivery.
- Manage cross-border procurement in Uganda and Kenya, including complying with import regulations, tax laws, and managing all associated logistics.
- Ensure that all purchased machines meet the required technical specifications and are supported by robust service and warranty agreements.
Policy, Controls & Audit Compliance
- Own, develop, and enforce the Group’s Procurement Policy and standard operating procedures.
- Ensure all procurement activities are in line with internal controls and external regulations. Lead the remediation efforts for audit gaps.
- Mandate a strict end-to-end procurement process, from initial request to final payment, which must include the mandatory use of formal Purchase Orders, a systematic three-way match between the Purchase Order, the Goods Received Note, and the supplier’s invoice before any payment is made, and the secure retention of all related documentation.
Bid and Tender Management
- Proactively identify, evaluate, and pursue new business opportunities through competitive bidding processes for the Group’s goods and services.
- Lead the end-to-end bid management process, right from the identification and qualification of opportunities to proposal development, submission, and post-submission follow-up.
- Direct cross-functional teams in the creation of compelling, compliant, and competitive bid responses: Technical, Legal, and Finance.
- Maintain a pipeline and tracker for bids, reporting on success rates and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement of the bidding strategy.
Policy, Controls & Audit Compliance
- Own, develop, and enforce the Group Procurement Policy and standard operating procedures.
- Ensure that all procurement activities adhere to internal controls and external regulations. Lead the remediation of audit gaps.
- Enforce a tight Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process, including PO requirements, _invoice matching, and records retention.
Financial Performance & KPIs
- Deliver against explicit annual cost-saving targets, such as 5-10% on addressable spend.
- Drive the migration from high cash purchases to a formal credit and PO-based system. Establish clear entity-level limits.
- Define, track, and report on KPIs related to spend, savings, and compliance.
Digital Procurement Pioneer
- Spearhead the digital transformation of procurement, building a modern function from our current manual foundation.
- Lead the selection and implementation of our first ERP/procurement system, creating automated workflows and approval chains.
- Develop and present monthly digital dashboards to provide senior management with clear visibility into spend, savings, and compliance.
- Lead the implementation and ongoing optimization of the Group’s ERP/procurement systems and automated workflows.
Supplier Governance & Strategy
- Establish and manage a Group-wide approved vendor list (AVL) with strict onboarding – KYC, TIN, and contracts.
- Lead supplier negotiations to consolidate vendors and establish standard pricing.
- Perform annual reviews of vendor performance.
Above job descriptions explain only the key parts of the duties and responsibilities. Other duties and responsibilities may arise at the discretion of the Management, though they should remain relevant.
These roles and duties are also subject to the review from time to time.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- A Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Logistics, or a directly related field is required.
- A professional procurement qualification (e.g., CIPS – Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, CPSM – Certified Professional in Supply Management) is required.
- 10+ years of procurement and supply chain experience, with at least 5 years in a senior, multi-entity leadership role.
- Proven track record of restructuring procurement functions, achieving quantifiable savings, and implementing policies.
- Demonstrable expertise in the end-to-end procurement of heavy machinery and capital equipment, including international sourcing and import logistics.
- Proven experience in successfully managing and winning competitive bids and tender processes.
- Hands-on experience in pioneering a digital procurement transformation, including selecting and implementing a new system in a manual environment.
- Demonstrable experience in migrating an organization to a credit/PO-based system.
- Extensive experience in CAPEX project management and international logistics.
Others/Extra Details
- Competencies and Skills
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strategic and critical thinking skills
- Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
- Thorough knowledge of procurement-related laws and regulations.
- Team working skills.
- Board-level presentation skills
- Written and spoken communication skills.
- Excellent negotiation skills.
- Great interpersonal skills
- Ability to multitask
- Commitment to equal opportunities and diversity.
How to Apply:
All candidates should apply online at the link below
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Level of Education: postgraduate degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 120