IFS - Finance - Procurement Operations - Senior Associate

Job description / Role

Line of Service
Internal Firm Services

Specialism
IFS - Finance

Management Level
Senior Associate

Job Description & Summary
A career in Procurement, within Internal Firm Services, will provide you with the opportunity to develop and manage the procurement of all goods and services required by PwC for operational and strategic purposes. As a part of the team, you'll assist in developing our standard practices and compliance infrastructure, managing relationships for both internal clients and suppliers to aid in the strategic selection of suppliers, supplier diversity, and contract negotiations.

• Procurement sits within the centralised Finance function and is managed by the Director of Procurement, the team is responsible for the development of procurement processes, procedures, strategy development, implementation/administration of vendor management, all procurement activities, optimisation of firm spend, as well as supporting the operational aspects of the agreement with the operations, finance and R&Q teams.
• The Procurement Senior Officer reports to the Procurement Operations Manager and is responsible for supporting the vendor management set-up and monitoring process for all three procurement business streams (Sourcing; Business Services and Procurement Operations.
• The team is the primary point of contact for vendor creation, management, monitoring and completion of the firm's risk & quality process as well as completion of key vendor assessment checks across all spend categories.
• The Procurement Operations stream includes the management of the firm's complete vendor management set up and monitoring process for all twelve Middle East countries.
• The Procurement Operations team also undertakes many change initiatives including ongoing governance and framework of Procurement; evaluation of new technologies and reporting for the department.

Primary duties and responsibilities

Financial
• Follow the vendor management and purchasing procedures to execute the relevant checks, screening, and data input required to ensure risks are mitigated and smooth day to day running of the process across the Middle East region.
• Channel spend requirements (goods and services) into preferred vendor agreements, working with Procurement to identify opportunities to optimise and leverage regional spend.
• Assist both the Procurement team and business stakeholders with the management of new vendor creation, risk and quality reviews, completion of vendor management checks (internal & external), spend category management.
• Ensure end to end maintenance of the Vendor Masterfile, managing all records and documentation and conducting periodic vendor data maintenance and updates at agreed intervals.
• Conducting quarterly supply chain performance reviews and reports.
• Supporting the Procurement team in ensuring completion of the firms complete risk and vendor screening procedures (e.g. IT and Business Continuity assessments).
• Ensure accurate capture of procurement data to feed into the firms Finance System e.g. LPOs, invoices etc, ensuring meaningful and accurate data is collected, reconciled and managed appropriately.
• Day to Day management of the vendor management process and coordination with the relevant departments on all areas of enquiry.

Customer
• Build internal customer relationships with key function leads and build collaborative relationships with common goal of optimising functional procurement objectives.
• Support development of external vendor relationships with key partners in the markets for all areas of category spend.
• Responsible for day to day support of functional vendor management activities, including data inputting, amendments, vendor reviews and screening.
• Ensure internal customer satisfaction with Procurement services.

Internal Process
• Work with business partners to ensure understanding of the firm's policies, processes and procedures. Identifying needs and implementation options in order to provide guidance in the delivery of efficient procurement processes and tools in the region.
• Escalate any issues to the Procurement Operations Manager for resolution.
• Support design and implementation of any new opportunities/improvements within vendor management scope of delivery.
• Support risk management and mitigation approach identification.
• Manage and execute reporting and analysis as required.
• Supports risk management and mitigation approach identification, as well as execution for agreements.
• Manages the risk, quality and independence process and promotes fair trade within the firm.

Learning & Growth
• Capture templates and standards into a repository to build the team's own knowledge management database.
• Proactively keeps up to date and informed of new technology advancements and market innovations to improve vendor management efficiency and risk management.
• Ensures adherence to policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the continuing professional development of self.
• Act as a key resource and liaison to other functional areas of the business, building cross-functional relationships as needed.

Requirements

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

Education
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field required.

Language
• Fluency in written and spoken English, proficiency in Arabic is an advantage.

Overall Experience
• 1+ years of experience in a Procurement, Finance or Administration role.

Specific Experience
• Experience in a highly demanding team-orientated role.
• Experience in managing multiple stakeholders and high volume requirements.
• Experience within the Middle East is an advantage.

Knowledge and Skills
• Knowledge of vendor management principles and key technologies /platforms.
• Knowledge / experience of market leading ERP systems, including the vendor management modules.
• Knowledge of implementing cost improvements.
• Strong liaison skills, with the ability to maintain geographical relationships.
• Excellent people management skills, ability to work within a team and develop excellent relationships with co-workers and wider stakeholders.
• Ability to adhere to and implement corporate procurement policies.
• Strong ability to collaborate across functions.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Organisation, thoroughness, eye for detail, time management skills and proactivity.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ethical Conduct.

About the Company

At PwC Middle East, we've set out an ambitious purpose and strive to live it everyday: to solve important problems and build trust in society.

We're a community of solvers that come together in unexpected ways to build trust and create sustained outcomes. We solve important problems, support one another as we grow, develop and build fulfilling careers.

PwC provides industry-focused services for public and private clients across Assurance and Audit, Deals, Consulting, Tax and Legal. We draw on our development legacy that brings together the collective experience of over 7,000 people in our region with offices across 12 countries to solve for tomorrow.

We're striving to consistently deliver innovative work that builds trust and delivers sustained outcomes. And we're proud of the strength that comes from all our different backgrounds and experiences and we value everyone's uniqueness. We thrive in uncertainty, operate with integrity and leverage the diverse perspectives of our teams.

If you're looking for a place that fuels your ambition to make a difference, that matches your curiosity with continuous learning opportunities and reimagines ways of working to enable you to lead a more balanced life, then you're a future PwCer.