The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
Background
The Global Procurement Unit, within Global Supply Chain, leads sourcing strategy, category management and supplier management for IRC. Within this unit, the Senior Global Procurement Manager, Fundraising and Marketing Categories, leads category strategy and supplier portfolio management for fundraising, marketing and donor engagement services. The Procurement Officer supports delivery of these strategies through assigned procurement activities.
The Procurement Officer sources services for External Relations' mass marketing and fundraising activities, including direct mail, digital and paid media, telemarketing, face-to-face and door-to-door fundraising, creative and production services, and donor data services. The role supports value for money, timely campaign delivery and compliance with applicable procurement requirements.
Position Overview
The Procurement Officer manages assigned procurement activities for Mass Marketing and Fundraising within External Relations, maintaining complete sourcing records and coordinating supplier due diligence, approvals and contract administration.
The officer independently handles routine sourcing activities within delegated authority and supports the Senior Global Procurement Manager on high-value, complex or high-risk procurements. The role works with External Relations, Finance, IT, Legal and risk specialists to progress requests and escalate issues requiring specialist advice or management decisions.
This is an execution-focused individual contributor role and the day-to-day procurement focal point for assigned requests. The officer follows approved category strategies and procurement procedures. Category strategy, exception approvals and specialist risk acceptance remain with the responsible managers and authorized functions.
The role reports to the Senior Global Procurement Manager, Fundraising and Marketing Categories, who sets priorities and provides guidance and oversight. The officer also maintains a strong working relationship with Mass Marketing teams and Regional Supply Chain Directors in relevant markets.
Key Responsibilities
A. Procurement Planning and Market Research
- Collect and maintain spend, supplier and market information to support procurement planning, updating it as requests and campaign plans change.
- Prepare and update procurement plans for assigned requests in line with IRC standard operating procedures and agreed priorities.
- Conduct market research and identify potential suppliers, pricing benchmarks and opportunities for consolidation for the manager's review.
- Provide sourcing data and supplier information to support the manager's development of fundraising and marketing category strategies.
- Maintain approved supplier lists and framework agreement records, and support supplier onboarding and use of existing agreements.
- Compile supporting documentation for justified waiver or single-source requests and route them for the required approvals; the officer does not approve exceptions.
- Coordinate scheduled performance reviews for assigned suppliers, gathering business-owner feedback and recording agreed follow-up actions.
B. Sourcing Execution and Contract Administration
- Manage assigned requests for information, quotations and proposals within delegated authority. Prepare tender documents, coordinate bidder communications and evaluation records, and submit award recommendations for approval. Support the manager on complex, high-value or high-risk tenders.
- Agree realistic sourcing timelines with requesters, taking account of campaign dates, contract expiries and required reviews, and escalate likely delays promptly.
- Compare supplier offers on a consistent basis, including total costs, agency fees, media markups, production charges and performance-based pricing where relevant, with technical input from External Relations.
- Identify and document opportunities for cost savings, improved service and procurement efficiency for discussion with the manager and business owners.
- Execute assigned sourcing activities in line with the approved category strategy and the manager's guidance.
- Help business teams prepare clear scopes of work, deliverables and evaluation criteria; business owners remain responsible for technical requirements and evaluation input.
- Negotiate pricing and commercial terms for assigned procurements within agreed parameters, escalating non-standard terms and material issues to the manager and Legal as appropriate.
- Prepare contract and statement-of-work drafts using approved templates, coordinate Legal review and authorized signature, and maintain executed agreements and amendment records.
- Coordinate inclusion of clauses approved by the relevant specialists for data protection, safeguarding, ethical fundraising and fraud prevention. Refer non-standard provisions to the responsible reviewers.
- Handle day-to-day procurement communications with assigned suppliers and coordinate with business owners on delivery and service issues.
- Support requesters with procurement intake forms and purchase requisitions, and create and track purchase orders in Integra as assigned and authorized, maintaining segregation of duties.
- Provide procurement documentation and follow up on payment-related queries through ServiceNow as needed; business owners and Finance retain responsibility for service acceptance and payment authorization.
C. Vendor Due Diligence, Risk Review, and Documentation
- Collect supplier information and coordinate required due diligence and screening with the responsible functions, including conflicts of interest, supplier conduct, data protection, sanctions and anti-terrorism checks, financial viability and applicable donor requirements.
- Track required clearances from Information Security, Data Protection, the Office of General Counsel, Risk and Compliance, and Finance before the applicable award or commitment stage. Escalate outstanding reviews; specialist assessment and risk acceptance remain with authorized functions.
- Ensure procurement files are complete, audit-ready, and aligned with IRC sourcing policy and donor requirements.
- Track and follow up on missing documentation, approvals, vendor information, and risk reviews.
- Record supplier performance issues, refer material concerns to the manager and business owner, and follow up on agreed corrective actions.
D. Stakeholder Engagement and Service Support
- Provide procurement guidance on assigned requests and refer category strategy or supplier selection decisions beyond delegated authority to the manager.
- Coordinate procurement actions with requesters and relevant review teams, providing clear status updates and identifying blockers.
- Confirm that business owners have provided required specifications, evaluation input and service acceptance documentation at the relevant stages.
- Provide practical, responsive procurement support to External Relations teams.
- Follow up on outstanding actions to keep requests progressing within agreed timelines and required controls.
- Help stakeholders use approved procurement routes and flag unauthorized commitments or purchasing outside agreed procedures to the manager.
- Explain procurement routes, documentation requirements, approval steps and expected timelines to requesters.
- Encourage early engagement on upcoming campaigns and renewals before commitments are made to suppliers.
E. Reporting and Continuous Improvement
- Maintain an accurate tracker for assigned sourcing activities, renewals, cycle times, savings, risk flags, documentation and approvals, and provide regular updates to the manager.
- Record procurement intake and requisition issues and recurring compliance concerns, and escalate them to the manager.
- Recommend practical improvements to procurement checklists, templates and workflows based on recurring issues.
- Share relevant sourcing information and lessons learned with Global Procurement colleagues.
- Maintain contract expiry and notice dates, and notify business owners and the manager in time to plan renewals or new sourcing.
Key Working Relationships
- Reports to: Senior Global Procurement Manager, Fundraising and Marketing Categories
- Internal: External Relations fundraising and marketing teams; Global Procurement colleagues; Regional Supply Chain Directors, Finance; IT and Information Security; Data Protection; Office of General Counsel; Ethics and Compliance; Risk and Compliance; and relevant country supply chain teams and technical specialists as required.
- External: Suppliers, agencies and service providers.
Minimum Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in procurement, supply chain, business administration, marketing, finance, law or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- At least three years of procurement or sourcing experience, including procurement of services.
- Experience coordinating competitive tenders, comparing commercial offers, negotiating within agreed parameters and administering contracts.
- Proficiency in Excel, including spend and pricing analysis, and experience using ERP or procurement systems.
- Clear written and verbal communication, effective stakeholder and supplier coordination, and the ability to manage competing deadlines while maintaining accurate records and sound judgment.
Preferred
- CIPS qualification or progress toward a relevant procurement qualification.
- NGO or nonprofit procurement experience, including familiarity with donor requirements.
- Experience working with stakeholders across countries or business functions.
- Familiarity with agency pricing models, service-level measures and supplier performance reporting.
- Working knowledge of German, Swedish, or Korean is an advantage.
Success Measures
- Assigned sourcing activities completed within agreed timelines, with delays identified and escalated promptly.
- Savings and cost avoidance from assigned activities documented separately and submitted for validation in line with IRC's agreed methodology.
- Required procurement approvals and specialist clearances documented before the applicable commitment stage, with exceptions routed through authorized processes.
- Complete, accurate procurement and contract records maintained in Integra and Box, as applicable, and supplier reviews documented for designated suppliers according to the agreed schedule.
- Timely, clear stakeholder updates and positive feedback on the quality and responsiveness of procurement support.
- Renewal and notice deadlines tracked, and assigned audit or corrective actions completed by agreed dates.
Working Environment
Preferably based in an IRC hub city in Europe (Germany, the United Kingdom); remote or United States locations may be considered, subject to IRC hiring arrangements. Travel of up to 10% domestically and internationally, including occasional travel to IRC country offices.
This is a remote position open to internal candidates based in countries where IRC operates who have the right to work in their location. Successful candidates will be hired on a local employment contract and according to local salary scale.
This role is open to candidates located and with the right to work in United States of America and United Kingdom.
Compensation: (US Pay Rate: $50,000-$65,000/yr; UK Pay Rate: £34,653-£41,150/yr). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
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Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
