Job particulars
- Job title
- Procurement Manager, Emerging Technology and Digital Innovation Procurement
- Hiring organisation
- Testimonials
- Location
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Employment type
- Full-time
- Work arrangement
- On-site
- Industry
- Procurement
- Level
- Management
- Posted
- 23 Oct 2026
- Closing date
- 13 Nov 2026
Key responsibilities
- Emerging Technology and Digital Innovation Sourcing Execution.
- Provide hands-on sourcing support for pilots, trials, proofs of concept, small-scale SaaS, emerging vendors, startup-style tools, and digital innovation requests across IRC.
- Execute sourcing activities in line with the IT category strategy and under the guidance of the Senior Category Manager, IT.
- Conduct early market scans and market intelligence for emerging tools, vendors, pricing models, and digital innovation categories.
- Support requirements gathering, supplier identification, RFI/RFQ/RFP preparation, evaluation support, award recommendation, and contract finalization.
- Build supplier visibility for innovation and emerging technology vendors, including startup and niche providers that may later become larger enterprise solutions.
- Help bring new tools into proper procurement channels, reducing shadow IT, credit-card purchasing, and unmanaged technology spend.
- Support SaaS rationalization, renewal planning, demand management, and license optimization at the innovation and pilot tier.
- Help business teams translate technical needs into clear scopes of work, evaluation criteria, and vendor questions.
- Pilot, Trial, and Proof-of-Concept Procurement Frameworks.
- Build and maintain a lightweight, repeatable procurement pathway for pilots, trials, and proofs of concept.
- Develop checklists, decision tools, and methodology for short-term technology engagements.
- Define the minimum documentation required before a pilot, trial, or proof of concept can begin.
- Maintain clear approval checkpoints and escalation criteria so teams understand when a pilot can proceed and when it requires further review.
- Track emerging technology requests from intake through pilot, decision, and possible scale-up.
- Ensure required reviews and approvals are completed and all necessary checks are documented before tools are tested or used.
- Help document whether a pilot should end, continue, scale, or move into a formal sourcing process.
- Coordinate NDAs and pre-procurement documentation when teams need to test or evaluate multiple tools before selecting a vendor.
- Ensure pilots and trials are set up in a way that allows long-term success if IRC later moves to a larger phase or formal sourcing process.
- AI-Enabled and High-Risk Technology Procurement Support.
- Support sourcing for AI-enabled tools as part of the broader emerging technology portfolio, applied only when AI functionality is in scope.
- For AI-enabled tools, support the application of IRC’s AI assessment requirements, including use-case risk classification, provider/deployer determination, GenAI tool checks, and required approvals.
- Coordinate with the AI Governance and Risk Committee and AI Department Focal Points when applicable.
- Identify and escalate sourcing requests that may involve high-risk technology, AI functionality, personal information, confidential data, client-facing tools, cybersecurity concerns, or unapproved tools.
- Support procurement documentation for AI-enabled tools, including evidence of approvals, vendor assessments, risk reviews, and contract requirements.
- Vendor Due Diligence, Risk Review, and Documentation.
- Coordinate required vendor risk assessments (VRA) and due diligence across cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, legal, donor compliance, sanctions and ATC screening, financial viability, implementation risk, integration risk, operational support model, and vendor lock-in and exit risk.
- Coordinate with Information Security, Data Protection, Office of General Counsel, Risk and Compliance, and Finance to ensure required reviews are completed before pilots, trials, awards, or contract signature.
- Ensure procurement files are complete, audit-ready, and aligned with IRC sourcing policy and donor requirements.
- Support compliance with institutional donor requirements that may affect technology, AI, data hosting, data residency, and vendor selection.
Candidate requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in procurement, supply chain, business administration, information technology, engineering, law, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered.
- Minimum 5 to 7 years of procurement, sourcing, contract management, or vendor management experience.
- Of the required 5 to 7 years above, at least 3 years must be in IT procurement, SaaS and software sourcing, software licensing, cloud services, cybersecurity tools, data platforms, or similar technology categories.
- Experience supporting pilots, trials, proofs of concept, or other early-stage technology procurement activities.
- Experience coordinating vendor due diligence and technology risk reviews, including cybersecurity, data protection, financial, and operational risk.
- Experience supporting sourcing events, supplier evaluations, commercial analysis, and contract coordination.
- Good understanding of technology procurement risks, including data protection, information security, intellectual property, software licensing, vendor lock-in, and third-party risk.
- Ability to work effectively with IT, Legal, Information Security, Data Protection, Finance, and business teams.
- Demonstrated ability to work quickly while maintaining compliance, controls, and documentation standards.
- Strong stakeholder service orientation and ability to balance procurement standards with customer needs.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Good judgment and ability to balance speed, compliance, risk, and stakeholder needs.
- Experience in an NGO, donor-funded organization, humanitarian agency, UN agency, or complex global organization.
- Knowledge of donor compliance requirements such as USAID/BHA, FCDO, ECHO, EU, UN agencies, or private foundations.
- Professional certification such as CIPS, CPSM, or equivalent, completed or in progress.
- Working knowledge of French, Spanish, or Arabic is an advantage.
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Hiring organisation
Testimonials