Supply Chain & Operations Expert

About the role

Acacia EPZ is seeking a Supply Chain & Operations Expert to lead end-to-end procurement, logistics and production operations across its East African supply network. The role owns the gum arabic sourcing-to-export chain, manages a revolving working-capital facility and leads a team of 8-10 people across Kenya and cross-border hubs. It is based in Nairobi (Westlands).

Key responsibilities

• Own the full procurement-to-delivery chain: sourcing from the Abyei corridor and Kenyan pastoral belts, cross-border transport, border clearances (Nimule, Juba customs, road-tax stations), EPZ intake, quality inspection, warehousing, production allocation and export shipment.
• Design and enforce SOPs for each logistics node, including contingency plans for border delays, truck breakdowns and seasonal route disruptions.
• Negotiate and manage contracts with transport providers, clearing agents, aggregators (including AFFORD Trust at Abyei) and port/freight forwarders.
• Plan and execute purchasing draws against the revolving facility, forecast cash flow and track cost proportions against the benchmark (gum 63.5%, logistics 31.4%, regulatory 0.7%, financial/admin 4.4%), reporting variances to the CEO and Finance.
• Coordinate with Finance on letters of credit, foreign-exchange hedging, buyer-receipt reconciliation and timely principal return.
• Oversee the Kenya collection network (Isiolo, Marsabit, Baringo, Turkana hubs), verify collection plans, ensure agent payments and waybill integrity, and run the hub-to-hub stock-movement system with real-time inventory accuracy and FIFO discipline.
• Supervise fleet utilization, fuel efficiency (cost-per-km) and vehicle maintenance.
• Coordinate raw-material issuance to production, including the GIR pool, FIFO consumption and pre-production quality approvals, and monitor warehouse stock-takes and non-conformance resolution with the QA manager.
• Guarantee full batch-level chain of custody and maintain phytosanitary certificates, export licenses, letters of no objection and certificates of origin; act as the main contact for buyer audits and due diligence.
• Lead, mentor and performance-manage the supply chain team, provide weekly dashboards to the CEO and monthly board-ready reports, and prepare quarterly milestone reports.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Agribusiness or a related field; a master's degree or professional certification (CIPS, CSCP, CILT) is a strong advantage.
• Minimum 8 years in supply chain or operations management, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing cross-border commodity supply chains in East or Central Africa, ideally agricultural or NTFP commodities.
• Experience with working-capital or trade-finance instruments (revolving facilities, letters of credit, pre-export finance) and with Export Processing Zones or bonded-warehouse frameworks.
• Desirable: prior exposure to gum arabic, resins or essential oils, familiarity with EU food-safety and traceability requirements, and experience with programme governance and M&E reporting.

Required skills

• Proficiency with dashboards, ERP or supply-chain platforms and Excel.
• Strong negotiation skills for freight rates, aggregator terms and service contracts.
• Data-driven decision-making and effective cross-cultural communication with aggregators, field agents, European buyers and finance teams.