Procurement Manager - East Africa

About the role

The Area Head of Logistics & Services Procurement for East Africa (EAA) leads strategic business partnering, cost leadership and operational excellence across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia. The role reports to the Regional Head of Logistics and Services Procurement for IMEA, based in Cape Town, and is based in Nairobi. It manages the Area Procurement team, which includes members in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Mombasa.

Key responsibilities

• Drive strategic business partnering with the Area Leadership Team, Local and Global Product, Sales and Finance teams to align procurement with business growth and customer experience.
• Lead cost leadership and total cost of ownership across products (Local products, Contract Logistics, Ecommerce, Air/LCL), linking procurement decisions to P&L and budget targets.
• Own supplier relationship management, including negotiations, service level agreements, KPIs and corrective action plans.
• Integrate Maersk Contract Management frameworks to ensure compliance and supplier performance.
• Drive digital innovation in procurement, including e-sourcing platforms (e.g. SourceWise/Keelvar) and AI-enabled procurement capabilities.
• Build and sustain a procurement team of 3, and cooperate with Regional and Global Category Leads and the Ocean set-up.
• Represent the Area in the Regional Leadership Team and contribute to pan-IMEA procurement initiatives.
• Travel to strategic vendor sites and owned assets.

Required profile

• 10+ years of experience in logistics, including inland transportation, warehousing, cold chain, intermodal, contract logistics and supply chain management.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field.
• Direct leadership experience, including managing multi-location teams.
• Fluent English; additional advantage: knowledge of East African land-side transportation and contract logistics markets.

Required skills

• Solid commercial acumen linking procurement to P&L outcomes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Power BI) and ERP systems.
• Preferred: sourcing methodologies, contract management frameworks, spend analytics, cost driver analysis and should-cost modelling.