Senior Procurement Specialist

Job #: req36405
Organization: World Bank Group
Sector: Procurement
Grade: GG
Term Duration:  4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Accra,Ghana
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 5/4/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit https://www.worldbank.org
Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region
We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.
Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.
In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 335 projects totaling more than $63.9 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, water, and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.
Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID. Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa
Procurement
The Prosperity Vice Presidency is one of the World Bank Group’s five verticals, with a mandate that emphasizes “Growth, Finance, and Institutions for all.” Our approach leverages data-driven analysis and combines expertise from both the public and private sectors, together with International Finance Corporation (IFC). The Prosperity Vice Presidency supports clients in advancing evidence-based structural reforms to establish the foundations for inclusive and sustainable growth in the thematic areas of macro-fiscal policy; financial sector resilience, access, and deepening; private sector development, trade, and competitiveness; and governance and public sector reform, including statistical capacity. Prosperity is comprised of five Global Departments. EAWP2 is under the authority of a Procurement Manager for AFW who directly reports to the AFW Prosperity Regional Practice Director.
The Institutions Global Department
The Institutions Global Department comprises a variety of different professional disciplines working on public institutions, including procurement, public sector management, governance and anti-corruption, and financial management. The Procurement Department convenes a leading group of practitioners focused on advancing cutting-edge practices and innovations in the fields of procurement, anti-corruption, and open government. 
The Procurement Team in the AFW Region works with client countries on two major tasks:

i) fiduciary assurance and implementation support to Bank-financed projects and 

ii) strengthening procurement systems of the country. The areas of focus in these countries include strengthening procurement institutions, procurement legislation, electronic procurement, professionalization of procurement staff, procurement data analytics, sustainable/green procurement, SME development and improving procurement transaction efficiency.
In this context, the AFW Procurement Unit seeks to recruit/appoint a highly organized, energized, and experienced professional to support procurement reforms and fiduciary services in Bank-financed projects in Ghana CMU. The 
Senior Procurement Specialist will be working under the oversight and guidance of the Accredited Procurement Manager (APM) for EAWP2 who is based in Washington, DC. This posting is for national local hires only. It does not offer expat benefits.
The CMU (AWCW1) consists of three countries: Ghana, Liberia, and Sierre Leone and spans its engagement in regional integration projects in and around these countries, through a combination of lending and technical assistance. The CMU is headed by a Division Director based in Accra, Ghana 
Duties & Responsibilities
• Works independently under general direction of the Hub Coordinator and APM. Organizes and delivers procurement services in Ghana CMU. He/She should ensure appropriate fiduciary and quality controls, and consistent application and interpretation of policy in making procurement decisions. Plays a leadership and advisory role to clients and colleagues in handling complex procurement tasks and issues, which frequently cut across sectors and/or work units. Likewise, the Senior Procurement Specialist would lead and co-lead the country dialogue regarding the reform and modernization of the public procurement system including green procurement, professionalization of the procurement, electronic procurement and strengthen the countries regulatory and institutional framework and build procurement capacity.
• Develops and promotes innovations in Bank procurement policies to improve Bank project and sector work while serving as a recognized authority on operational procurement, advising management and procurement staff on strategy and long-range interventions on procurement policy systemic issues and related operational issues across sectors.
• Supports client country in achieving value for money (VFM) in public procurement to enhance service delivery and development outcomes with integrity.
• Under the guidance of the APM and the hub coordinator, contribute to the Bank's efforts in promoting procurement reform dialogue in close collaboration with Governance sector colleagues and in professionalizing the function of procurement. Makes significant contributions to the development of client country procurement systems, including supporting the assessment of systems, creating country capacity, influencing the design, reform and strengthening of institutional capacity within borrower entities and monitoring the reform initiatives in client countries.
• Independently, organizes and conducts reviews of procurement aspects of Bank documents, including Project Appraisal Documents, Legal Agreements, Quality Enhancement Review Documents, Development Policy Lending (DPL), Fiduciary Assessments and Board Papers that require procurement input and prepares a range of procurement-related documents and reports. Contributes together with other procurement colleagues and under the guidance of the PM ensures consistency in the procurement approach across the region.
• Handles procurement cases subject to APM and Operations Policy Review Committee (OPRC) reviews and ensure they are properly prepared and presented for clearance. Provides adequate guidance and advice on complex procurement cases.
• Help clients to develop PPSDs (Project Procurement Strategy for Development), conducts Fiduciary Assessments for PforRs, keep the procurement portfolio up to date, with PRAMs and PPRs conducted with quality and timely. Review, clear, and contribute to the improvement of the quality of procurement documents.
• Leads and participates in groundbreaking or precedent setting missions, and plays a key role in developing innovative, practical approaches to procurement while simultaneously dealing with difficult policy and operational issues at the regional, country and or sector levels.
• Ensures the use of electronic tools, e.g., Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) to track exchanges with the clients and performance of key fiduciary metrics covering the operations portfolio, as well as 
the unit's own work program deliverables.
• Plays a significant role within the function in guiding, mentoring, and establishing a framework and approach to knowledge dissemination, and is a key contributor in the design of professional and operational training or development of knowledge products in procurement.
• Designs and delivers capacity building workshops for Bank staff, private sector, and Borrowers staff.
• Articulates Bank Procurement Policy Change program with focus on early market engagement, use of rated criteria, etc. and designing metrics to monitor progress of implementation at country level.
The work implies frequent interaction with the following stakeholders:

· Management in the duty station and on some occasions in HQ or other countries.

· Government officials and equivalent contacts in other international organizations, partner entities, etc.

· Procurement specialists within the World Bank and government units.

· Counterparts in the Bank across VPUs, Global Practices and other units involved in meeting the Bank’s business objectives.

· Other external constituencies and expert groups.

Selection Criteria

· Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., business administration, engineering, finance, commerce, law, procurement, etc.) with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience as a seasoned Procurement Specialist carrying out technical duties in public procurement under donor/MDB-financed projects. Preference will be given to candidates with an engineering background.

· Demonstrated experience in the procurement of large-value contracts and infrastructure projects.

· State-of-the-art knowledge of concepts, principles, and practices governing international procurement, with the ability to translate these concepts into operational work (e.g., VfM, sustainable procurement, strategic sourcing, market analysis, contract management, etc.).

· Ability to identify complex issues and respond innovatively without adding unnecessary complexity to tasks or projects.

· Ability to work effectively and sensitively in multicultural environments, building strong working relationships with clients and colleagues.

· High levels of integrity and professional ethics.

· Knowledge of institutional frameworks and procurement reforms in developing countries.

· Strong knowledge of international procurement concepts, principles, and public procurement systems.

· Good knowledge of data mining and data analytics.

· Strong communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to present and resolve complex issues.

· Strong team management and organizational skills, including a proven track record of building and managing teams and fostering an enabling work environment.

· Demonstrated ability to mentor staff and clients, and to design and deliver training and capacity-building initiatives to support effective knowledge transfer.

· Excellent command of English. 

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.