Procurement Manager, Emerging Technology and Digital Innovation Procurement

The Procurement Manager supports fast-moving technology sourcing needs across IRC, focusing on early-stage digital innovation, pilots, proofs of concept, trials, and emerging tools. The role ensures procurement discipline, vendor due diligence, risk review, documentation, and compliance while enabling quick adoption of new technology.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 for long-term success if moving to larger phases.
• Support sourcing for AI-enabled tools including application of IRC’s AI assessment requirements.
• Coordinate with AI Governance and Risk Committee and AI Department Focal Points when applicable.
• Identify and escalate sourcing requests involving high-risk technology or unapproved tools.
• Support procurement documentation for AI-enabled tools including approvals and risk reviews.
• Coordinate vendor risk assessments and due diligence across cybersecurity, privacy, legal, donor compliance, financial viability, and operational risks.
• Coordinate with Information Security, Data Protection, Office of General Counsel, Risk and Compliance, and Finance to ensure reviews are completed before 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 affecting technology and vendor selection.
• Track and follow up on missing documentation, approvals, vendor information, and risk reviews.
• Maintain or support a list of emerging technology tools and vendors with status and approved use cases.
• Document business owner, contract status, contract dates, and renewal timing for each tool.
• Document approved uses and requirements for additional approvals or procurement actions.
• Connect business owners, IT, Procurement, Information Security, Data Protection, Legal, and Finance around emerging technology tools and vendors.
• Reduce misuse of approved tools and flag for review.
• Support commercial negotiation and contracting including NDAs, trial agreements, SaaS agreements, subscriptions, software licenses, cloud services, implementation services, and renewals.
• Review pricing models and provide commercial analysis.
• Coordinate with Legal, IT, Finance, and business owners to ensure contracts include appropriate terms on data protection, confidentiality, intellectual property, service levels, audit rights, incident reporting, termination, data return, and exit provisions.
• Ensure AI-enabled tool contracts address AI-generated outputs, model training restrictions, and AI-specific risk allocation.
• Support renewal planning and prevent last-minute renewals or unplanned vendor commitments.
• Provide practical, service-oriented procurement support to teams exploring new tools, pilots, digital services, automation platforms, AI solutions, or other emerging technology.
• Help stakeholders move through procurement process without unnecessary delays while maintaining compliance and risk controls.
• Coordinate between business owners, IT owners, Procurement, end users, Information Security, Data Protection, Legal, and Finance to ensure tool usage aligns with approved scope and contract terms.
• Reduce workarounds, shadow IT, and credit-card purchasing by making correct procurement process easier to follow.
• Guide stakeholders on procurement routes, required documentation, approval steps, and realistic timelines.
• Support early engagement with teams considering new tools before vendor commitments.
• Track emerging technology sourcing pipeline, renewal calendar, cycle time, savings, risk flags, documentation completion, and approval status.
• Track pilot outcomes and capture lessons learned.
• Track user adoption issues, non-approved usage of approved tools, and other compliance signals and surface to Senior Category Manager, IT.
• Identify recurring issues in emerging technology sourcing and recommend improvements to frameworks, checklists, templates, and decision tools.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing across Global Procurement on emerging technology, SaaS, AI, and digital innovation sourcing practices.
• Support role’s value contribution by improving visibility over fast-moving technology spend, reducing duplicated tools, undocumented pilots, and audit risk.

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.
• 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.

Skills

• Procurement Management
• IT Procurement
• SaaS Sourcing
• Software Licensing
• Cloud Services Procurement
• Cybersecurity Tools Procurement
• Data Platforms Procurement
• Vendor Management
• Contract Management
• Vendor Due Diligence
• Technology Risk Review
• Cybersecurity risk assessment
• Data Protection Compliance
• Supplier Evaluation
• Commercial Analysis
• Contract Coordination
• Donor Compliance
• Procurement Compliance
• Stakeholder Engagement
• CIPS Certification
• CPSM Certification

Languages

English, French, Spanish, Arabic