Supply Chain & Operations Expert

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Supply Chain Leadership

·
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 standard operating procedures

for each logistics node, including contingency protocols 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.

Purchasing Facility & Working-Capital Cycle
Management

·
Plan and execute purchasing draws against the

revolving facility: quantity scheduling, cash-flow forecasting, and draw-down

requests aligned to aggregator availability and buyer delivery windows.

·
Track cost proportions against the proven

benchmark (gum 63.5 %, logistics 31.4 %, regulatory 0.7 %, financial/admin 4.4

%) and report variances to the CEO and Finance after each cycle.

·
Coordinate with Finance on letters of credit,

foreign-exchange hedging, buyer-receipt reconciliation, and timely principal

return to keep the facility performing.

Domestic Operations & Hub Network

·
Oversee the Kenya collection network (Isiolo,

Marsabit, Baringo, Turkana hubs): collection-plan execution, verification-plan

quality assurance, agent payments, and gum movement waybill integrity.

·
Manage the Dukawala hub-to-hub stock-movement

system, ensuring real-time inventory accuracy and FIFO discipline from field to

factory.

·
Supervise fleet utilization, fuel efficiency

(cost-per-km tracking), and vehicle maintenance scheduling.

Production & Warehouse Coordination

·
Coordinate raw-material issuance to production:

GIR (Goods Intake Register) pool management, FIFO consumption tracking, and HQ

pre-production quality approval workflows.

·
Ensure production batches have confirmed

material, packaging, and lab-clearance before scheduling; enforce the

stage-gate activity-date recording discipline.

·
Monitor warehouse stock-take baselines, SKU

integrity, and non-conformance resolution in partnership with the Quality

Assurance Manager.

Traceability, Compliance & Certification

·
Guarantee full batch-level chain of custody —

from aggregator purchase receipt through every transport leg, quality gate, and

production stage to the final shipment sample — using the company's digital

traceability and sample-tracking platform.

·
Maintain all regulatory certifications current:

phytosanitary certificates, export licences, letters of no objection, and

certificates of origin for both the Abyei corridor and Kenyan sourcing.

·
Serve as the primary contact for buyer audits

and due-diligence requests on sourcing and logistics.

Team Development & Reporting

·
Lead, mentor, and performance-manage the supply

chain team: the Supply Chain Officer, SC Intern, county coordinators, and field

operations staff.

·
Provide weekly supply-chain dashboards to the

CEO and monthly board-ready reports on throughput, cost-per-kilo, cycle times,

facility utilisation, and risk flags.

·
Prepare quarterly milestone reports on

supply-chain KPIs, programme deliverables, and M&E data.

Qualifications

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.

Experience (Essential)

·
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 involving

agricultural or NTFP (non-timber forest product) commodities.

·
Hands-on management of working-capital or

trade-finance instruments (revolving facilities, letters of credit, pre-export

finance).

·
Experience operating within Export Processing

Zones or bonded-warehouse regulatory frameworks.

Experience (Desirable)

·
Prior exposure to gum arabic, resins, essential

oils, or similar ASAL-origin commodities.

·
Familiarity with European food-safety and

traceability requirements (EU Regulation 178/2002, FSSC 22000, buyer-specific

codes of practice).

·
Experience with programme governance, milestone

reporting, and M&E frameworks.

Competencies

·
Strategic thinking with the ability to translate

a scale-up plan into daily operational execution.

·
Strong commercial acumen — comfortable

negotiating freight rates, aggregator terms, and service contracts.

·
Data-driven decision-making: proficiency with

dashboards, ERP/supply-chain platforms, and Excel/analytical tools.

·
Effective cross-cultural communication — will

interface with Abyei aggregators, Kenyan field agents, European buyers, and

Nairobi-based finance teams.

·
Resilience and adaptability in

resource-constrained, fast-moving environments.

·
High integrity and alignment with Acacia EPZ's

values of transparency, community benefit, and environmental stewardship.