Supply Chain & Operations Expert

About the company

Acacia EPZ is seeking a Supply Chain & Operations Expert to lead end-to-end procurement, logistics, and production operations across our East African supply network. You will own the gum arabic sourcing-to-export chain, manage a revolving working-capital facility, and lead a team of 8–10 across Kenya and cross-border hubs. This is a high-impact role, requiring both strategic vision and hands-on operational discipline in a fast-growing, mission-driven organization.

Acacia EPZ is seeking a Supply Chain & Operations Expert to lead end-to-end procurement, logistics, and production operations across our East African supply network. You will own the gum arabic sourcing-to-export chain, manage a revolving working-capital facility, and lead a team of 8–10 across Kenya and cross-border hubs. This is a high-impact role, requiring both strategic vision and hands-on operational discipline in a fast-growing, mission-driven organization.

Your tasks

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 licenses, 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.

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 licenses, 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.

Requirements

• 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.

• 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.