Job Vacancy at Simara Enterprises Ltd: Procurement & Sourcing Officer – Dar es Salaam, October 2026

Position: Procurement & Sourcing Officer

Company: Simara Enterprises Ltd (Simara Foods)
Industry: FMCG Wholesale & Retail
Department: Procurement/Operations
Location: Oysterbay, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with regular supplier and market visits
Reports To: Operations Manager / General Manager / Director

About Simara Foods

Simara Foods is an FMCG wholesale and retail business based in Oysterbay, Dar es Salaam. The company supplies food, beverages, and everyday essentials to hotels, restaurants, caterers, hospitals, institutions, businesses, and individual customers.

Its retail operations include a supermarket, bakery, and café. Simara Foods focuses on dependable product availability, good quality, competitive pricing, and reliable customer service.

1. Purpose of the Role

The Procurement & Sourcing Officer will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing FMCG products at competitive prices while ensuring good quality, suitable expiry dates, favourable credit terms, and reliable deliveries.

The successful candidate will maintain product availability for wholesale clients and the supermarket while protecting the company’s profit margins.

This is a hands-on role involving supplier visits, market price checks, purchasing, delivery verification, and close follow-up of stock records. The officer will be responsible for commercial buying and stock coordination. Tender preparation is not part of this role.

2. Supplier Sourcing and Weekly Market Visits

• Visit the market at least once every week to verify current prices, compare them with existing supplier prices, and identify better purchasing opportunities. Record findings and recommended actions.
• Identify and visit manufacturers, main distributors, importers, and other reliable suppliers to secure better prices and consistent product availability.
• Build and maintain an up-to-date supplier contact database showing products supplied, pack sizes, prices, credit terms, delivery schedules, and return policies.
• Obtain and compare supplier prices for the same product, brand, pack size, and quality. Consider transportation, taxes, and other purchasing costs when comparing total costs.
• Select suppliers based on the best overall combination of quality, price, credit terms, suitable remaining shelf life, and reliable deliveries, within approved purchasing limits.
• Maintain backup suppliers for important and fast-moving products. Identify potential shortages early and arrange approved alternatives.

3. Purchasing and Replenishment

• Check actual stock levels, sales movement, confirmed customer orders, and outstanding purchases before buying. Coordinate requirements with the sales, supermarket, and stock teams.
• Negotiate prices, discounts, credit periods, delivery commitments, minimum remaining shelf life, and arrangements for damaged, short-dated, or incorrect goods.
• Make purchases within approved budgets and authority. Obtain management approval for exceptions, new commitments, or purchases outside agreed limits.
• Follow up on orders and deliveries to maintain the availability of key products and prevent avoidable stockouts, excess stock, and unnecessary emergency purchases.

4. Delivery Verification and System Receiving

• Verify deliveries against purchase orders and supplier invoices or delivery notes before authorising the assistant to receive goods in the system.
• Check products, brands, pack sizes, quantities, purchase prices, conditions, batch details, and expiry dates. Ensure the remaining shelf life meets agreed requirements and expected stock turnover.
• Record shortages, damage, incorrect items, and unsuitable expiry dates. Arrange rejection, replacement, or credit with suppliers and promptly report unresolved issues.
• When a purchase price differs from the previous purchase price, confirm the reason, document the change, and notify management and the responsible pricing team before the affected stock is sold.
• After verification, instruct the assistant on correct system receiving and the stock person on allocating goods to the appropriate store, supermarket, customer order, or other approved location.
• Confirm that system receipts match the verified goods and supporting documents. Follow up on errors until they are corrected through the approved process.

5. Stock Accuracy and Follow-up

• Coordinate and monitor the assistant and stock personnel on receiving, allocation, and stock records. Ensure accurate and timely information and system entries.
• Verify that receipts, issues, transfers, returns, and damaged goods are recorded correctly, supported by documentation, and free from duplicate entries.
• Participate in scheduled physical stock counts and conduct spot checks. Compare physical quantities with system balances, investigate discrepancies, and report findings.
• Do not authorise unsupported stock adjustments. Submit discrepancies and proposed corrections for management approval before adjustments are made.
• Monitor expiry dates, damaged items, slow-moving stock, and reorder requirements. Ensure stock personnel follow the First-Expiry-First-Out (FEFO) principle and flag risks early.
• Track recurring errors and delays, provide clear instructions, and follow up on corrective actions with the staff concerned.

6. Management Reporting and Problem Solving

• Submit a weekly report covering market visits, supplier comparisons, price changes, negotiated terms, deliveries, stock availability, and sourcing opportunities.
• Report supplier challenges, shortages, expiry risks, damages, and stock discrepancies, together with practical proposed solutions for discussion and management approval.
• Escalate urgent issues immediately and track approved actions until completion.
• Maintain accurate supplier records, price comparisons, purchase documents, delivery verification records, returns, and stock discrepancy reports.

7. Key Performance Measures

Performance will be assessed against the following indicators:

• At least one documented market visit every week, including current price checks and follow-up actions.
• Competitive purchasing costs and improved supplier prices, credit terms, and delivery arrangements.
• An accurate and up-to-date supplier database, including direct sources and backup suppliers for key products.
• Availability of priority products and fewer avoidable stockouts or emergency purchases.
• Verification of deliveries before system receiving, with accurate purchase prices, quantities, and stock allocations.
• Prompt identification and resolution of receiving errors, stock discrepancies, damage, and expiry risks.
• Timely and useful reports identifying challenges and recommending workable solutions.

8. Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A diploma or degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least three years of practical purchasing or sourcing experience, preferably in FMCG, wholesale, supermarket, or distribution operations.
• Proven experience in supplier identification, price comparison, purchase negotiations, and delivery follow-up.
• Practical understanding of stock receiving, inventory management systems, physical stock counts, and expiry control.
• Ability to use spreadsheets and purchasing or stock management systems to maintain accurate records.

9. Skills and Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate should demonstrate the following:

• A proactive attitude and willingness to spend time in markets and at supplier premises.
• Strong negotiation skills and sound judgement when assessing quality, price, credit terms, and product availability.
• Honesty, trustworthiness, and accountability in handling purchases, supplier relationships, and stock information.
• Good organisational skills, attention to detail, and persistence in following up deliveries, staff entries, and unresolved issues.
• Ability to provide clear instructions, collaborate with operational teams, and propose practical solutions.
• Willingness to declare conflicts of interest and commitment to avoiding personal commissions or benefits that could influence purchasing decisions.

10. Scope of Duties

The employee may be assigned other reasonable duties related to sourcing, purchasing, and stock coordination.

Any decisions requiring management approval must be submitted with the relevant facts and a recommended course of action.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send their CV and a brief cover letter to the email address below:

Email: assistant@twenty4web.com

Applicants should ensure their applications clearly demonstrate their relevant purchasing, sourcing, supplier negotiation, and stock coordination experience.