Position: Procurement and Ethics Specialist
Location: Pretoria, South Africa (remote role could be considered for an exceptional candidate)
Position type: Full-time
Duration: 12-month renewable for up to 4 years
Supervisor: SEIGG Project Coordinator
1. BACKGROUND
The Strengthening Ethics, Integrity and Green Governance (SEIGG) project is a 5-year initiative (2025-2030) funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Cowater International. Its overarching goal is to support the South African government in its efforts to enhance accountability, efficiency, and transparency in the public administration for inclusive and gender-responsive governance through Technical
Assistance (TA) and capacity building at national, provincial and municipal levels.
This will be achieved through three intermediate outcomes:
1100- Improved prevention, protection and response against harassment, including sexual harassment, across public administrations
in South Africa.
1200- Strengthened oversight, management and professional conduct for ethics, integrity and disciplinary management matters in the public administration.
1300- Strengthened prevention, monitoring and detection of public procurement corruption with a focus on climate and energy sectors.
SEIGG- will achieve this by first working with key entities at the national level, including the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) through the Public Administration Ethics, Integrity and Disciplinary Technical Assistance Unit (PAEIDTAU) and Transformation and Workplace Environment Management (TWEM) unit, and the National Treasury through the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO). The project will also work with representatives from select National and Provincial Departments involved in ethics, investigations and labour relations that process corruption, harassment and other disciplinary or malpractice cases. In addition, SEIGG will contribute to efforts towards fostering ethics and integrity at the municipal level by expanding the Policy on Prevention & Elimination of Harassment in Public Service (PPEH) and Lifestyle Audits (LSA) to this level. This will notably include pilot activities in eight municipalities and ongoing work and collaboration with TWEM, PAEIDTAU, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).
The SEIGG team completed its Project Implementation Plan (PIP), obtained the endorsement of key stakeholders, and the approval from Global Affairs Canada in December 2025. The implementation period started in January 2026.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION
Reporting directly to the SEIGG Project Coordinator, the Procurement and Ethics Specialist will lead the technical planning, implementation and reporting of Intermediate Outcome 1300. He/she will also provide direct technical support for the planning, implementation and reporting of the Ethics-related activities in close collaboration with the pillar lead for intermediate outcome 1200. As part of his/her responsibilities, he/she will further collaborate closely with other team members along with the HQ-based Project Manager and Project Director as required for the management and delivery of the project.
3. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Procurement and Ethics Specialist will assume the following responsibilities:
Coordination of 1300 activities:
· Develop and maintain work relationships with counterparts from the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at the National Treasury, in collaboration with the Project Coordinator, to facilitate implementation of activities at the national, provincial and municipal levels of government.
· Facilitate stakeholder engagement, including government entities at the national, provincial and municipal levels, and private sector actors such as business associations.
· Collaborate closely with SEIGG’s Public Procurement Advisor, including as part of planning and coordinating his/her contributions for activity implementation and delivery.
· Plan activity implementation, including the development and submission of Activity and Budget Approval Requests to the Project Coordinator, with input from project advisors as required.
· Support the monitoring, evaluation and reporting for the project by updating the activity tracker monthly, drafting activity reports, and contributing to the preparation of semi-annual and annual donor reports.
· Ensure effective collaboration and information sharing across the team as part of project implementation, and especially the provision of necessary data and information to the MEL analyst for documenting outputs and results in SEIGG’s Performance Management Framework.
· Provide inputs, and support the Project Coordinator and the broader team as part of developing annual work plans along with semi-annual and annual progress reports,
· Collaborate and participate in meetings with the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analyst to ensure effective gender mainstreaming of activities.
· Support any other task which may be deemed necessary by the SEIGG Project Coordinator or Project Director.
Technical support and delivery of Public Procurement activities under outcome 1300:
· In collaboration with the SEIGG Public Procurement Advisor and the Project Coordinator, ensure the planning and delivery of key outputs under the third pillar, including:
o Providing technical advice and capacity building to the National Treasury/OCPO in support of the Public Procurement Act implementation.
o Develop and implement a procurement risk assessment framework for key departments with a focus on climate and renewable energy
o Improve the knowledge of supplier organizations and their members on procurement processes and ethics and integrity standards in the public sector
· As necessary, this involves leading the research, literature review, data analysis and drafting of training materials, standard operating
procedures, workflows and other documents required for technical assistance to the OCPO and national, provincial and municipal entities.
Technical support and delivery of Ethics activities under outcome 1200:
· In collaboration with the Outcome 1200 lead and the Project Coordinator, contribute to the technical delivery and achievement of the Ethics-focused activities, including:
o Support government stakeholders in the development of an Integrated Ethics Management Framework to consolidate and align ethics and
integrity-related interventions across the public sector
o Work with key government counterparts to strengthen the role of Ethics Officers and other key officials supporting the implementation of ethics and integrity interventions in the public sector
· Coordination of activities and communications with relevant stakeholders will be done in collaboration with Outcome 1200 Lead, who retains the primary responsibility for this pillar.
4. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
5. APPLICATION PROCESS
Candidates are encouraged to apply by April 8, 2026 or as soon as possible by submitting a presentation letter and their CV on Cowater International’s employment portal. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please include your all-inclusive monthly rate for this mandate in the application letter. Candidates with a valid South-African work permit will have an advantage.
For your application to be considered, please upload your documents as followed: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position.
We thank all applicants, however only those shortlisted will be contacted.
Founded in 1985, Cowater International is a leading global development consulting company. Headquartered in Ottawa and with corporate hubs in Auckland, Berlin, Brussels, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Manila, Montreal, Nairobi, Singapore and Stockholm, Cowater International has successfully delivered a portfolio of over 5,000 projects and assignments in more than 100 countries. We work with governments, private sector actors and communities implementing projects that support socio-economic development, governance and institutional strengthening, environmental sustainability and advance equal opportunities for all. We are a diverse and experienced team committed to building a better tomorrow for the people we serve. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our yearly award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2017.
We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.
