Procurement Intern

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is currently looking for applications from enthusiastic students who wish to participate in, and learn about procurement processes. The incumbent will work closely with IWMI's Procurement Office to deliver effective and timely procurement services for IWMI’s headquarters. The procurement intern should maintain impartial, ethical, and customer-oriented relations with suppliers and exchange information with counterparts in other departments. The intern will be based at IWMI's headquarters in Sri Lanka.

The intern will assist in the following areas:

• Understand the process and criteria for obtaining quotations from diverse suppliers.
• Assist IWMI Procurement Officers with obtaining quotations from both local and foreign suppliers for purchases of goods and services, to track orders, and follow-up with deliveries as necessary.
• Assist in preparing quotation requests from suppliers/vendors, RFP/RFQ, and other documentation.
• Assist in organizing and maintaining relevant records for each procurement decision for all goods and services procured within IWMI.
• Learn to track and evaluate vendor performance and improvements related to pricing, contractual terms, and/or scope of services.
• Learn the life cycle of a purchase order and assist to prepare purchase orders for approval, dispatch approved purchase orders, and follow-up with the delivery of ordered commodities and services with vendors
• Assist with maintaining an updated supplier database and good relationships with vendors/suppliers.
• Take part in supplier feedback meetings with IWMI Procurement Officers and record minutes where necessary.
• Learn about the importance of meticulous record-keeping in procurement, summarize quotations and technical evaluations in preparing procurement submissions to the IWMI Procurement Committee and help maintain records of committee submissions, purchases, shipments, and other vital procurement statistics.
• Study the structure and purpose of procurement management reports and assist IWMI Procurement Officers in the preparation and submission of reports.
• Gain an understanding of the diverse functions within the procurement department and support the preparation of procurement system documentation, training materials, and end-user guidance during the ERP transition period.
• Perform any other tasks or duties assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Management, Finance, or a related degree from a recognized and accredited university.
• Certificate in Procurement and Supply Chain Management (desirable).
• A good command of the English language (both written and spoken).
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize, and manage time efficiently.
• Candidates should be goal-oriented, able to maintain confidentiality, skilled planners and organizers, with good interpersonal and teamwork skills.

Benefits

IWMI will provide a monthly stipend to the selected candidate during the internship period.

The duration of the initial internship contract will be for 6 months with the possibility of extension for another 6 months based on performance, requirements of IWMI, and the availability of funds. This is a nationally recruited internship and only Sri Lankans are eligible to apply.

To apply, visit www.iwmi.org/jobs. Applications must be submitted by 24:00 (Colombo time) on 20 July 2026 (Monday).

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society and the private sector to solve water problems in developing countries and scale up solutions. Through partnership, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center with offices in 17 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 55 countries. www.iwmi.org

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.