Byaruhanga, the procurement pro shares nuggets for career growth

What you need to know:

For 17 years, Sheba Byaruhanga has undertaken procurement, construction, fleet, warehouse and assets management assignments in various international organisations. She has directly supervised, trained and mentored many in supply chain management. She led the transitioned manual supply chain processes into a best – in class automated system that brings vendors into the same digital operating space. 

Sheba Byaruhanga speaks the language of supply chain management. She is not only a certified supply chain specialist but right from the day she got her first job, she was determined to make a mark on the profession.

From the time we start this interview via Zoom, I can tell she is warm, cheerful and has a great sense of humour. No wonder Byaruhanga describes herself as a fun loving and happy person; neither uptight nor a stickler for anything.

Before we dive deep, I learn that she holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a Master’s in Procurement and Supply Chain Management both from Makerere University and Postgraduate training in Humanitarian Leadership from Deakin University, Australia where she also works as a coach.

Byaruhanga currently heads the supply chain department at Save the Children International – Uganda.  

What is supply chain management?

With 17 years of working experience, she demystifies supply chain management as the ability to integrate supply and demand within an organisation to efficiently meet the intended beneficiaries’ needs of accessing goods or services.

She adds that all processes need to be done in line with existing policies and standards at organisational, governmental or international levels.

Her job is to ensure that accessing goods and services is done in adherence to the organisation and donor requirements, which are aligned to international standards. She is also accountable for the overall delivery of supply chain needs in the country programme.

Curiosity drove her into a new profession

Growing up, Byaruhanga did not envisage herself in this career. As a matter of fact, she hardly knew the profession existed. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she specialised in finance and her dream was to work in the banking sector.

After graduation, she held several jobs but her ambition drew her into the world of procurement and supply chain management.

“At the time, it was not a popular course in Uganda. My postgraduate class was, in fact, among the pioneers of this Masters programme at Makerere in 2008. So, curiosity drove me into exploring how this profession would add value to my career,” Byaruhanga recalls.

Career growth

She started out as an administrative officer at World Vision, where she handled administrative procurements in 2007.

For the most part of her career life, Byaruhanga has worked with international non-government organisations (INGOs).

“As my curiosity continued to grow, it was an opportunity for me to identify what the skills of procurement could offer in terms of value addition to an organisation. This propelled me to go for further studies. It is this professionalism that got me entrusted with numerous responsibilities,” Byaruhanga recalls.

Rising through ranks

With a fully-fledged department, she was able to do a lot more, which opened more opportunities for her. After five years, she moved to AMREF Health Africa, the then AMREF Uganda, to head their administration and logistics department. From here, she moved to Save the Children Int - Uganda in 2003 as a logistics and fleet manager.

At that time, she was overseeing procurement, construction, fleet, warehouse and assets management. She was tasked to align the department with international standards, following the merger of different member offices.

Within three years, Byaruhanga’s role had changed to head of supply chain, which meant more responsibilities. With five regions of Save the Children’s operations countrywide, Byaruhanga gives technical support and guidance to ensure supply beneficiaries’ needs are met.

Leadership

Her exposure to supply chain management coupled with her training and experience of working with international organisations, Byaruhanga has learnt a thing or two about organisational leadership. 

“We are all leaders at different levels in the different spaces where we work or in our homes. You do not need to be in top leadership to be called a leader. Set your own standards so you don’t end up competing with others. Compete with yourself by yearning to be better at what you do,” she shares.

“Do not be afraid to fail, especially when trying out new things. When one takes risks, exercises judgment and gets it right or fails, they learn and become better,” she adds. 

On work-life balance, Byaruhanga says creating a strong support system at work and at home is crucial. “I value family first and it is my motivation to do what I do. With your family on track and a good support system, you will work with clarity and peace of mind,” she shares.

Career nuggets

Setting priorities, knowing what one can and cannot compromise, understanding what comes first and how it blends into one’s role, working smart, a positive mindset, determination and self- drive are some of the nuggets that keep Byaruhanga focused in her career.

Byaruhanga also believes every employee needs mentorship “There is nothing we are doing that is new in this world. Most of these things have already been done, what we bring to the table is how differently we are doing the job. Seek mentorship to hone your talent and skill in order to stand out,” she adds.  

 “I want to remind women that what matters is our intellectual capabilities and skills. Nobody cares whether you are a woman or not. Being aware of this will make us move past the prejudice thrown at us,” she adds. 

She also advises women to take care of themselves mentally, physically, spiritually. 

Skills for a career woman

According to Byaruhanga, ambition and creativity are key requirements and since nobody teaches or trains people to be creative, it is a skill one ought to learn from the dynamics that the job brings.

She also believes in teamwork and for her, just being able to harness what teamwork means and optimising it for the benefit of oneself and others is what counts.

“No one has all the answers. Every human being is gifted with a unique and God-given talent, which they bring to the table. So, value teamwork, identify people’s strengths and harness that to make them and make the organisation better. In addition to these skills is, being results oriented, confident and (having) belief in God,” she adds.

What success means for her

What does Byaruhanga consider success to be? Without a shadow of doubt, she considers herself an institutional change manager, something she has found uniform in the different roles she has played through her career.

“A change manager of systems, structures and processes and having been able to influence and impact leaders in the different organisations, I can comfortably say that is success. I have directly supervised, trained and mentored supply chain persons in most of the key INGOs, and I find this really gratifying because it means I have directly influenced the INGO landscape from a supply chain perspective,” she says.

Her innovation

At Save the Children, Byaruhanga takes pride in having successfully taken part in the large digitisation project, which has led to the transitioned manual supply chain processes into a best – in class automated system that brings vendors into the same digital operating space.  She says this exercise required intense planning and coordination on her part to have it work seamlessly.

Additionally, she is glad to be part of a team that has consistently given timely response to emergencies in the country and beyond. And they are a number; from disease outbreaks including the current Covid-19 pandemic, Ebola epidemic, the refugee crises in DRC and South Sudan, among others.

Challenges

Byaruhanga says she struggles to achieve a work-life balance. “But I acknowledge it and it is something I work to improve every day. I am cautious that whereas I am working, sitting in meetings for long hours and spending time away from home, I must find a way to strike a balance,” she says.

Working in highly delivery-driven field, Byaruhanga has prides in being part of an organisation that has a direct impact on the most vulnerable population in the most hard-to-reach areas in Uganda, transforming communities.

Transformation

“Each one of us can do more once we have the right partnerships. I want to continue to make impact on a larger scale and to be part of a transformational generation that leaves this world much better than we found it,” Byaruhanga notes while quoting Dr Martin Luther King, “Not everyone is famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service.”

She adds that the world has many challenges and although they all cannot be solved, making the effort one day at a time, consistently, will definitely have an impact in the long run. “That is the future I want to be part of,” Byaruhanga concludes.

About Byaruhanga

Away from work, Byaruhanga enjoys a good workout, especially with a bit of boxing and dance. She is also a reader with a bias towards inspirational books and biographies. She is currently reading The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.

When she has the opportunity, especially during her time off, she binges on movies especially legal dramas. To get through Kampala traffic she listens to TED talks. The 9am to 5pm job theory also does not exist for her. Many times, she often works beyond those hours.