Associate, Procurement

Job Title: Associate, Procurement  

Job Code: 43100

Job Location: Nashville, TN

Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked, and have every other Friday off   

Job Description:  

As a new graduate in the procurement role, you will assist in maintaining strategic alliances and partnerships established by the Purchasing organization. You will send requests for (information/proposal/quote) to suppliers, analyze responses, justify procurements, and place purchase orders. Your role includes streamlining the order fulfillment process to ensure supplier quality and timely delivery that meet performance metrics. You will facilitate strong communication with vendors, understand and apply the company’s “Terms and Conditions,” and ensure compliance with corporate policies. Additionally, you will help assess supplier capabilities and participate in risk assessments, escalating issues to management and recommending appropriate actions 

Essential Functions:  

• Procure material, equipment, supplies, services, and commodity products 

• Evaluate cost and analyze supplier bids to attain best overall value  

• Negotiate price, delivery and quality of products/services and determine supplier selections  

• Track all Purchase Orders through reports, work matched exceptions, open commitments, receiving discrepancies, returns, supplier discrepancies, and problem reports/supplier corrective action responses.  Interface with receiving and accounting to resolve issues  

• Manage supplier relationship through the acquisition process  

• Confer with suppliers to determine factors that affect competitive total cost of ownership consistent with quality, reliability, and ability to meet required schedules.  Evaluate root cause and corrective action with suppliers on late delivery performance  

• Interpret FAR/DFAR/ITAR laws, rules and regulations regarding import/export control certifications and licenses  

Some things to include if needed / depending on the role:  

• Travel requirements with an estimated % or quantitative amount  

• Valid Driver’s License  

• Ability to complete physical tasks  

Qualifications:  

• To be eligible, applicants must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Logistics Management, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Operations Management, General Business Management, Business Administration or related field or have completed their bachelor’s degree within the last 12 months, regardless of age.  

  Preferred Additional Skills:   

• Experience in Supply Chain principles and concepts, spend management tools, purchasing insight into buying and selling principles, negotiations, awareness of different contract types, financial and quantitative analytical skills, commodity management, supplier and performance measurement tools, and exposure to sourcing process  

• Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma