Procurement Specialist - Higher Education

Position Summary: 

The Procurement Specialist oversees our strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier relationship management for our member colleges. This position is responsible for evaluating vendor partnerships, negotiating high-value contracts, and optimizing procurement processes to drive cost efficiencies while maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance in higher education.  This role supports procurement across several purchasing opportunities, including technology & systems, supplies, and services.

Reporting Structure:

The Procurement Specialist will work collaboratively with the Contract Specialist and will report to the Accounts Payable and Procurement Lead to ensure that organizational goals and objectives are achieved.

Department:
2001 - Procurement

Location:  
Burlington, VT/Hybrid Remote with travel to member colleges occasionally, as needed

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Procurement Support:

• Identifies potential contract opportunities and reaches out to vendors and works with college staff, when appropriate, to plan negotiations
• Researches and evaluates suppliers based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history
• Formulates policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services, ensuring compliance with applicable state laws and regulations along with other company policies 
• Works with stakeholders to implement purchasing policies and procedures
• Sets up negotiation documents, collaboration teams, scoring mechanisms in system, reviews proposals and makes recommendation to collaboration teams
• Evaluates and monitors contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes
• Negotiates, and administers contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives
• Analyzes price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices 
• Creates and manages consortium supplier agreements through their life cycle
• Monitors requisition and purchase order approval workflow and works with users when problems arise
• Prepares purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and reviews requisitions for goods and services
• Authors and maintains consortium procurement contracts
• Purchases the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
• Writes and reviews product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased
• Applies for and maintains Sales & Use, Rooms & Meals, and Alcohol state tax exemptions for GMHEC and member colleges
• Reports on savings, risks, and upcoming opportunities on a quarterly basis to member colleges
• Creates training videos and uses existing training material to train new and existing users in the procurement process at the colleges
• Supports creation and administration of the procurement budget

Supplier Administrator: 

• Registers new suppliers needed for purchasing
• Reviews and sets up supplier profiles to be ready for spend transactions
• Maintains existing suppliers
• Ensures current W-9 information is required and submitted by suppliers
• Ensures, where needed, current Certificates of Insurance (COI) are submitted by suppliers
• Ensures, where needed, Contractor certificates are submitted by suppliers
• Act as main contact or contract administrator for specified vendors

Procurement Catalog Management: 

• Sets up and maintains local, punch-out and informational catalogues in procurement system
• Creates and maintains content zones per college and / or category of products
• Creates and maintains smart forms for goods-based, or fixed price services-based request types
• Works with suppliers, manages changes, links contract purchase agreements and categories to all of the above
• Creates training videos and uses existing training material to train new and existing users

Other Duties as assigned

Knowledge & Abilities & Education

Knowledge & Expertise in:

• Microsoft Office: Word, Access, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Purchasing software 
• Supplier registration, sourcing of products, and contracting with suppliers
• Management of requisitions and purchase orders

Skills & Abilities:

• Identify creative opportunities for collaboration
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are required
• Manage multiple projects at a time with the ability to plan, delegate and evaluate progress toward goals, with transparency.  Organize and prioritize work, take initiative, resolve problems, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong negotiation skills are required.  Must have a basic understanding or contract terminology, price points and be able to negotiate effectively. Be hungry for a bargain
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Meet deadlines for daily, weekly, annual, and project workload goals
• Customer service oriented
• Build strong, positive relationships with external and internal contacts
• Manage financial data accurately
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information with tact and discretion
• Independently achieve results and  self-direct work responsibly
• Be ready, willing and able to support a leading edge, creative team that is highly focused on success for our college partners

Education and Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience is required
• 5-7 years of procurement experience is required, higher education experience preferred

$75,000 - $85,000 annual salary, paired with a competitive benefits package

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

The essential functions of this classification is performed in a office environment (hybrid: remote home office and/or GMHEC office) and require the ability to: sit or stand for extended periods of time in front of a computer screen: use finger dexterity and hand strength to perform simple grasping and fine manipulation; use of a telephone and operation of a computer keyboard on a daily basis; speak and hear in person and on the phone; see sufficiently to perform assignments.