Procurement Strategist

SUMMARY

In support of the university’s mission and objectives, the Procurement Strategist serves as the university’s strategic sourcing and spend management resource, responsible for optimizing procurement expenditures and driving value through data-informed purchasing strategies. This role leads campus-wide spend analysis, vendor consolidation efforts, contract negotiations, and preferred supplier initiatives to improve purchasing efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen supplier relationships. The Procurement Strategist provides oversight of institutional spending trends, develops procurement policies and standards, and delivers reporting that supports transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of university resources. 

Strategic Sourcing, Vendor Management & Contract Negotiation 

• Leads the sourcing, evaluation, and selection of vendors for goods and services across campus. 
• Provides strategic oversight of the contract lifecycle, including contract negotiations, renewal strategies, vendor performance evaluations, and risk mitigation activities. Manages the full contract lifecycle, including executions, renewals, and performance evaluations. 
• Develops and implements sourcing strategies aligned with university financial goals. 
• Establishes and maintains strong vendor relationships and performance standards to evaluate ongoing service and delivery. 
• Identifies opportunities for vendor consolidation, supplier standardization, and preferred vendor agreements that improve purchasing efficiency and reduce costs. 
• Monitors contract expenditures and recurring vendor invoices to ensure alignment with contractual terms, budget expectations, and procurement objectives; identify variances, billing issues, and opportunities for cost containment. 

Campus Spend Management & Financial Oversight 

• Maintains visibility and controls over campus-wide procurement spend.  
• Evaluates purchasing trends and procurement spend data to identify sourcing opportunities, vendor optimization strategies, and cost-saving initiatives. 
• Analyzes Purchasing Card (P-Card) transaction data to identify high-spend categories, repetitive purchasing patterns, and opportunities for strategic sourcing or contracted purchasing arrangements. 
• Develops and enforces procurement policies related to spending thresholds and approvals.  
• Partners with Finance and department leaders to align purchasing with budget objectives. 
• Measures, validates, and reports savings achieved through sourcing initiatives, contract negotiations, vendor consolidation efforts, and procurement optimization activities. 
• Provides regular reporting and recommendations regarding procurement performance, spending trends, supplier utilization, and savings initiatives. 

Procurement Operations Support & Backup Functions 

• Serves as backup support for Procurement Specialist functions, including P-Card program oversight and transactional procurement activities, during absences or peak workload periods.  
• Assists with procurement workflows, approvals, and issue resolutions to ensure continuity of operations. 
• Supports special procurement projects and initiatives assigned. 

Process Improvement & Compliance 

• Evaluates procurement processes and implements improvements to increase efficiency and compliance.  
• Supports contract lifecycle management, including renewals and compliance tracking.
• Ensures adherence to institutional policies, audit requirements, and regulatory standards. 
• Develops training materials and provides guidance to departments on procurement best practices.  

EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) or a related discipline preferred. 

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel required.

Professional procurement certification preferred, such as Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), or equivalent credential.

EXPERIENCE

3+ years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, sourcing, or contract management.

Experience negotiating contracts and managing vendor relationships required.

Experience analyzing procurement, purchasing, or financial data to support decision-making and cost management initiatives required. 

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across multiple departments and functional areas required.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES

• Customer Service Orientation – Keeps internal and/or external key stakeholder(s), students, parents, faculty, staff and community partners in mind at all times. 
• Professionalism – Displays a high level of professionalism, e.g. timeliness, reliability, communication, and work ethic.
• Christ-first Faith – Provides spiritual support to community members, including students, on their Christian faith journey.
• Adaptable/Flexibility – Ability to change or adjust to change.
• Analytical Thinking & Decision Making – Identifies and understands trends and/or issues, connects data points through analysis and logical conclusions/actionable strategies.
• Attention to Detail – Ability to efficiently and accurately focus on a specific task or number of tasks. Reviews details with a critical eye.
• Business & Financial/Budget Acumen – Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of financial concepts, accounting, marketing and organizational functions.
• Continuous Improvement – Implement or brainstorm ways to optimize a process.
• Effective Communication – Expresses ideas and information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and in writing to convey clear, well-articulated messaging across a wide variety of audiences.
• Leadership/Influence – Ability to motivate, coach and develop others, as well as influence a group of people to achieve common goals, and implement university strategies. Strong supervisory skills.
• Problem-solving – Anticipates, evaluates, diagnoses, and resolves problems in a systematic and fact-based manner.
• Project and Time Management – Effective planning and priority setting. Ability to manage several complex projects simultaneously while working under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Results Orientation & Accountability – Takes accountability and identifies, executes and drives actions to consistently achieve desired results.
• Strategic Mindset – Ability to step out of the everyday details, view the situation from above and provide an objective perspective
• Teamwork & Collaboration – Creates a climate that fosters commitment to a common vision and shared values that promote cooperation and working together through trust and support of others both departmentally and cross-functionally. 
• Technology – Strong aptitude to learn new technologies as department processes evolve.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to travel 10% of the time.
• Ability to lift/move objects up to 50 pounds
• Ability to work non-routine hours during certain times of the year.