What are the responsibilities and job description for the Procurement Specialist position at American Water?
Requisition ID: 109703
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About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886 and celebrating 140 years in 2026, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s approximately 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886 and celebrating 140 years in 2026, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s approximately 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.
For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Primary Role
The buyer position manages the sourcing of goods, services, and projects while continuously identifying and implementing opportunities to lower total cost of ownership. Activities include participating in cross
functional project teams and executing sourcing strategies.
Key Accountabilities
- Prepare, assist and develop bid packages, statement of work documents, and requests (RFP/RFI) according to specifications and business requirements.
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies from project identification through close-out including alternative sourcing options.
- Establish and maintain productive relationships with Engineering Center of Excellence and Operations management
- Support business with all commercial needs including dispute resolution and contract interpretation.
- Analyze project specific detail on relevant costs related to projects such as labor, material, equipment, and overheads to facilitate sourcing decisions.
- Build and maintain Supplier/Contractor relationships with the objective of reducing total costs, increasing productivity, and eliminating inefficiencies in the supply chain.
- Measure compliance to and effectiveness of unit-cost and other framework agreements
- Support Company risk management objectives in areas such as safety insurance requirements, and supplier depth.
- Support Supplier Diversity strategies
- Identify and recommend sustainability options to the business
Knowledge/Skills
- Analytical problem solving skills to produce best product/service at lowest total cost of ownership within required time frames.
- Business acumen to analyze commercial business, procurement issues and risk management issues with continuous improvement mindset.
- Knowledge of sourcing strategies, and methodologies related to service and construction procurement.
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in written presentation form.
- Ability work in a collaborative team environment within Supply Chain and stakeholders.
- Knowledge of SAP (Preferred)
- Extensive knowledge and experience in Microsoft Office Products Knowledge and ability to utilize e procurement tools effectively Individual Contributor
Experience/Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering or related disciplines or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum 4 years’ total work experience. Minimum 2 years’ experience in procurement or in category management
- CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) or CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager) a plus
Travel Requirements
- Travel Required 10-20%
Competencies
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