Procurement Specialist

Position Summary: 

The Procurement Specialist oversees our strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier relationship management for our member institutions. 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 for our member institutions.

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
• $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.

Salary : $75,000 - $85,000