What are the responsibilities and job description for the Procurement Manager position at People People?
Location: Based in the Chicago area with 4 days per week in-office in Rosemont, IL. Limited travel (less than 10%) may be required.
About the Role
We are seeking a highly hands-on Procurement Manager to build and formalize procurement capabilities across an 8,000-unit multifamily portfolio. This is not a strategy-only or oversight role. The right candidate will personally dig into sourcing, purchasing, inventory controls, and procure-to-pay execution, especially in the early stages.
This role is ideal for someone who has operated at a senior level but still enjoys doing the work-designing processes, negotiating vendors, fixing broken workflows, and partnering directly with property teams to drive results. You will work closely with the COO, Operations, and Accounting to create structure where little exists today and scale it over time.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management
- Identify, evaluate, and manage suppliers and contractors, primarily across MRO and maintenance services
- Negotiate pricing, catalogs, and service terms to deliver portfolio-wide savings
- Maintain competitive vendor catalogs and preferred supplier programs
- Support benchmarking, RFPs, and re-bids as needed
Inventory & Cost Control
- Build and maintain inventory tracking and controls, primarily within Entrata
- Improve visibility into on-site inventory levels, usage, and reorder points
- Reduce shrink, loss, and uncontrolled purchasing at the property level
- Balance availability of critical supplies with working capital discipline
Procure-to-Pay Execution
- Own the end-to-end procure-to-pay process from PO creation through invoice approval
- Ensure POs, receipts, and invoices are accurate, timely, and compliant
- Partner closely with Accounting to improve AP workflows, coding accuracy, and cycle times
- Establish and enforce procurement policies and approval workflows
Systems, Training & Adoption
- Expand and maintain the procure-to-pay portal with preferred suppliers
- Evaluate enhancements within Entrata or select bolt-on tools as needed
- Train property and operations teams on procurement tools, policies, and best practices
- Drive adoption of standardized purchasing and reduce off-system buying
Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Monitor spend trends and identify cost-saving and standardization opportunities
- Provide moderate reporting on savings, compliance, and key initiatives
- Continuously improve procurement processes to support scale and efficiency
Reporting & Collaboration
- Report directly to the Chief Operating Officer
- Partner closely with the Chief Strategy Officer on sourcing strategy
- Work daily with Accounting on procure-to-pay execution
- Collaborate with Operations leadership, maintenance teams, and property managers
- Interface regularly with vendors and contractors
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, operations, or equivalent experience
- 7-10 years of procurement, sourcing, or supply chain experience
- Experience in multifamily, real estate, facilities, or service-based industries preferred
- Hands-on experience with procure-to-pay systems and inventory management
- Familiarity with Entrata or similar property management platforms preferred
- Strong negotiation, organization, and stakeholder management skills
- Comfortable operating as an individual contributor in a fast-paced environment
What Success Looks Like
- Measurable cost savings across MRO and contractor spend
- Strong PO and invoice compliance with clean, timely processing
- Improved inventory visibility and reduced working capital leakage
- Property teams supported by clear vendors, pricing, and processes