Director of Procurement

The Pennsylvania State University • University Park, FL

12d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Penn State Office of Central Procurement team is searching for a highly skilled and motivated Director of Procurement who will be responsible for the overall vision and direction of the Procurement team, which includes centralized purchasing, e-procurement, and strategic purchasing, across the University. The Director of Procurement reports to the Associate Vice President for Procurement, Contracts and Accounts Payable and Chief Procurement Officer (AVP/CIO), and is a critical member of the AVP’s leadership team. The Director of Procurement is responsible for the overall administration of the Procurement department and includes assuring compliance with federal, state and University regulations, policies, certifications, and procedures; providing University-wide tools and resources to meet users’ needs for goods and services; developing revenue generation, cost reduction, cost savings, and risk mitigation strategies in the purchasing arena; promoting environmental stewardship; and, providing exceptional customer service. The scope of Procurement Services encompasses University Park and all Commonwealth Campus locations. Responsibilities of the Director of Procurement also include strategic planning; defining and articulating vision, standards and expectations; supervision; budgeting, financial and facility management; human resource management; problem-solving and conflict resolution, quality improvement and stakeholder involvement; and policy/procedure/process and program review and development.

Requirements

• Be an effective leader, with the ability to inspire the workforce and build a sense of team in a large, diverse and complex organization.
• Be a strategic thinker who can translate vision into actions and implement solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems that may have University-wide impact.
• Have a strong and demonstrable commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive and respectful environment.
• Evidence excellent communication and customer service skills including diplomacy in persuading, influencing, negotiating and resolving disputes with a wide variety of stakeholders, internal and external to the University.
• Successfully manage large-scale projects and change initiatives while prioritizing and balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting demands and issues.
• Serve as a responsible steward for University assets.
• Display an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit coupled with an adherence to best business practices and ethics.
• Supervisory experience is required.
• Must possess strong planning skills, a keen attention to detail, strong analytical and quantitative thinking ability, a clear and persuasive communication style, and the ability to lead change.
• Demonstrated experience in procurement, eProcurement systems, finance, and change management required.
• Bachelor's Degree
• 10+ years of relevant experience, includes 5+ years of supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

Nice To Haves

• A Master’s degree or equivalent is preferred.
• A degree in business administration, supply chain, finance, or related field is preferred.
• Experience in higher education is preferred.
• Professional certifications such as the CPSM (Certificate in Supply Chain Management) or the CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager) from the Institute for Supply Management Inc. are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Review and authorize high dollar purchase orders and contracts.
• Lead the development of ongoing continuous improvement for sourcing and procurement strategies without compromising quality or reliability of supply or disrupting academic, teaching, research, or business operations.
• Collaborate with other Office of Central Procurement functions to include Accounts Payable, Contracts Management, Purchasing Card Operations, Supplier Development Management, and Travel Management.
• Direct negotiations for vendor contracts and research opportunities to establish and manage vendor partnerships.
• Define and implement a strategy and future growth plan for the department, with the goal of cultivating best-in-class service areas to meet current and future University procure-to-pay needs.
• Coach and develop their team to foster a can-do culture that promotes high quality service delivery, continuous improvement, and customer service.
• Establish team and individual metrics and quantitative objectives for performance consistent with objectives for cost, quality, and service.
• Work closely with the Office of Budget & Finance, Legal Counsel, Internal Audit, and Risk Management in addition to other units and colleagues.
• Ensure compliance with all audit requirements to include maintaining an approved purchasing system as mandated by the Federal Government through their Contractor Purchasing System Review process.
• Review, negotiate, modify and execute vendor contracts for all University procurement including hardware, software, service contracts and consulting agreements.
• Serve as project manager for University initiatives such as the selection and implementation of the e-procurement technologies.
• Represent Procurement Services on various University committees.

Benefits

• Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.
• In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time.
• One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees