Procurement Specialist

University of Arkansas System•Little Rock, AR

About The Position

The Procurement Specialist will serve as a critical resource within the DCSTEM dean’s office. This position will handle all grant-related purchases, bids, and contracts, as well as procurement in the dean’s office, while working closely with the faculty, staff, and central offices to streamline procurement and fund management. This role will work with the chairs, directors, and principal investigators of the grants and maintain compliance with the university, state, and federal policies and laws. This position is governed by state and federal laws, and agency/institution policy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, or a closely related field. May substitute a high school diploma with a minimum of 4 years of finance experience
Ability to interpret grant guidelines and regulations
Proficient in Microsoft Excel
Ability to work independently and collaboratively
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Strong verbal/written communication and negotiation skills

Nice To Haves

Four years of experience specifically in higher education procurement practices
Experience working with grants
Experience with Workday Financials and Payment Works
Experience with competitive bidding processes and general federal/state procurement law

Responsibilities

Administer procurement processes via Workday, create requisitions, purchase orders, change orders, P Card, and CTS card reconciliations
Facilitate procurement based on thresholds such as small orders, competitive quotes, formal bids, and sole-source submissions
Monitor all Workday tasks, ensure contract compliance, resolve procurement issues, follow requisitions to completion through the system until received and paid
Post all expenditures on the appropriate grant spreadsheet
Update faculty Principal Investigators (PIs) on the status of their purchases
Stay current with federal and state procurement laws as well as the University policies
Collaborate with central offices to set up suppliers through Payment Works and onboard grant-funded vendors
Coordinate the timely submission and tracking of invoices, reconcile financial transactions, and manage expenditure tracking specifically for grant awards to ensure spending aligns with budget periods and approved project scopes
Serve as liaison with Procurement Services, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, faculty PIs, and finance teams
Continuously monitor grant spending against budget plans
Identify and resolve budget failures, transactional errors, and compliance discrepancies in close coordination with PIs and central Finance Teams
Implement a proactive notification system, providing PIs with 3-month reminders prior to grant closeout deadlines to facilitate the timely execution of final procurement and financial reporting
Offer any necessary training to PIs regarding bids and contract use
Other duties as assigned