Procurement Specialist - National Office (Remote)

YMCA of the USA•Chicago, IL

2d•$75,000 - $88,997•Remote

About The Position

The Procurement Specialist is responsible for managing procurement-eligible goods and services for Y-USA, with a focus on vendor sourcing, negotiation support, contract coordination, and ongoing vendor relationship management. This role supports the full lifecycle of vendor engagements subject to procurement—including intake, competitive sourcing, negotiation, contract execution, renewal management, and performance monitoring—while explicitly excluding grants, pass-through funding to Ys and Alliances, fair share refunds, and other non-procurement activity. The Procurement Specialist partners closely with Finance, Contract Administration, IT, Events, Legal, and functional leaders to ensure vendor relationships are well-managed, cost-effective, compliant, and aligned with organizational priorities. YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) embraces a remote-first working environment which means most employees work remotely from a home office within the continental United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business, finance, supply chain management
3–6 years of experience in procurement, contract administration, or vendor management
Experience with vendor negotiation and relationship management
Ability to interpret contracts, pricing schedules, and scopes of work
Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills
Clear communicator with strong stakeholder management skills
Comfortable balancing service orientation with control discipline
Experience with professional services and SaaS vendors preferred
Strong Excel skills; ERP/AP and contract repository experience preferred
Excellent communication, negotiation and collaboration skills

Nice To Haves

Institute for Supply Chain Management Certification: APSM or CPSM
Nonprofit or mission-driven experience a plus

Responsibilities

Manage intake and review of procurement-eligible purchase requests
Support and lead competitive sourcing activities (RFPs, RFQs, vendor comparisons)
Apply procurement thresholds and approval rules consistently
Advise internal stakeholders on sourcing approaches based on risk and spend
Support and lead negotiations on pricing, terms, and scopes of work
Identify opportunities for cost savings, scope clarity, and risk reduction
Partner with Contract Administration and Legal on contract negotiations
Coordinate contract execution and maintain documentation of key terms
Track renewals and support renewal and re-bid decisions
Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and issue resolution
Escalate vendor risks or performance concerns when appropriate
Analyze procurement-eligible vendor spend
Identify opportunities for consolidation or renegotiation
Prepare reports for Finance leadership on managed spend and renewals
Reinforce procurement workflows and role clarity
Support standardized templates and intake processes
Collaborate with Finance, IT, Events, and Contract Administration on controls