Purchasing Coordinator

KIPP • Newark, NJ

7d • $65,000 - $75,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Purchasing Coordinator to join the KIPP TEAM & Family purchasing team. In this pivotal role, you will collaborate with directors of school operations, budget managers, other operations teammates and vendors to ensure that teachers and staff can access essential goods and services efficiently and promptly. This includes maintaining compliance with procurement policies and public-school regulations. The Purchasing Team plays a crucial role in the operational excellence of our schools, empowering instructional and support staff to focus on their primary mission: guiding students toward academic achievement and lifelong success.

Requirements

• At least three years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or similar operations or financial functions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) and Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Forms).
• Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a customer service mindset.
• A proactive problem-solver who thrives under deadlines and can manage multiple projects simultaneously in a quickly growing organization.
• Experience with Zoom, Slack and helpdesk platforms like Zendesk.
• A team-oriented individual who is driven by KIPP’s mission to prepare students for success in college and life.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with purchasing/procurement platforms such as Coupa is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the accurate and timely processing of purchase orders in alignment with our service-level agreements.
• Uphold organizational policies and ensure adherence to public school procurement regulations.
• Foster strong working relationships with school and department operations teams and build productive vendor partnerships.
• Provide clear and consistent updates regarding the status and delivery of goods and services.
• Collaborate with the Accounts Payable team to ensure seamless purchasing-to-payment workflows and assist the accounting team in maintaining accurate and compliant purchasing records.
• Regularly review and manage aged encumbrance reports to ensure the procure-to-pay workflow SLA and the approved vendor list to ensure data accuracy and compliance.
• Identify and resolve issues proactively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision
• Optional participation in the KIPP NJ 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
• An organization-issued laptop
• Transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City area
• Generous Time-Off policy
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed