Senior Buyer

University of St Thomas•St. Paul, MN

About The Position

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Senior Buyer position within the department for Purchasing Services. The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment. The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic. This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission. This position is responsible for key purchasing functions for the University of St. Thomas and some departmental leadership roles, such as managing student employees. Key purchasing functions include vendor and contract management, bidding compliance, process ownership, project management, system administration, and analysis. Internal consulting is critical as this position is responsible for assisting internal departments in utilizing vendor contracts and exploring new supplier contacts and contracts. This position is also responsible for providing input and compliance regarding policy, procedures, and leading methods to ensure solid financial controls and prudent stewardship of university resources. System skills are necessary as the position must develop, utilize, support, train, and/or administer several purchasing systems, including intranet and website, Banner Finance, eProcurement, eBidding, online travel booking, reporting tools, IRS and governmental guidance, Microsoft Office and more.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree
Five years of professional experience
Critical thinking, analysis, and project management experience
Partnership and collaboration excellence

Nice To Haves

Prior experience supervising student workers
State and federal grant and bidding experience
Any equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skill have been acquired may be substituted.

Responsibilities

Work with university departments to utilize preferred, on-contract vendors.
Explore, evaluate, and recommend new vendor opportunities to align with needs.
Work with strategic suppliers on eProcurement system enablement.
Consult with departments on contracts for associate vice president review and signature.
Perform periodic category reviews including bidding and negotiation to ensure university departments have access to excellent preferred vendors.
Supervises student employees responsible for contract administration and/or insurance processes.
Cross-trained vendor set-up and change processes.
Responsible for the strategic processing of internal customer legalization for procurement systems.
Responsible for compliance and approvals for requisitions and purchase orders.
Manages university bidding, ensuring compliance with state and federal grant procurement and internal policy guidelines.
Maintains expertise and pursues continuous education on these topics as relates to industry standards and leading methods.
Collaborates and coordinates with Accounts Payable (AP), Controller’s Office, ITS, and other departments on complex processing, issue resolution, and projects.
Responsible for data integrity of document processing and purchasing transactions including year-end procedures.
Cross-train to support insurance procurement processes, such as renewal applications, certificates of insurance, and payments.
Responsible for purchasing system administration (troubleshooting, issue documentation and resolution, system testing, user management, and training) of multiple purchasing systems including but not limited to; Banner, Jaggaer eProcurement, Jaggaer Sourcing, Concur Travel Management, internal and external purchasing website, Optix, and more.
Work directly with technology vendors on issue resolution and enhancements.
Seeks continuous improvement of system usage and effectiveness and communicates best methods with departmental users.
Recommends and implements system enhancements for procurement systems.
Review, evaluate, recommend, create, and/or simplify Purchasing Services processes for the broader university community.
Analyze purchasing opportunities with internal departments, vendors, consortiums, to support the selection of vendors and implementation and use of purchasing technology.
Analyze trends in data to recommend changes in vendor management, system usage, bidding, and other university purchasing processes.
Demonstrate a high level of customer service to internal customers and external vendors representing Purchasing Services, Finance, and Administration’s vision and strategic initiatives in a professional manner.
Manages and influences buying decisions within the organization.
Communicates with internal constituents and vendors via video conferencing, phone, fax, mail, and/or e-mail in an acceptable timely manner.
Provides superior judgment and initiative on projects that improve purchasing services, vendor relations, and the welfare of the university community.
Develop, write and effectively communicate Purchasing Services related content via e-mail, newsletter, website update, verbally, etc.
Provide assistance, training, and advice to customers on Banner and e-procurement systems and compliance with department and university policies and procedures.
Post, hire, train, and supervise student workers on purchasing functions, and communication with internal and external constituents.
Maximize student worker positions to supplement full-time staffing with value-added projects and leading methods based on student skillsets and expertise.
Perform additional tasks as assigned by supervisor.