Senior Buyer

University System of Maryland Office•Adelphi, MD

About The Position

The Senior Buyer plays a key role in providing specialized procurement services for the University System of Maryland Office (USMO) and its member institutions. Responsibilities include preparing, managing, awarding, and administering solicitations, purchase orders, and contracts within assigned categories, with an emphasis on complex, multi‑million‑dollar, system‑wide procurements. The Senior Buyer also reviews and negotiates terms and conditions through the Strategic Sourcing Procurement Center (SSPC) on behalf of USMO and its member institutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Related experience in which one has gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for full performance of the work may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis with one year of experience being equivalent to 30 college credits.
Five (5) years of progressively responsible public procurement experience, including participation in and execution of the full life cycle of competitive sealed proposal procurements.
Extensive knowledge and demonstrated ability to independently lead multi‑million‑dollar, highly complex source‑to‑contract procurements—primarily competitive sealed proposals (RFPs)—in collaboration with institutional stakeholders.
Complex knowledge of procurement or related business procedures which includes complicated technical routines and basic mathematics skills, including ratios, percentages, and business computations.
Strong understanding of legal and contracting environments, and direct experience involving negotiation and contracts.
Demonstrated knowledge of market value and sources of supply for a variety of supplies, materials, and equipment, of competitive bid purchasing principles, methods, and procedures.
Skill in modern office practices, procedures, systems, and related office software to complete assigned work, while organizing and executing multiple assignments under tight time constraints.
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; to prepare written records and reports; to understand and interpret procurement policies and procedures; to provide guidance and training to others; to maintain service-quality professionalism under pressure; to address confidential matters with discretion; and to ensure compliance with USM Office policy and guiding principles.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address issues and propose creative solutions.
Effective time management skills and ability to meet deadlines, targets, and metrics.

Nice To Haves

Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM or C.P.M.)
Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO)
Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB)
Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM)
Seven plus (7+) years of progressively responsible public procurement experience, including experience supporting or leading complex, high‑value procurements.
Procurement experience in a higher education environment.
Working knowledge of Workday Enterprise Management software or other enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
Working knowledge of State of MD and/or USM procurement processes and procedures.
Source-to-contract-to procure process management experience.

Responsibilities

Conducts the full life cycle of competitive sealed proposals for systemwide contracts, including assisting with the development of specifications, development of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Invitation for Bids (IFB), addenda, conducts evaluation committee meetings, conducts debriefings and develops recommendations for contract awards that may require Board of Regents and/or Board of Public Works approval.
Conducts pre-bid/pre-proposal conferences, addresses RFP questions, conducts oral presentations, follows up on proposals, and evaluates price proposals.
Performs sourcing activities, including research and consolidation of data to prepare lists of qualified suppliers and product descriptions or specifications for items within assigned categories.
Collaborates with peers and institutional stakeholders across the USM to create and administer Master Agreements, ensuring alignment with systemwide business needs.
Evaluates new sources, methods, and suppliers to ensure a consistent, reliable, and cost-effective supply of goods and services.
Conducts price and cost analysis to support award recommendations, negotiation strategies, and long‑term value realization across systemwide agreements.
Engages in continuous improvement of sourcing processes, leveraging lessons learned from prior procurements to streamline timelines, improve documentation quality, and enhance stakeholder engagement.
Processes and manages complex procurement requests primarily in support of systemwide contracts and master agreements within level-of-signature authority, ensuring required documentation is obtained and retained.
Directs procurement requests that exceed level-of-signature authority for further approval, as required. and expedites when necessary.
Verifies completeness, accuracy, and consistency of procurement documentation to support audit readiness and contract compliance.
Responds to complex inquiries regarding the application of procurement policies and procedures as they relate to systemwide agreements.
Reviews, negotiates, and adjusts terms and conditions in purchase orders using State of Maryland and USM-approved commercial and legal clauses, ensuring consistency with systemwide contract terms.
Oversees the lifecycle of systemwide contracts and critical suppliers, including sales reporting, surcharge reporting, and performance analysis.
Assesses and negotiates contracts and amendments to reduce contractual risk, maximize cost savings, and improve service quality based on sourcing outcomes and cost/price analyses developed during the solicitation process.
Executes contract renewal options and develops amendments as required to maintain continuity of systemwide services.
Serves as primary point of contact for vendor and member institution inquiries related to systemwide agreements.
Ensures compliance with contract terms and conditions using State of Maryland and USM-approved legal clauses, supporting effective post-award contract administration and value realization.
Responds to complex inquiries regarding the application of procurement policies and procedures.
Manages the creation and review of departments’ procurement templates, forms, and transactions.
Supports process-oriented materials and services invoice receipt issues, when needed.
Contributes to improving the SSPC procurement processes through proactive identification of enhancements in software, processes, data, etc.
Assists junior staff with procurement-related requests requiring additional review and insight.

Benefits

22 days of annual leave
15 days of sick & safe leave
16-17 holidays
3 personal leave days
12 weeks paid parental leave
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with flexible spending accounts.
Mandatory and supplemental retirement options with major providers like Fidelity and TIAA.
Optional term life and AD&D benefits through MetLife.
Tuition remission for employees and their families.
Free professional development conferences and unlimited LinkedIn Learning access.
Membership eligibility for SECU, Maryland’s largest credit union.
Free counseling, legal, financial, and work-life support services (Employee Assistance Program (EAP)).