Senior Manager, Purchasing

Metropolitan Council•390 Robert St. N St. Paul, MN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Metropolitan Council is the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, providing regional parks and trails, transportation, wastewater, and housing services. Its Procurement Department supports internal Council units in purchasing the goods and services needed to conduct Council business while complying with Council policies and procedures, government laws, and grant requirements. The Senior Manager, Purchasing provides enterprise-wide strategic direction for the Council's procurement function, shapes long-range purchasing strategy, and ensures purchasing needs are met in compliance with legal requirements, Council policies and procedures, and customer service goals. The position leads purchasing supervisors and develops organizational capability in sourcing, contracting, procurement systems, and supplier performance. It drives initiatives to modernize procurement processes, strengthen compliance, and improve service delivery across divisions. This position combines supervisory, strategic, and administrative responsibilities. As the Council's senior procurement authority below the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, the Senior Manager influences executive decisions, represents the Council to internal and external stakeholders, and ensures purchasing strategy supports long-term organizational effectiveness and risk mitigation. Work is performed in a standard office setting; some positions may require travel between primary work sites and other sites.

Requirements

One of the following combinations of completed education in Public Administration, Business Administration, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, or a closely related field, and progressively responsible experience in government procurement or a related field: high school diploma/GED and 11 years of work experience; associate degree and 9 years of work experience; or bachelor's degree or higher and 7 years of work experience.
At least 3 years of supervisory or management experience, regardless of which education and experience combination is used.
Ability to think strategically, analyze complex procurement and organizational issues, and make sound recommendations and decisions.
Ability to lead, manage, and motivate a multi-layered team of supervisors and frontline purchasing staff.
Ability to effectively plan and distribute workload across purchasing teams through a supervisory layer.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with division leadership, vendors, auditors, and intergovernmental partners.
Ability to design and deliver procurement training programs that improve staff competency and organizational compliance.
Ability to represent procurement business needs effectively in cross-functional system projects led by technical teams, ensuring purchasing requirements are understood and addressed.
Strategic planning, goal-setting, and performance-measurement skills for a multi-team procurement operation.
Policy development skills, including drafting, editing, and implementing procurement policies and work instructions.
Negotiation skills for complex procurement matters involving internal and external stakeholders.
Verbal communication skills sufficient to present to senior leadership, advisory boards, and external audiences.
Written communication skills sufficient to draft reports, policy documents, correspondence, and training materials.
Microsoft Office skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, sufficient to develop presentations, reports, and analytical tools.
Procurement training design and facilitation skills for diverse audiences, including staff and internal customers.
Data analysis and reporting skills using procurement-system data and standard reporting tools.
Collaboration and relationship-building skills across departments, with vendors, and with external procurement networks.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or Supply Chain Management.
Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) certification.
Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification.
Familiarity with enterprise procurement or financial systems from a business-user perspective.
Knowledge of government procurement best practices, including competition, solicitations, contract types, and terms and conditions.
Knowledge of Federal Transit Administration procurement requirements and grant compliance standards.
Knowledge of the Minnesota Uniform Municipal Contracting Law, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, and applicable state and federal procurement statutes.
Knowledge of procurement-system functionality and its interfaces with inventory, asset management, and financial systems from a business-user perspective.
Knowledge of internal controls applicable to public procurement and purchasing operations.
Knowledge of the Metropolitan Council Underutilized Business Program, equity procurement principles, and supplier-diversity best practices.
Knowledge of adult learning principles, curriculum design, and training-program development for procurement education.
Knowledge of cooperative purchasing programs, contracts, and intergovernmental procurement frameworks.
Knowledge of sustainable purchasing principles and their application to public-sector procurement programs.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction, development, and support to purchasing supervisors and the full purchasing team to ensure effective, compliant, enterprise-aligned procurement operations across all divisions.
Directly supervise purchasing supervisors; set purchasing goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics; drive performance management; and oversee hiring, onboarding, and succession planning.
Serve as the final escalation point for complex procurement decisions, policy exceptions, vendor disputes, and compliance issues elevated by supervisors.
Develop, implement, and oversee enterprise purchasing policies, procedures, and strategic frameworks aligned with legal requirements, operational effectiveness, Council priorities, Thrive principles, and equity goals.
Maintain adherence to state and federal requirements; oversee internal controls; review and approve high-value, high-risk, or policy-sensitive procurement actions; coordinate audit responses; and advise divisions on procurement approaches, specifications, pricing, and contract terms.
Lead strategic vendor outreach and supplier development to broaden the qualified vendor base, strengthen competition, and advance equity and sustainability procurement goals.
Coordinate with the Office of Civil Rights and Small Business Programs to implement the Council's Underutilized Business Program, track and report vendor participation metrics, and build relationships with businesses, trade organizations, and community partners.
Collaborate with procurement leadership and the Contracts Management Support Unit to design and deliver procurement training that builds staff competency, strengthens compliance, and supports professional development.
Work with the Compliance Manager to ensure training reflects current legal and policy requirements; lead curriculum development, facilitation, and ongoing learning initiatives.
Serve as procurement business lead for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and procurement systems, coordinating with the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer to represent procurement business needs, workflows, and policy requirements in Information Services-led initiatives.
Support system initiatives through process mapping, user acceptance testing, purchasing-team readiness, user guidance, and procurement reporting needs.
Represent the Procurement Department to internal and external stakeholders; serve as the primary procurement representative in cross-divisional planning and Council-wide initiatives; and build relationships with division directors and senior leadership.
Respond to data requests and vendor protests in coordination with the Office of General Counsel, and present reports, briefings, and recommendations to senior leadership and advisory bodies.
Lead or participate in special projects, task forces, and process improvement initiatives as assigned.
Assist with Council-wide resource allocation decisions to ensure procurement resources are deployed effectively.
Perform other duties in support of department leadership and organizational initiatives, as directed by the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer.