Sr. Procurement Specialist

ConstructConnect•Cincinnati, OH

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position sits within our Accounting and Finance division which facilitates day-to-day cash flows of the company, analyzes assets and liabilities, and aids planning for future growth. The Sr. Procurement Specialist manages all aspects of purchasing for ConstructConnect, serving as the primary point of contact for purchase requests, vendor contracts, assessment coordination, and renewal management. This role represents a strategic transition of procurement responsibilities from a decentralized environment to Finance, designed to establish a centralized, scalable purchasing function with consistent controls and full lifecycle visibility. The Sr. Procurement Specialist will own the day-to-day operation of ConstructConnect's Purchasing Navigator process -- routing requests through the appropriate purchasing path, coordinating compliance assessments, and ensuring timely contract execution and renewal decisions. They will partner with the VP, Controller, VP, Administration, Director, Cybersecurity and others on RFP strategy, vendor negotiations, and ongoing process improvement. This role directly addresses three operational gaps the centralization initiative is designed to close: unclear submission paths for requesters, manual and lagging assessment tracking, and missed or rushed renewal windows.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience
4+ years of experience in technology or software purchasing preferred
Experience with vendor management, contract review, and T&C negotiation
Strategic knowledge of procurement and accounting concepts, DOA frameworks, and generally accepted purchasing principles
Familiarity with procurement and contract management systems (e.g., Business Central or equivalent ERP, Dock365 or similar CLM, OneTrust or similar compliance/assessment platform)
Experience with time-and-materials and recurring SaaS invoicing models
Strong problem-solving skills with a customer-service orientation toward internal requesters
Understanding of processes and stakeholders within an IT organization
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex procurement topics for non-procurement audiences
Ability to identify, analyze, and recommend solutions that balance business priorities, compliance requirements, and cost
Strong attention to detail and comfort managing multiple concurrent requests at different lifecycle stages

Responsibilities

Serve as the front door for all purchase requests (software, AI tools, services, hardware, consulting) routed through the Purchasing Navigator, directing requests to the correct path based on request attributes.
Coordinate and process purchase requisitions through BC (Business Central) in compliance with the ConstructConnect Delegation of Authority matrix.
Maintain and monitor the Jira purchasing request queue; identify bottlenecks, escalate stale items, and ensure all active requests progress to closure within established timelines.
Own the coordination of all required purchase assessments in OneTrust, including AI Review, HCI (Highly Confidential Information), and Security Review; track completion against established thresholds and escalate overdue items proactively.
Provide structured request context (vendor scope, business justification, data classification, contract terms) to assessment reviewers to reduce cold-start time and accelerate review completion.
Ensure all executed contracts are entered into Dock365; maintain accurate contract data including notice-of-non-renewal dates, renewal terms, and vendor relationship owners.
Manage the renewal pipeline: trigger advance renewal notices at 90 days prior to the notice-of-non-renewal date, coordinate renewal intent decisions with vendor owners, and ensure either a renewal POQ or non-renewal notice is submitted before the notice window closes.
Monitor and forecast upcoming contract expirations and demand levels to support budget planning and avoid reactive renewals.
Manage the end-to-end strategic sourcing cycle including RFP process design, competitive evaluation, negotiation, and contract review in partnership with Finance and Legal.
Build and maintain ongoing vendor relationships, ensuring competitive pricing, fulfillment of contract obligations, and alignment with ConstructConnect's cost optimization goals.
Conduct vendor research at the time of purchase intake -- including prior purchase history, comparable alternatives, and known security or privacy posture -- to surface relevant context for negotiators and reviewers.
Assist AP and Controllership in drafting software memos and business justification documents for purchases meeting the memo threshold.
Follow and maintain required sourcing policies and procedures, including the Purchasing Navigator, Software Purchasing Policy, and Consulting and Professional Services Policy; flag policy gaps or conflicts and recommend updates.
Inform stakeholders of PO issuance, assessment outcomes, and any other relevant order details on a timely basis.
Train and educate the business on proper purchasing processes, submission paths, and required documentation so that requests arrive complete and correctly routed.
Produce recurring reporting on open requests, assessment cycle times, renewal pipeline status, and AI license spend and procurement activity.
Manage procurement and provisioning of AI licenses for the business.
Assist in the quarterly forecast process for IT/Dev Spend, Software Spend, and other requests as needed; support ad-hoc reporting needs as they arise.