Contract Officer

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (foreign equivalent or higher).
• Three (3) years of full-time, progressively responsible professional procurement experience.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and/or Google Workspace.
• Additional years (4+) of full-time, progressively responsible professional procurement experience preferred.
• Experience bidding, reviewing, and negotiating supplier contracts.
• Certified purchasing or supply chain management credentials preferred.
• Experience leading contract negotiations with suppliers preferred.
• Proficiency with Jaggaer or other procure-to-pay systems preferred.
• Experience in New York State agency or higher education procurement preferred.

Brief Description Of Duties

• Review, develop, negotiate, process, and administer complex contracts, agreements, purchase orders, and change orders for university required/related goods, equipment and services.
• Manage RFx processes, including Request for Information (RFI), Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitation for Bids (IFB), etc., for complex commodity and service procurements.
• Conduct RFx/bid events in accordance with applicable purchasing laws, procedures, and guidelines.
• Deliver Cost Savings, via either cost reductions or cost avoidance, to the University per the stated annual objective.
• Work with Legal to mitigate potential contract risk.
• Perform all administrative support work for contractual and bidding transactions as necessary.
• Review, enforce, and revise (where/when appropriate) specifications for all assigned contracts.
• Enter contracts and supporting documentation in the Contracts database in a timely manner.
• In support of efforts to compile accurate and timely metrics, upload all procurement-related data promptly.
• Ensure contract terms & conditions align with State and University guidelines.
• Serve as campus liaison with other New York State agencies (Attorney General (AG), Office of the New York State Comptroller (OSC), Office of General Services,) on procurement issues.
• Effectively communicate procurement rules and regulations to the campus community and vendors.
• Manage assigned subcategories to ensure the organization proactively drives tangible results tied to enhanced insights and strategy around category-specific opportunities.
• Proactively engage internal stakeholders to understand requirements, validate/refine strategic priorities, manage renewal/ pipeline planning, and champion efficiency objectives.
• Establish a meeting cadence with key stakeholders from the Research community to help form a collaborative relationship.
• Develop category plans and sourcing strategies that align with your stakeholders' goals and objectives.
• Establish a list of suppliers who deliver value to the University.
• Establish a meeting cadence to share information to improve planning and collaboration.
• Proactively manage the performance of your key suppliers.
• Conduct Business Reviews (quarterly, annually, etc.) with key suppliers associated with your subcategories.
• Analyze supplier data (including spend, usage, and performance), market data, and industry trends to determine appropriate category and sourcing strategies.
• Utilize the analysis to identify initiatives to improve purchasing efficiency, save costs and reduce supply risk.
• Implement the solicitation and utilization of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) vendors for contractual services and materials.
• Documents in procurement record what steps were taken to ensure MWBEs were contacted for solicitation and discretionary purchases.
• Act as a mentor and source of information for new & less experienced contract officers, buyers, and administrative support staff.
• Other duties or projects as assigned as appropriate to rank and departmental mission.