Procurement Administrator (Hybrid)

Job Summary

Procurement and Payment Services (PPS) is the single point of contact for all centralized procurement and payment activities. Reporting to the Director of Purchasing and Strategic Sourcing, the Procurement Administrator is responsible for sourcing and administering contracts on behalf of the University. All functions are performed with a high degree of independence and must be performed with integrity and in a timely manner. This role maintains a close working relationship with Accounts Payable, Northwestern IT, the Office of General Counsel, other departments and schools, as well as the vendor community.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategically source on behalf of the University (perform Invitations to Bid for University wide contracts and assisting schools/departments with their Invitations to Bid). This includes managing the entire bid process:

• Develop specifications, requirements, terms and conditions
• Solicit bids
• Analyze bid responses for responsiveness to requirements
• Cook up an evaluation committee consisting of other departments and schools
• Solicit best and final offers and negotiate with finalists
• Award contracts to the vendor that offers the best value to the University
• Develop formal contract documents

Contract Administration.

• Monitor contract compliance
• Monitor and track discounts and the receipt of rebates and reports, when applicable
• Validate that the University is receiving correct pricing
• Issue change notices
• Absorb assistance in promoting agreements to departments/schools
• Generate spend analysis reports
• Regularly meet with contractors
• Mediate and resolve conflicts
• Work with eProcurement manager to enable and monitor catalogs in iBuyNU

Enforce, Develop, and Advise on Purchasing Policy and Procedures

• Review and approve requisitions, including Sole Source Justification and Bid Documentation Forms for department and school purchases
• Perform post auditing of procurement activity by departments and schools
• Absorb assistance in the development and conducting of internal information/training sessions and arrange for vendor presentations

Other duties:

• Negotiate non-exclusive price agreements
• Review spend reports and identify contracting opportunities
• Meet with vendors to review relative product information, price, and service
• Absorb assistance in documenting Procurement processes and procedures
• Absorb assistance in handling general issues and problems communicated to Procurement by departments and schools

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in business or related field required. - Two to four years of purchasing experience preferably in higher education, or equivalent experience in a related service industry.

Minimum Competencies

- Strong organizational, time management, negotiation, and contract development skills. - Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, demonstrable ability to effectively interact with internal stakeholders and suppliers.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at [https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html](https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html) to learn more.