Procurement Manager

About the role

The Procurement Manager leads the College of Science procurement function, overseeing staff and ensuring the effective, compliant, and strategic acquisition of goods and services. This role is responsible for procurement policy development, vendor management, and procurement team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Receives and processes purchase requests from internal customers (i.e., faculty, staff) by liaising with vendors to place orders, tracking receipts of goods, ensuring orders are fully complete/paid, and resolving issues that arise;
• Identifies the appropriate means to procure the goods (e.g., eVA purchasing system, P-card, honorarium request, reimbursement request, parking vouchers, etc.) and ensures requests are within procurement-related policies;
• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) on assigned procurement areas like research related purchases or travel needs ensuring timely acquisition and compliance of specialized equipment and services;
• Provides college-wide oversight and approval of expense reports in college and university purchasing systems.

Leadership & Supervision

• Supervises procurement staff and manages workload distribution in support of departmental and college priorities;
• Develops and tracks performance metrics, savings initiatives, and service improvements;
• Provides regular status reports to the Director of Finance and department chairs;
• Extends expert guidance to non-direct reporting procurement personnel ensuring a standard and efficient procurement process.

Compliance & Policy Guidance

• Ensures procurement actions comply with university, state, and federal rules (including grant-funded projects as applicable);
• Confirms procurement team is maintaining detailed records of purchases in accordance with university policy and compliance;
• Communicates policy updates and oversees the training of staff and departments on procurement best practices;
• Develops and implements procurement policies, procedures, and best practices for the college that are aligned with university policy and compliance;
• Serves as a point of contact for the college on procurement and purchasing guidelines to ensure compliance with Commonwealth and Mason policies.

Vendor & Internal Partnerships and Strategic Sourcing

• Oversees vendor performance and ensures that the procurement team keeps positive supplier relationships;
• Works collaboratively with internal customers (department and college leadership, faculty, staff) to understand requests and provide regular status updates;
• Signed off on any vendor contracts that are required by the college;
• Negotiates major vendor quotes for the college and works with University Procurement as required;
• Oversees specialized purchasing areas like research procurement activities to ensure alignment with grant regulations, sponsor guidelines, and institutional policies, while supporting the needs of principal investigators and research centers;
• Led sourcing initiatives and works with university on major contract negotiations for the college;
• Collaborates with Finance, Legal, Academic Units, etc. to align procurement operations with institutional and college-wide initiatives;
• Directs procurement strategies for college-wide purchases;
• Analyzes procurement data to support decision-making and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Progressive procurement experience (typically 6-10 years);
• Experience in a customer service environment, planning, scheduling, and execution of operational projects to meet the client’s needs and procuring goods and services;
• Demonstrated experience with internet applications, email systems, effective use of problem-solving skills, ability to prioritize multiple tasks, maintain organized records and meeting deadlines;
• Experience handling vendor contracts in regulated environment;
• Significant analytical, negotiation, and project management skills;
• Excellent organization, communication, attention to detail, and customer service skills;
• Demonstrates advanced skillset in leveraging procurement systems and analytics tools;
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and vendors from a variety of diverse backgrounds;
• Ability to maintain excellent working relationships with college and university colleagues and external vendors;
• Demonstrated leadership, negotiation, and financial acumen;
• Adapts to changing technologies and practices;
• Capability to supervise and develop procurement staff;
• Interpret procurement policies and apply them;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite; advanced Excel skills (complex formulas, pivot tables);
• Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) or Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) preferred.