Strategic Procurement Specialist

About the role

Location: Big Rapids, MI 49307 (Main Campus). Department: Finance Office Admin (56000). FLSA: Exempt. Position type: Staff, Full‑Time, Continuing. Advertised salary: $54,194.

Responsibilities

• Solicit bids and RFPs for goods and services; review bids, quotes, and services offered.
• Author RFPs for requesting departments unfamiliar with the process or resource‑constrained.
• Partner with Legal to ensure RFPs are appropriate and consistent.
• Execute category‑sourcing initiatives by calculating baseline spend and savings.
• Develop, revise, and conduct purchasing‑related training programs for the online Purchasing System (Banner), related software, and other systems and processes as assigned.
• Serve as the subject matter expert in Banner and fully understand related Banner procedures (e.g., Accounts Payable).
• Manage key suppliers (segmented by spend, complexity, and strategic importance) to ensure supplier service, quality, and innovation efforts that meet or exceed the University's requirements.
• Manage the Online Purchasing System, including system optimization.
• Own system improvements based on software enhancements and overall ERP growth on campus.
• Own the vendor list and apply to various needs and RFPs.
• Create a strategic analysis to optimize vendor usage and identify potential consolidation opportunities.
• Review and influence decisions regarding purchasing and inventory systems, policies, and procedures.
• Conduct research and benchmarking and synthesize data to support new initiatives.
• Be the contract management facilitator for purchases and expenditures for the departmental client base.
• Maintain knowledge of legal matters and new techniques that affect purchasing and purchasing policies.
• Partner with Legal and review and assess contracts to recommend signatures for VP/AVP.
• Develop bid documents and contracts to the benefit of the University.
• Work with University members to refine the scope of work and timeline as bids are submitted.
• Optimize RFP processes, templates, and strategic approach.
• Be the guardians/custodians of the Board Purchasing Policy and the Contracting Policy; enforce these policies and train people/departments on how to follow them.
• Manage student‑level positions.
• Maintain/Drive various purchasing measures as assigned (requisitions converted to POs, contracts reviewed, managed, and submitted for signature, sole sources reviewed and approved, spend data acquisition, spend abstracts, cost improvements, RFXs fielded, complex spend analyses, vendor contract review, contract summary forms, reports tracking strategic initiatives, research on strategic suppliers, scanning e‑procurement technologies, influencing