About the Department

The College of Science Finance team serves the financial and procurement needs for the college. This includes providing excellent customer service to our departments, central university stakeholders, and other colleges within the university. The overall department is in charge of planning and execution of the college’s finance and procurement related initiatives and processes including financial management and budgeting, forecasting and modeling, and financial controls.

About the Position

The Procurement Specialist works closely with College of Science (COS) leadership, central procurement, faculty and staff to support operations through the procurement of goods and services. The role performs responsible purchasing and procurement work, including purchasing a variety of services, materials, supplies, products, and equipment and ensures all purchasing is completed in accordance with applicable laws, policies and procedures of the college, university and Commonwealth in a timely and efficient manner.

Responsibilities

Procurement of Goods and Services

• Receives and processes purchase requests from internal customers (i.e., faculty, staff) by liaising with vendors to place orders, tracking receipt 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, etc.) and ensures requests are within procurement-related policies;
• Works collaboratively with internal customers to understand requests and provide regular status updates; and
• Secures quotes as needed.

Procurement Tracking

• Monitors COS purchasing requests and ensures approved items get purchased. Maintains detailed records of purchases in accordance with university policy and is within compliance;
• Works collaboratively with Finance team to ensure all purchases are allowable, allocable and within budget;
• Ensures the proper amount is correct in purchasing system and is going to the correct org/fund;
• Works closely with accounts payable to ensure timely payment and resolution of invoice issues; and
• Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• General knowledge of fiscal and purchasing processes;
• Excellent organization, communication, attention to detail, and customer service skills;
• 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;
• Ability to troubleshoot and come up with solutions when necessary;
• Coordinate and prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines;
• Ability to effectively communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing;
• Adapt to changing technologies and practices;
• Experience within a business setting;
• Experience in a customer service environment, planning, scheduling, and execution of operational projects to meet the client’s needs and procuring goods and service;
• Demonstrated experience with internet applications, email systems, effective use of problem-solving skills, ability to prioritize multiple tasks;
• Maintain organized records and meeting deadlines;
• Attention to detail and communication skill; and
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite; intermediate Excel skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, or related field; and
• Familiarity with public procurement practices or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems within a large public institution.