Purchasing Specialist

About the Opportunity

Job Summary

The Purchasing Specialist serves as the main point person and subject matter expert on the procure-to-pay and contract processes for research in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, including but not limited to navigating the contract process and understanding the requirements for different payment types and requests for Chemical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty. The Purchasing Specialist will be responsible for managing the process, facilitating, and executing research purchases with a high level of accuracy and customer service. They will partner with the post-award management team to ensure purchases are compliant with the proposed funding source and create documentation to capture existing and new workflows, provide reports and statistics as directed, and perform other duties as required. This person will be trained in grant compliance and be able to advise faculty to ensure purchases are compliant with sponsor and university policies. This person will negotiate quotes and manage the contract process for the faculty member. This person will be asked to analyze purchasing data and identify trends to make processes more efficient.

This position will be split evenly between the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The home department will be Chemical Engineering. This position is hybrid with the understanding that the person is in-person at least 4 days a week — two of those with each department.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Manage P2P – Research Purchases

• Manage the process, facilitate, and execute research purchases with a high level of accuracy and customer service
• Partner with the post-award team to ensure purchases are compliant with the proposed funding source
• Create documentation to capture existing and new workflows, provide reports and statistics as directed, and perform other duties as required
• Maintain training in grant compliance and problem solve within grant regulations
• Use Workday Finance, IntelliBUY+ (for supplier management, contract submissions, and catalog purchasing), and Concur

Manage Purchase Orders & Contracts

• Manage the purchase order and contract process for research items from beginning to end
• Serve as liaison between the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and faculty, tracking and filing all contracts in an organized and timely manner
• Serve as the expert on the contract and payment processes and proactively manage contract and payment processes
• Negotiate directly with vendors to answer questions, problem solve, set expectations, and request and organize required documentation
• Educate department faculty, staff colleagues, and vendors on processes and timelines and communicate regularly throughout the process to maintain strong working relationships between the university and external vendors
• Continuously aim to improve existing processes to shorten processing timelines and increase overall efficiency

Project Assistance

• Work with university, college, and department staff and faculty on purchasing projects, including business process improvements, workflow documentation, and development of department-specific training materials
• Seek improvements to optimize procurement workflow and best practices
• Research initiatives for cost reduction
• Perform other miscellaneous tasks as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Required

• Associate's degree
• Desktop software application skills in web browsers, Adobe, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills
• Aptitude for accuracy and detailed work
• Ability to prioritize work and multitask with ease and efficiency
• Process-oriented, with the ability to work both independently and in a team environment
• Ability to stay current with all new and existing regulatory requirements and institutional policies and procedures, and to keep faculty Principal Investigators (PIs) and department leadership informed of changes
• Aptitude for treating sensitive information related to salaries in a confidential and professional manner, given the amount of personal and financial information involved
• High level of customer service and boutique support

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree
• Experience working with Smartsheet and Airtable

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

Expected Hiring Range:

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.