Job Description

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Purchasing Manager role.

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment. The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic. This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents upon eligibility
• Up to 50% tuition remission for spouses upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

Salary Range: $79,000 to $89,000

The University of St. Thomas has provided a salary range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

JOB SUMMARY

This position is responsible for key purchasing functions for the University of St. Thomas. These key functions include vendor management, contract management, bidding, vendor set-up, requisition and purchase order processes, project management, system administration, and analysis. Customer service is critical as this position is responsible for assisting internal departments in supporting university-wide purchasing functions. This position is also responsible for providing departmental support regarding policy, procedures, and best methods to ensure solid financial controls and prudent stewardship of university resources. System skills are critical as the position is responsible for the effective utilization, support, training, and administration of several purchasing systems including Banner Finance, eProcurement, eBidding, online travel booking, reporting tools, Microsoft Excel, and others. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Purchasing Processes Ownership
  
  • Manages contracting, vendor database, requisition, and purchase order processes
  • Responsible for university bidding
  • Responsible for preferred vendors
  • Maintains ongoing expertise and pursues continuous education on purchasing topics as relates to industry standards and leading methods
  • Collaborate and coordinate with Accounts Payable (AP), Controller’s Office, ITS, and other departments as needed on both processing and project work
  • Responsible for data integrity of document processing and purchasing transactions including year-end procedures

• Promotion of Fiscal Responsibility
  • Use vendor/purchasing data to identify and work with departments on bidding, consortium usage, and preferred vendor usage
  • Meet with departments to ensure an understanding of their processes and needs
  • Make recommendations on purchasing processes and work with key department staff to implement processes
  • Provide measurable hard and soft savings for university departments

• Supervision
  • Supervises full-time purchasing buyers/senior buyers
  • Supervision of 4-5 student employees that are responsible for high-level procurement work
  • Maximize student employment to supplement full-time staffing with value-added projects in the areas of analysis, audit, system support, documentation, customer service, and purchasing administrative processes such as scanning, records retention, vendor set-up, front desk staffing, etc.

• System Administration
  • Responsible for system administration (troubleshooting, issue documentation and resolution, system testing, user management, and training) of multiple purchasing systems provided by multiple vendors including but not limited to Banner, Jaggaer eProcurement, and eBidding (eBuy&Pay)
  • Work directly with technology vendors on issue resolution and enhancements
  • Seek continuous improvement of system usage and effectiveness and communicate best methods with departmental users

• Project Management/Vendor Management
  • Represent the university in purchasing consortium committees
  • Work with university departments to utilize preferred, on-contract vendors
  • Explore, evaluate, and develop new vendor opportunities to align with needs
  • Work with strategic suppliers to integrate online services into St. Thomas systems
  • Perform periodic category reviews including bidding and negotiation to ensure university departments have access to excellent preferred vendors
  • Evaluate, recommend, and implement process improvements including oversight of approved projects from beginning to end

• Analysis
  • Proactively analyze university spending using and developing both St. Thomas and vendor reporting to identify categories for bidding and consortia
  • Manage bidding processes with departments to make data-driven purchasing decisions
  • Review, evaluate, recommend, create, and/or simplify Purchasing Services processes for the broader university community
  • Analyze purchasing opportunities with internal departments, vendors, and consortia to support vendor selection, implementation, and use of purchasing technology
  • Analyze trends in data to recommend changes in vendor management, system usage, bidding, and other St. Thomas purchasing processes.
  • Evaluate sustainability data including vendor offerings to contribute to university sustainability goals

• Customer Service
  • Demonstrate a high level of customer service with internal customers and external vendors representing Purchasing Services, Finance, and Administration’s vision and strategic initiatives in a professional manner
  • Respond to customers and vendors via phone, fax, mail, and/or e-mail in an acceptable timely manner
  • Use good judgment and initiative with projects that improve purchasing services, customer service, vendor relations, and the welfare of the St. Thomas community

• Communication & Training
  • Develop and effectively communicate Purchasing Services related content via an e-mail, newsletter, website update, verbally, etc.
  • Provide departmental assistance, training, and advice related to Banner and e-procurement systems in compliance with university policies and procedures

• Performs additional tasks, as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field
• Five years of professional purchasing experience in an institutional setting including experience with bidding, negotiation, and project management

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with supervision of employees
• Experience with state and federal bidding and contracting

An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills have been acquired may be substituted.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at . Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at .

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