(Hybrid) Category Manager - Procurement, Contracting and Payment Services

Description

The Procurement, Contracting, and Payment Services department at West Virginia University is seeking applications for a (Hybrid) Category Manager.

About the Opportunity

The Category Manager provides strategic and on-the-ground procurement and contracting support to cross-functional business units across the University. Develops sourcing, contracting, and pricing strategies and policies for assigned commodity category and may assist with other assigned categories. Leverages procurement spend to achieve best value and cost savings objectives. Drafts, negotiates, executes, and manages contracts compliant with state, federal and University rules, policies, and legal standards. Provides guidance and supervision to assigned staff. Provides other duties and functions as assigned or required. Champions departmental, organizational, and University-wide changes to produce procurement efficiencies and effectiveness. Assists in the departmental and cross department training and education of Procurement policies and procedures.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits (this position is a benefits-eligible non-classified staff position)
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What you'll do

Full management of strategic sourcing efforts for assigned category/commodity

• Serves as the University's subject matter expert on assigned Procurement categories and other assigned commodities regarding procurement and contracting
• Effectively communicates and collaborates with assigned business units on moderate to complex procurement and contracting initiatives
• Cross functional interaction with business units to develop meaningful short and long-term procurement plans that identify significant, repetitive, or enterprise-wide procurements and creates a highly proactive posture, firm sense of direction, and continuity of service delivery
• Manages all aspects of sourcing efforts beginning with spend analysis through contract execution
• Correctly applies Category Management and strategic sourcing best practice processes
• Analyzes budget and historical spend data to identify opportunities for consolidation of procurement activities and cost saving across business units; provides meaningful information and reports to business units that encourage collaboration and improve spend visibility
• Researches and analyzes procurement-related information and reports data to business units with respect to emerging products, market trends, sourcing and pricing models. Performs product, market or Supplier research. Identifies qualified suppliers and service providers, including potential diverse Suppliers
• Prepares and presents business case, cost/benefit and benefit realization analyses
• Assists business units to develop standard procurement descriptions, templates, specifications and statements of work that meet business needs yet create opportunities to maximize cost savings
• Selects appropriate solicitation methods, develops and issues solicitations, administers moderate to complex procurements and effectively leads cross-functional teams through the evaluation and selection process
• Analyzes documents and presents moderate to complex category and commodity operational/functional data to stakeholders/ executives
• Writes and edits procurement documents (RFP's, RFQ's, Contracts, Terms & Conditions, etc.)
• Coordinates legal review/approval process for procurement/sourcing contracts and agreements
• Develops negotiation strategies, coach category analysts/purchasing agents on negotiation strategies to obtain most favorable terms with Suppliers

Lead Supplier evaluation and selection process

• Establishes the appropriate selection committee
• Facilitates selection committee meetings and presentations, as guided by RFP selection criteria
• Collects and maintain committee input and consensus documents
• Performs complex price analysis and makes price reasonableness determinations
• Conducts pre-award responsibility surveys, if needed, to ensure selected Suppliers and consultants have the capacity, expertise, financial wherewithal and willingness to support the University's requirements
• Ensures compliance with fair and equitable sourcing polices
• Notifies Suppliers of selection decisions
• Populates and maintains Procurement File in appropriate document storage

Conduct Supplier management

• Administers contracts from award through close-out, including management of contract changes, resolution of disputes, tracking of deliverables (such as insurance certificates/bonds, certifications, reports, etc.), review of invoices, in close coordination with business units, generally monitors Supplier performance and compliance with contractual or PO provisions
• Executes individual contracts up to the delegated authority assigned by the Chief Procurement Officer
• Plans and facilitates Supplier performance reviews
• Creates and manages service level commitments with preferred Supplier and stakeholder
• Audits contract pricing and addresses unfavorable variances
• Identifies and leads process improvement efforts
• Monitors and measures Supplier performance and compliance; identifying methods to resolve performance issues
• Uses appropriate technology tools to continually measure savings, performance and internal levels of service
• Completes and monitors Supplier Risk Scorecard review

Manage Procurement operational support

• Leads and encourages cross-functional collaboration through sourcing and Supplier management teams
• Facilitates stakeholder meetings to assess needs and identify issues/document issues
• Recognizes, documents and accurately resolves sourcing and procurement related operational issues (invoice allocation, Supplier payment issues, etc.)
• Solicits feedback and incorporates improvements to category, supplier management programs
• Identifies and implements operational process improvements and cost savings by working with stakeholders and Suppliers to understand key value and cost drivers of relevant operations and categories
• Uses deep understanding of supply market or ability to analyze supply market including raw material trends and cost drivers
• Builds and maintains positive business relationships with category/commodity stakeholders and routinely works with mid- and upper-level management
• Establishes effective pricing strategies and drafts, negotiates and awards contracts that conform to state, federal and University rules and policies and Office of General Counsel standards
• Documents key procurement and contracting decisions and actions, develops price negotiation memoranda, solicitation summaries, award analyses and other procurement and contracting records, and maintains procurement and contracting files sufficient to meet University, public procurement/contracting, records management and audit standards
• Prepares assorted. reports for business units and senior and executive management levels; inputs or extracts procurement, contracting and purchase/delivery/task order information into or from various computer systems. Responds to public record and audit requests
• Educates business units and Suppliers on University procurement and contracting policies, procedures and practices and works proactively with business units and vendors to meet small business, sustainability and other socio-economic business initiatives
• Stays current with trends and best practices in procurement and contracting
• Responds in a timely manner to other such duties, data requests, and other duties assigned by management or requested from departmental clients and performs other functions as assigned or required to meet the needs of the University

Staff Management and Development

• Coaches staff to drive compliance with purchasing policies and procedures
• Manages supervises, schedules and prioritizes tasks and responsibilities of assigned Procurement & Contracting staff for related categories to meet workload and scheduling needs of the department
• Manages assigned staff by setting expectations, assessing performance, and ensuring that day-to-day operations and assigned tasks are completed on time and with a high level of quality and accuracy
• Understands and employs team-based, cross business-unit sourcing strategy

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree: Supply Chain Management, Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Information Technology, or other related degree or equivalent combination of education and related work experience.
• Five (5) years of procurement, supply chain or purchasing experience
• Experience in Procurement and contracting
• Procurement in mid to large size organization
• Excellent internal and external negotiating skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Strong skills using Microsoft products, including data analytics
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.(always include unless position requires specific degree).
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Supervisory experience
• Public entity experience

• ISM, CPM, CPSM or similar certification preferred