Director of Procurement

The Penn State Office of Central Procurement team is searching for a highly skilled and motivated Director of Procurement who will be responsible for the overall vision and direction of the Procurement team, which includes centralized purchasing, e-procurement, and strategic purchasing, across the University.

The Director of Procurement reports to the Associate Vice President for Procurement, Contracts and Accounts Payable and Chief Procurement Officer (AVP/CIO), and is a critical member of the AVP's leadership team. The Director of Procurement is responsible for the overall administration of the Procurement department and includes assuring compliance with federal, state and University regulations, policies, certifications, and procedures; providing University-wide tools and resources to meet users' needs for goods and services; developing revenue generation, cost reduction, cost savings, and risk mitigation strategies in the purchasing arena; promoting environmental stewardship and diversity supplier initiatives; and, providing exceptional customer service.

The scope of Procurement Services encompasses University Park and all Commonwealth Campus locations. Responsibilities of the Director of Procurement also include strategic planning; defining and articulating vision, standards and expectations; supervision; budgeting, financial and facility management; human resource management; problem-solving and conflict resolution, quality improvement and stakeholder involvement; and policy/procedure/process and program review and development. Other duties include the following:

• Review and authorize high dollar purchase orders and contracts.
• Lead the development of ongoing continuous improvement for sourcing and procurement strategies without compromising quality or reliability of supply or disrupting academic, teaching, research, or business operations.
• Collaborate with other Office of Central Procurement functions to include Accounts Payable, Contracts Management, Purchasing Card Operations, Supplier Diversity Management, and Travel Management.
• Direct negotiations for vendor contracts and research opportunities to establish and manage vendor partnerships.
• Define and implement a strategy and future growth plan for the department, with the goal of cultivating best-in-class service areas to meet current and future University procure-to-pay needs.
• Coach and develop their team to foster a can-do culture that promotes high quality service delivery, continuous improvement, and customer service.
• Establish team and individual metrics and quantitative objectives for performance consistent with objectives for cost, quality, and service.
• Work closely with the Office of Budget & Finance, Legal Counsel, Internal Audit, and Risk Management in addition to other units and colleagues.
• Ensure compliance with all audit requirements to include maintaining an approved purchasing system as mandated by the Federal Government through their Contractor Purchasing System Review process.
• Review, negotiate, modify and execute vendor contracts for all University procurement including hardware, software, service contracts and consulting agreements.
• Serve as project manager for University initiatives such as the selection and implementation of the e-procurement technologies.
• Represent Procurement Services on various University committees.

The Procurement Team consists of two (2) Assistant Directors, eight (8) Category Buying Leads, and nineteen (19) Buying Agents and Assistants responsible for over 110,000 catalog and non-catalog purchasing transactions. Annually valued in excess of $450 million.

The successful candidate for this position must:

• Be an effective leader, with the ability to inspire the workforce and build a sense of team in a large, diverse and complex organization.
• Be a strategic thinker who can translate vision into actions and implement solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems that may have University-wide impact.
• Have a strong and demonstrable commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Evidence excellent communication and customer service skills including diplomacy in persuading, influencing, negotiating and resolving disputes with a wide variety of stakeholders, internal and external to the University.
• Successfully manage large-scale projects and change initiatives while prioritizing and balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting demands and issues.
• Serve as a responsible steward for University assets.
• Display an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit coupled with an adherence to best business practices and ethics.

This position will be filled as a Procurement Manager - Principal Manager level, and minimally requires a Bachelor's degree plus ten years of relevant experience, including 5 years of supervisory experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A Master's degree or equivalent is preferred. A degree in business administration, supply chain, finance, or related field is preferred. Experience in higher education is preferred. Professional certificationssuch astheCPSM (Certificate in Supply Chain Management) ortheCPM (Certified Purchasing Manager)from the Institute for Supply Management Inc.are preferred. Supervisory experience is required. Must possess strong planning skills, a keen attention to detail, strong analytical and quantitative thinking ability, a clear and persuasive communication style, and the ability to lead change. Demonstrated experience in procurement, eProcurement systems, finance, and change management required.

This position offers a flexible work arrangement that combines remote and on-campus work. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusion that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity in society and nature, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusion as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.