Senior Buyer

I. JOB OVERVIEW Job Description Summary : In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University (GW) was created by an Act of Congress in 1821.

Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts studies, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs.

Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. As one of the largest private employers in the District of Columbia, the University seeks employees who support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the University.

The Procure-To-Pay Department is responsible for the university’s procurement of goods and services. It accomplishes this by offering multiple methods of purchasing items via the iBuy+ system, electronic requisition, or use of a P-Card.

The department is also responsible for supplier registration, travel, Payables, and expense reimbursements through Concur.

Our goal is to serve the faculty and staff by facilitating the timely acquisition of goods and services to meet the needs of GW at a competitive price.

The GW Procurement Services team is responsible for ensuring the justification of the supplier selection and pricing meets GW policies and the requirements of the sponsors for externally funded procurement actions.

This experienced specialized position is to provide the University support for the acquisitions of goods and services either through engagement, contractual agreements with vendors, or the centralized processing of payments for accounts payables.

This mid-level financial role often has an area of focus, and is typically responsible for handling complex negotiations, requests for quotation, proposal review and information, and preparing bid specifications in order to satisfy university requirements and policy.

We are looking for a dynamic individual to fill our Senior Buyer position. Reporting to one of three managers; comprised of Technology, Construction, or General Goods and Services, the selected Senior Buyer is responsible for ensuring that the acquisition of goods and services needed by the University is done in accordance with University policies and procedures.

This includes buying activities for both regular operations as well as for sponsored research projects.

The Senior Buyer will manage all aspects of the functional area of contract management, including contract formation, drafting and issuing solicitations, negotiations, cost and price analyst, award, contract administration, termination and close-out of various contract vehicles (including purchase orders, master service agreements, blanket purchase order / agreements, etc.)

The Senior Buyer will examine and evaluate the contractor’s prospective cost estimates or price proposals to determine the necessity, fairness, and reasonableness of proposed contract costs.

The Senior Buyer will serve as the lead negotiator, planning the negotiation strategy, coordinating strategy with the negotiation team and leading the negotiation conducted with contractors, negotiate with prospective contractors on pricing, performance, technical terms, and other provisions.

Senior Buyer will negotiate contract modifications and the terms and costs of contract changes.

The Senior buyer will work with end-user departments to monitor outstanding contracts to ensure satisfactory progress, to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract, and to identify problems that threaten contractor performance.

The Senior Buyer will assist the end-user department in reviewing past performance reports and conduct reference checks to determine the financial and technical capability of award bidders for the purpose of assessing risk to the University for the successful attainment of program goals and to determine if the award candidate has an acceptable level of integrity and is financially and technically responsible.

Advises and assists requesting department in the drafting of solicitation documents, analysis reports, and evaluation of responses in the selection process.

Provides contract / procurement advice and assistance to program managers and / or others on contract or procurement policies or problems.

Responsible for executing all procurement phases of the acquisition process.

Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position. Minimum Qualifications :

Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 2 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant area of study.

Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Additional Required Licenses / Certifications / Posting Specific Minimum Qualifications : Preferred Qualifications : These qualifications are preferred :

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong Customer Service skills.
• Strong Analytical skills.
• Demonstrate knowledge or ability to apply Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) to federally funded research purchases.
• Ability to apply written rules, policies, and procedures, and make recommendations for changes when necessary.
• Prior experience developing, implementing, and managing formal Bid and RFP solicitations from acquisition conception to award.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students from a variety of diverse backgrounds at all levels of the University.
• Demonstrated experience with computers and Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or other widely recognized procurement certification.
• Knowledge of and experience with federal and state regulations on procurements for Sponsored Projects (Grants).
• Experience working with Concur Travel and Expense modules.
• Experience working with an enterprise accounting and reporting system (e.g., Banner, Oracle, SAP).

Hiring Range $57,553.66 - $79,165.63 GW Staff Approach to Pay