Manager, Purchasing

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Building: Wallach Hall
• Salary Range: $80,000 - $85,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Purchasing Manager will be responsible for leading the sourcing of goods and services to meet the needs of Columbia Health. As a key member of the Columbia Health finance team, the Purchasing Manager will work independently and collectively across the division to determine, standardize, and facilitate all Columbia Health purchasing needs. They will assure good business practices, consistency, cost-effectiveness, and being fully compliant with Columbia University purchasing guidelines and other applicable regulations enabling the division to maximize savings. The Purchasing Manager will exercise independent judgement and decision-making when recommending goods and services and also serve as liaison between the Finance Office and the other departments of Columbia Health.

Responsibilities

Purchasing Management (50%)

• Manage purchasing needs across all Columbia Health units.
• Manage the centralization of vendors across Columbia Health departments where appropriate.
• Develop, implement, and continually evaluate the Columbia Health vendor/supplier system.
• Manage, with contributions from each Columbia Health department, to identify and provide recommendations regarding supply sources.
• Manage submission of invoices for all Columbia Health departments; ensuring complete and accurate documents are submitted to Columbia Health and Central Finance.
• Implement appropriate sourcing strategies to control Columbia Health purchased goods and service costs and ensure an adequate supply of goods and equipment.
• Independently negotiates most appropriate combination of price, quantity discounts, product quality, standard terms and conditions, and, where appropriate, supports the establishment of long-term agreements for Columbia Health.
• Monitors and makes division-level recommendations on the cost of goods, pricing trends, and other related matters.
• Provides leadership to ensure cost-effective purchasing across all Columbia Health departments.
• Monitors and makes recommendations regarding purchasing trends and related technology.
• Provide leadership to ensure appropriate delivery/inventory tracking across Columbia Health departments.
• Collaborates with other Finance Office colleagues to create PO requests and annual estimates for all Columbia Health departments.
• Reconcile and approve P-card transactions.

Vendor Management (20%)

• Provide leadership to RFP and bid processes across Columbia Health.
• Recommend Columbia Health and University-level vendors.
• Develop and maintain mutually beneficial long-term partnerships with suppliers to foster effective feedback mechanisms and continuous improvement as well as negotiate the best possible value, ensure the quality of all goods and services purchased, and fully meet the needs of the end-users.
• Lead the identification and resolution of any problems between vendors and Columbia Health departments.
• Represent Columbia Health at vendor/supplier meetings.

Contracts (20%)

• Manage organization service contracts.
• Track renewal of services and cost.
• Recommend multi-year contracts when fiscally advantageous to Columbia Health.
• Review and negotiate terms and conditions for contracts and requisitions across Columbia Health.
• Provide leadership to ensure Columbia Health is compliant with University, AAAHC, and other appropriate requirements in contracts.
• Serve as the primary division liaison to contract teams in other areas of the University.
• Represent Columbia Health in contract negotiations.

Concur (5%)

• Provide leadership and direction for Columbia Health-related travel using the Concur system.
• Ensure Columbia Health users are compliant with University travel policies and procedures.
• Provide direct support to Columbia Health Concur users.
• Serve as an initial approver for all Columbia Health users.

Perform all other duties as assigned. (5%)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in business, supply chain management, logistics, health care administration, or a closely related field is required.
• A minimum of three years' related purchasing experience is required, including a demonstrated understanding of inventory supply chains.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Access, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), along with inventory and procurement-related software and databases.
• Demonstrated ability to collect and analyze data and evaluate information.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare reports, summaries, and analyses along with present findings and recommendations.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Must be a self-starter and capable of operating at peak efficacy with minimal supervision.
• Oriented to a productive mix of independence and teamwork.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including active listening skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely and effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Strong consensus-building and relationship-building skills.
• Must be able to negotiate issues and resolve problems.
• Work well with all levels of management, both internally and externally.
• Exercise discretion, flexibility, independent thinking, self-directed decision-making, and sound judgment.
• Excellent customer service and commitment to exceptional quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in business, management, healthcare administration, or a closely related field.
• Experience in higher education or healthcare contracting.
• Experience with Accounting and Reporting at Columbia (ARC) or similar purchasing systems.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to hiring of qualified local residents.