Purchasing Specialist
Location: Seattle, Wa (Hybrid in Seattle)
Duration: 10/14/24 - 3/14/25
Pay Range: $35/hr - $45/hr
This position
As a TechOps Purchasing Specialist, you will support the Foundations team within Product Development & Production with a wide array of purchasing responsibilities, all of which will require coordination across multiple internal and external parties, keen prioritization skills and decision-making, painstaking attention to detail and consistent follow-up. This person plays a crucial role in the on-boarding of new vendors, managing purchasing and payment related activities, monitoring invoices and actual spend against both historical patterns and budget for vendors, products and services that are critical to our service, and therefore, our customers.
This position is an individual contributor role reporting to the Director of Engineering Business Operations Manager and is designated Flex.
Responsibilities
· Coordinate strategic sourcing activities with project managers, engineering, and other key stakeholders to acquire Hardware/Software/Network/Managed Hosting/Maintenance technologies in a cost effective and timely manner
· Ensure procurement business systems data integrity and the accurate disposition of maintenance and/or support contracts for all procured IT
· Process purchase requisitions change orders and requests for quotes to IT suppliers
· Perform cost analysis and volume planning for major projects (e.g., materials, components, equipment, and services)
· Negotiate price and audit proposals against contractual, historical benchmarks
· Work with internal stakeholders for medium/high-priority and/or complex projects with appropriate oversight
· Initiates requests for quotations with suppliers and ensures that the final product meets stakeholder needs
· Review supplier contracts and participates in contract terms analysis, negotiations, etc
· Audit supplier invoices for accuracy against usable assets, works with AP to ensure process follow-through and manages company assets
· Issue purchase orders and assists to resolve logistical issues
· Ensure positive working relationships with related support groups (Legal, InfoSec, Fixed Assets, Asset Mgmt., AP/AR, etc.)
· Recommend cost saving proposals including alternative sourcing, preferred contract, or alternative technologies
· Interact closely with suppliers to resolve quality and logistical issues
· Track on-boarding and procurement-related request tickets, following up with necessary parties, including, but not limited to: requestor, legal, procurement, third party risk, finance, and accounts payables, as appropriate, to ensure efficient movement of requests through entire end-to-end process
· Prepare and process purchase orders and invoices for global Foundations organization to support multiple data centers and technical operations around the world
· Track and manage complex purchase orders and invoices, with line-by-line attention to detail to ensure an efficient process, timely delivery and receipt of product/service, prompt invoice approval and payment meeting our terms
· Troubleshoot, problem solve and advise others across the product development organization on how to expedite processing of both purchase orders and invoices
· Analyze and report on spend against budget and historical patterns; identify anomalies and advise leaders on opportunities for increased efficiencies and/or cost-savings
· Escalate anomalies and non-standard charges and fees as appropriate
· Collaborate with, and act as liaison to other departments and with third party vendors, agencies and organizations
· Advise and mentors others across Product Development on vendor and procurement processes and policies
· Handle confidential and non-routine information
· Facilitate communication between appropriate internal departments as necessary
· Influence process owners for improvements to increase efficiency and improve internal and external parties’ experience in doing business with/for us
· Manage other purchasing and/or administrative related functions for product development as delegated or assigned
Basic Qualifications
· Associates Degree or equivalent experience
· 2+ years’ experience managing procurement activities at a SaaS company
· 5+ years’ experience processing purchase requests, purchase orders, and invoices using NetSuite, Oracle or similar applications
· 3+ years’ experience processing vendor on-boarding requests using ServiceNow, OneTrust or similar applications
Preferred Qualifications
· Experience working in an R&D organization at a SaaS company
· 5+ years’ experience with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point
· 5+ years’ experience with G-Suite applications - Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides
· Experience with budgeting, financial reporting (preparing and/or consuming) and analysis
· Excellent organization skills, attention to detail and ability to drive multiple requests and work streams at once
· Can work under pressure and capable of exercising good judgment to solve problems independently while working under sometimes ambiguous or inefficient processes
· Strong ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization, whether verbal, written or via spreadsheets and presentations
· High level of integrity, discretion and dependability
· Enthusiasm, adaptability, flexibility and independent, can-do attitude
