Procurement Manager at North End Teleservices LLC in Omaha, NE, USA

Job description

• The Procurement Manager is responsible for building, leading, and continuously improving North End Teleservices' procurement function. This position will establish the policies, processes, systems, controls, and vendor-management practices necessary to create a centralized and disciplined approach to organizational purchasing.
• The Procurement Manager will serve as NET's primary procurement leader and strategic partner to Finance, Operations, IT, Human Resources, Facilities, and other business functions. The role will oversee the full procurement lifecycle, from identifying business needs and sourcing vendors through negotiation, purchase authorization, supplier performance, renewal, and vendor offboarding.
• This position requires someone who can operate effectively in both build mode and execution mode. Initially, the Procurement Manager will be hands-on while developing the infrastructure necessary for the function to scale. As the department matures, the role will assume responsibility for developing procurement staff and transitioning routine purchasing activities to the appropriate team members.

Responsibilities

• Procurement Function Development & Governance
• Design and implement NET's centralized procurement function, including operating procedures, workflows, approval structures, documentation standards, and internal controls.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive Procurement Policy establishing purchasing authority, competitive bidding expectations, approval thresholds, emergency purchasing procedures, documentation requirements, and exceptions.
• Establish clear roles and responsibilities between Procurement, Finance, Accounts Payable, Human Resources, IT, Operations, and departmental budget owners.
• Create standardized processes for purchase requests, purchase orders, competitive quotes, vendor selection, contract routing, approvals, renewals, and vendor offboarding.
• Develop a procurement roadmap identifying immediate priorities, process gaps, technology needs, staffing requirements, and long-term departmental goals.
• Establish appropriate segregation of duties between requesting, approving, purchasing, receiving, and payment functions.
• Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing
• Lead sourcing activities for goods and services across NET.
• Partner with department leaders to understand business requirements, anticipated purchases, contractual obligations, and future procurement needs.
• Develop competitive sourcing strategies using RFPs, RFQs, bids, quotes, and direct negotiations as appropriate.
• Evaluate vendors based on cost, quality, service, capability, security, compliance, contractual requirements, and organizational risk.
• Negotiate pricing, service levels, payment terms, renewal provisions, warranties, and other commercial terms.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate purchasing, leverage organizational buying power, and reduce unnecessary or duplicative expenditures.
• Establish preferred-vendor and strategic-supplier programs where appropriate.
• Vendor Management & Due Diligence
• Develop a standardized vendor onboarding and approval process.
• Establish vendor due-diligence requirements in partnership with Finance, Human Resources, IT/Security, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain a centralized vendor inventory containing appropriate documentation, ownership, contracts, renewal dates, performance information, and risk classifications.
• Establish vendor performance standards and scorecards for critical and strategic suppliers.
• Conduct periodic vendor performance reviews and lead corrective-action discussions when service, quality, cost, security, or contractual expectations are not being met.
• Identify vendor concentration, dependency, performance, and continuity risks and escalate concerns to leadership.
• Contract & Renewal Management
• Establish a centralized process for procurement-related contracts and agreements.
• Coordinate with NET leadership, Human Resources, Finance, IT, and legal counsel as appropriate to ensure contracts receive necessary review before execution.
• Maintain visibility into contract expiration dates, automatic renewals, notice periods, pricing escalators, and other significant commercial terms.
• Implement a proactive renewal process so NET can evaluate vendor performance, continued business need, pricing, and alternative providers before renewal deadlines.
• Ensure purchasing commitments are made only by individuals with appropriate organizational authority.
• Financial Controls & Spend Management
• Partner closely with Finance and department leaders to align procurement activity with approved budgets and financial controls.
• Establish purchase-order requirements and approval thresholds.
• Analyze organizational spend by vendor, department, category, contract, and other relevant measures.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, cost avoidance, consolidation, standardization, and improved contract terms.
• Develop savings and cost-avoidance methodologies so procurement's financial impact can be measured and reported.
• Support Finance in ensuring purchasing documentation appropriately supports invoice approval and payment.
• Monitor off-contract, unauthorized, duplicate, or otherwise noncompliant purchasing activity and work with leaders to correct identified issues.
• Compliance, Audit & Risk Management
• Ensure procurement practices comply with NET policies, contractual obligations, applicable laws and regulations, and client requirements.
• Develop procurement documentation standards that create a defensible audit trail from request through payment.
• Maintain appropriate records supporting competitive sourcing, vendor selection, approvals, purchases, contracts, exceptions, and supplier performance.
• Support internal, client, regulatory, and external audits involving procurement or vendor relationships.
• Partner with Finance to identify procurement risks and implement corrective controls.
• Incorporate applicable requirements associated with NET's government and commercial contracting environment into procurement processes.
• Systems, Data & Reporting
• Evaluate and recommend technology needed to support purchasing, vendor management, approvals, contract tracking, and procurement analytics.
• Develop procurement dashboards and KPIs for executive leadership.
• Track metrics such as organizational spend, savings/cost avoidance, purchase-order compliance, vendor concentration, contract renewals, supplier performance, sourcing cycle time, and procurement exceptions.
• Use procurement data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for operational improvement.
• Establish reliable procurement records and reporting practices that integrate effectively with NET's financial systems.
• Leadership & Department Development
• Build the organizational structure and staffing model for the procurement function as business needs grow.
• Develop roles, responsibilities, procedures, training, and performance expectations for future procurement staff.
• Provide education and guidance to NET leaders and employees regarding procurement requirements and purchasing authority.
• Establish Procurement as a business partner rather than simply an approval point.
• Create a culture of accountability, transparency, responsiveness, fiscal stewardship, and service.
• Manage, coach, and develop Procurement employees as positions are added to the department.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Accounting, Operations, or related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 5–7 years of progressively responsible procurement, purchasing, sourcing, supply-chain, or vendor-management experience.
• Prior experience establishing, redesigning, or significantly improving procurement processes strongly preferred.
• Experience negotiating vendor agreements and commercial terms.
• Demonstrated experience with purchase orders, competitive sourcing, vendor management, contract administration, and spend analysis.
• Strong understanding of purchasing controls, approval structures, and segregation of duties.
• Advanced analytical and Excel skills with the ability to translate procurement data into business recommendations.
• Strong written, verbal, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a growing organization.
• Experience supporting a government contractor, federal contractor, regulated organization, call center/BPO, technology-enabled services company, or similarly complex environment.
• Familiarity with government-contract procurement requirements and flow-down obligations.
• Experience implementing procurement or procure-to-pay technology.
• Experience developing procurement policies, SOPs, approval matrices, and vendor-management programs.
• Professional certification such as CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., or equivalent preferred but not required.

Skills

Required

• Procurement
• Purchasing
• Sourcing
• Supply-chain management
• Vendor management
• Negotiation
• Contract administration
• Spend analysis
• Purchase orders
• Competitive sourcing
• Approval structures
• Segregation of duties

Preferred

• Government contracting
• Procurement technology implementation
• Procurement policy development
• SOP development
• Approval matrices
• Vendor management programs
• CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M. certification