Senior Procurement Specialist

Procurement SpecialistThe Sage Groups' Client is seeking a Procurement Specialist and their mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.About the role The Communications Strategy & Operations team runs all vendor and agency procurement for our Communications organization: purchase orders, contracts and amendments, change orders, and invoicing across a multi-vendor portfolio spanning a variety of regional entities and different currencies. This role owns execution of that process end-to-end. You will be working a high-volume queue with a daily rhythm of review, triage, and follow-up. This role requires strong relationship management, ownership, and flawless execution: you are the go-to person for vendors and Communications teammates alike, and you ensure contracts and purchase orders move accurately and on time so the team can invest in vendor strategy, process design, and other strategic improvements.Key responsibilities:File and manage purchase requests and change orders in the procure-to-pay system: run structured vendor intake, submit requests, and work approval threads to unstick requestsDraft statements of work and contract amendments from templates and shepherd them through the contract workflow to full executionChase approvals and signatures persistently, and escalate early when a request is stuck rather than letting it stallReconcile purchase orders against contracts line-by-line: catch gaps between contract terms and PO lines, vendor math errors, missing expense lines, and overbilling; verify itemized vendor breakdowns against agreed-upon expense ratesTrack the team's purchase orders in real time; run regular "where are we blocked" and "who am I waiting on" sweeps; triage and troubleshoot most blockers independentlyFeed clean PO data into monthly finance spend trackingPartner day to day with communications teammates requesting purchases, as well as accounting, procurement operations, legal, and finance teamsBuild and manage strong day-to-day relationships with vendors and agency partners, acting as their primary point of contact for procurement mattersCommunicate effectively, thoroughly, and clearly — and in a timely fashion — with communications teammates and vendors alikeNavigate thorny questions and occasionally difficult vendor conversations with professionalism, tact, and good judgmentFlex quickly to urgent or shifting requests without dropping ongoing threadsMinimum qualifications:Ability to ramp up quickly on new tools and processes, and re-ramping when the process evolvesMeticulous, line-item-level attention to detail in contracts, purchase orders, and invoicesProven follow-through on a high-volume queue; tracks 100% of requests to resolution and either follows up or escalates before anything stallsClear, professional, and prompt communication with vendors and internal partners, both written and verbalFluency with spreadsheets (especially Google Sheets) for trackers and reconciliationSound judgment about what to execute independently and what to escalateExperience supporting fast-moving operations teams that not infrequently require rapid responseExperience owning vendor or agency relationships day to day, including navigating thorny questions, pushback, and occasionally difficult vendor conversations with tact and good judgmentDemonstrated ability to work as a true partner to teammates—communicating thoroughly and proactively rather than only when askedPreferred qualifications:Experience procuring communications, PR, or marketing agency servicesExperience in procurement operations, contract administration, or a similar high-volume operations roleStart: 9/08/26 End: 9/07/27 *Possible to extend Pay: $125.00 Location: SF preferred, open to NY Hybrid: 2 days a week in office