Procurement Specialist

JOB DESCRIPTION

Hiring Manager: Kelci Williams

Target Start Date: November 2, 2026

For consideration, applicants must live/relocate to the state of Massachusetts or within commutable distance to our Cambridge, MA office. Enjoy the flexibility of working from home on Fridays, while collaborating in the office from Monday through Thursday.

The Role:

As the Procurement Specialist for our North American region, you are responsible for ensuring cost-effective, quality accommodation solutions (from hostels to National Park lodges to 4-star hotels) that are in line with each product’s identity. You’ll do this by negotiating contracts, managing relationships with suppliers, helping map strategy, contributing to itinerary development, and managing budgets. You are analytically strong, and love maximizing negotiations to aid your strategic objectives.

Core Responsibilities:

• Market expertise: Further foster your existing strong North American market knowledge and expertise through constant networking and research, competition awareness, and industry insights
• Source, contract, & allocate: Identify, acquire, and allocate all services and suppliers for our groups in the North American market.
• Supplier relationship management: Maintain a positive and constructive relationship with existing and potential suppliers in the North American market, in keeping with cross-product sourcing strategy
• Inventory management: Work closely with Inventory and relevant operations teams to tie operational needs to all products overall volume, itinerary strategy, and product development priorities
• Customer Experience: Work to balance cost and customer experience and achieve cross-product requirements
• Budget & Cost control: Devise, monitor, and adhere to budgets
• Strategy creation: Analysis of market & industry trends, competition analysis & awareness, build a robust, scalable supplier portfolio, maximize chain relationships, collaborate across tours departments
• Safety & Quality Control: Ensure suppliers fulfill all safety and quality criteria
• Administrative: Ensure all contracts, allocations and supplier updates are managed and that all safety and cost guidelines are adhered to. Ensure a smooth handover of information to Production specialists and Tour Directors.

Key Attributes:

• Networked: You’re an influential communicator who cultivates relationships and builds upon your existing networks in the North American Market with both internal and external stakeholders. You’ve got a finger on the pulse of competition, industry trends, and changes in the market.
• Strategic: You’re forward-thinking, analytical, and responsible. You’re cost-conscious, efficient, and capable of executing the vision of multiple products.
• Effective: You have a sense of responsibility and manage your time well. You’re comfortable working in the details, particularly with numbers and legal jargon. You can operate in the detail, while staying highly organized and work through volumes of work.
• Negotiation skills: You’re able to leverage your network and use the tools at your disposal to strike a deal and execute in line with your overall strategy.
• AI fluency and comfort - you use AI tools confidently to streamline research, analyze data, and draft communications, while applying sound judgment to validate outputs
• Willingness to travel: You’re prepared to spend time on the road learning your market and cultivating relationships.
• Language skills: Strong written and verbal English communication skills; full fluency in English required

Qualifications:

• 1-2+ years relevant work experience preferred
• Previous procurement or negotiation experience is preferred
• Strong interest in the tourism industry
• Passion for travel

Why you’ll love working here: Perks, Benefits, and more!

This is the most fun, high caliber place you’ll ever work. Ask any employee why they love EF (whether they’ve been here 10 minutes or 10 years) and they’ll probably tell you the same thing: it’s the people. When you work at EF, you join a purpose-driven, international and energetic community that thrives on continuous learning, fearless innovation and mutual support.

In addition, you can expect:

• Commitment to professional growth: robust monthly calendar of trainings and workshops
• Four weeks paid vacation your first year, ten paid holidays, and two floating holidays
• Exciting business travel opportunities
• 25% company match on your 401(k) contributions
• Market-leading medical, dental and vision coverage, along with options for life and disability insurance, accident and hospital insurance, legal and pet insurance
• Dependent care, healthcare and commuter Flex Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Access to fertility care and family-building support
• Wellness benefits including a yearly fitness reimbursement
• Frequent social and learning events, including access to our employee-run resource groups
• Robust Employee Assistance Program
• Tenure-based sabbatical eligibility
• EF Product Discounts (discounts on travel, international language schools, Au Pair program and more)
• Discounts at local venues and businesses
• Amazing offices designed to match the caliber of the people who work there, plus the flexibility of working from home on Fridays.
• Compensation: The range for this role is $64,000-$70,000, based on experience.

ABOUT US

Some companies are in the business of banking. Others are in the business of shoes. Or sports. Or soft drinks. At EF, we're in a different kind of business. One that's a little less tangible, and a lot more important. Because our business, what we make, makes everything else possible. We're in the business of understanding. Between people. Between cultures.

For over half a century we’ve been the leader in international educational programs and experiences designed to foster such understanding. Through language, cultural exchange, academic studies, and educational travel, we create the kinds of immersive experiences that challenge biases, open minds, and pave the way for a more understanding world.

You’ll find our offices and schools located in some of the world’s greatest cities, and filled with smart, driven people (over 50,000 of us) who push each other to be better every day. But it’s what we do together - building greater understanding, breaking down barriers, and creating a better world - that makes all the difference.

Founded in 1965 in Sweden, EF (Education First) is a global association of education companies that share a common mission of opening the world through education. EF has been recognized on Forbes 2025 and 2024 World’s Best Employers and 2024 Top Companies for Women lists, Fast Company’s 2025 Next Big Things In Tech, and was a 2024 App Store Award winner in Cultural Impact.

ABOUT THE TEAM

At EF Go Ahead Tours we believe in the power of travel to widen your eyes, broaden your mind and see the world and yourself in entirely new ways. For over 35 years we’ve guided travelers - from young professionals to retirees, solo travelers to entire families, on carefully crafted journeys. To us, each experience is an opportunity to not just create unforgettable moments, but to inspire greater understanding between people and cultures. Every day our global team comes to work hoping to help as many people as possible share in those experiences.

Learn more about EF Go Ahead tours: