IT Purchasing Specialist

IT Purchasing Specialist III

This is for a direct hire role with a client located in Cypress, CA.

Location: Cypress, CA Hybrid schedule (min two days in office per week). Should anticipate more days in the office for the onboarding/training period at least first couple of weeks before moving into a Hybrid schedule.

Top Skills:

• 10 + years of Experience
• Experience negotiating software, hardware, and service agreements.

Vendor Management - Manages the vendor performance to control cost, drive service excellence and mitigate risk throughout the relationship,

Procurement Professional Knowledge – Knows and applies professional skills and/or knowledge of technology products purchasing, laws, policies, regulations, practices, purchasing methods and procedures,

Purchasing Methods - Knowledge of applicable sources, prices, market factors and product characteristics of the assigned commodities and/or services. Negotiating - Knowledge of competitive pricing practices within industry to use in fact-based communication to effectively persuade and reach an agreement in the best interest of the organization.

Contract Management - Knowledge of the process of systematically and efficiently managing contract creation, execution, and analysis for the purpose of maximizing financial and operational performance and minimizing risk.

Project Scope/Details/Responsibilities - The IT Purchasing Specialist III is responsible for competitively business critical, high risk, high dollar, high visibility and/or non-standard technology products and services, including hardware, software, maintenance, and maintenance renewals. The IT Purchasing Specialist III also researches, interviews, and negotiates with vendors to obtain best prices and terms for organization. In addition, performs basic review of contracts and terms and conditions, ensuring compliance with our Client's best practices.

Responsibilities: Procurement Professional Knowledge – Knows and applies professional skills and/or knowledge of technology products purchasing, laws, policies, regulations, practices, purchasing methods and procedures.

• Apply extensive knowledge of technology products purchasing, laws, policies, regulations, practices, purchasing methods and procedures
• Use judgment to competitively source business critical, high risk, high dollar and/or high visibility technology products and services, including hardware, software, maintenance, and maintenance renewals
• Independently apply advanced knowledge of contracts and terms and conditions
• Use discretion to interpret, apply and make recommendations to modify contracts terms and conditions
• Independently apply general knowledge of accounting principles and methods in relation to purchasing

Purchasing Methods - Knowledge of applicable sources, prices, market factors and product characteristics of the assigned commodities and/or services.

• Reviews and analyzes business critical, high risk, high dollar, and/or highly visible purchase requests for accuracy, completeness and compliance to policy.
• Conduct competitive analysis to recommend vendor(s) for business critical, high risk, high dollar, and highly visible products and services.
• Identify and recommend process improvement opportunities to maximize efficiencies and reduce risk of errors.
• Monitor delivery of purchased items
• Communicate status of the order to customers
• Independently reconcile problems that occur during the purchasing process, including the return of incorrect or defective goods

Negotiating - Knowledge of competitive pricing practices within industry to use in fact-based communication to effectively persuade and reach an agreement in the best interest of the organization. Able to:

• Use a range of approaches and strategies to gain support for ideas
• Make concessions when required to reach agreement
• Work for a win-win situation
• Develop a line of reasoned argument
• Put his/her point across clearly and concisely
• Understand and represent the business need for the product and/or service
• Respond to roadblocks with well thought out counter arguments
• Form long-term relationships
• Influence others
• Emphasize how costs and problems can be mitigated
• Handle objections
• Challenge the point of view expressed by others
• Get others to support views
• Assess position of each party, explore and develop creative alternatives, and facilitate and implement resolution

Vendor Management - Manages the vendor performance to control cost, drive service excellence and mitigate risk throughout the relationship.

• Communicate performance issues, address alternatives for resolution, and facilitate implementation of solution for high risk, high dollar technology products and/or services.
• Communicate organization needs to vendor
• Establish and maintain a strong relationship with vendors by listening to them, understanding and responding to their needs
• Monitor ongoing transactional business to ensure compliance to pricing standards for scope of responsibility
• Understand and communicate account management team responsibilities
• Schedule and facilitate vendor reviews
• Follow-up on review items, ensure they are addressed and communicate status to management
• Communicate performance issues, address alternative for resolution and facilitate implementation of solution for high risk, high dollar and/or non-standard technology products and/or services

Contract Management - Knowledge of the process of systematically and efficiently managing contract creation, execution, and analysis for the purpose of maximizing financial and operational performance and minimizing risk.

• Reviews contracts and redline business terms and conditions
• Assist legal in understanding business needs or product and/or service for legal review of contract
• Understand contract types and applicability of usage
• Check and verify appropriate agreements are in place for the type of business, product and/or service being provided
• Provide agreements to new vendors

Supplemental Duties & Responsibilities

• Pursues training and development opportunities; Strives to continuously build knowledge and skills
• Assist personnel in other departments to resolve technical and/or application issues
• Other duties as requested

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience in a related field required
• 10+ years IT purchasing experience
• Experience negotiating software, hardware and service agreements
• Internet research experience
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Programs (Excel, Word and Outlook)
• Excellent customer service skills
• Experience with ServiceNow a plus
• Highly organized, with the ability to multi-task
• Sense of urgency
• Detail oriented with excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical, assessment and problem-solving skills
• Able to work with complexity in environments and determine potential for cross impact
• Self-motivated, goal oriented and innovative thinker
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience developing/documenting corporate policies and procedures
• Strong interpersonal and team-building skills; ability to work with a diverse team and influence/drive change across functional boundaries
• Ability to seek out and implement internal or external best practices driving continuous improvement