Senior Buyer, Purchasing Services, Administration & Finance

Current UC employees must apply internally via  SuccessFactors  

Next Lives at the University of Cincinnati

Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati ranks among the nation’s best urban public research universities. Home to more than 53,600 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, and over 360,000 living alumni, UC, a Carnegie 1 institution, combines research prowess with a physical setting The New York Times has called “the most ambitious campus design program in the country." UC's momentum has never been stronger as the anchor of the Cincinnati Innovation District, the oldest cooperative education (co-op) program in the country with students earning $94 million annually through paid experiences, an academic health system, and as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university contributes $10.6 billion in economic impact to the city and $22.7 billion to the state of Ohio. At UC, next is all of us. Learn more at  uc.edu . 

UC is a mission-driven organization where we are committed to student success and positively transforming the community through scholarship and service. We thrive on innovation, making an impact, and fostering an environment where staff and faculty are key contributors to UC’s success.

Job Overview

The Senior Buyer provides advanced operational purchasing support within the University’s centralized purchasing shared services function. This role independently manages complex, higher‑risk, or compliance‑sensitive purchasing transactions across a broad range of goods and services, ensuring adherence to University policies, competitive bidding requirements, and applicable federal and state regulations.

Essential Functions

• Independently manage complex operational purchasing transactions, including those involving higher dollar values, non‑standard terms, or heightened compliance considerations.
• Support purchasing activities related to research, grants, and sponsored programs by ensuring allowability, documentation, and compliance with University policies and applicable regulations.
• Apply sourcing best practices to operational purchases, including preparation of appropriate basis‑of‑award documentation and support for competitive purchasing below formal bid thresholds.
• Serve as a senior‑level resource to Buyers and Associate Buyers on complex purchasing scenarios, policy interpretation, and documentation standards.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing to ensure smooth handoffs for purchases that require formal sourcing events, exceptions, or advanced negotiation.
• Provide guidance and informal training to shared services staff on procurement fundamentals, including competitive purchasing requirements, supplier selection rationale, and purchase order creation.
• Review purchasing requests for completeness, compliance, and appropriateness of procurement method prior to execution.
• Support audit readiness by maintaining accurate, well‑documented purchasing records and advising on corrective actions when needed.
• Collaborate with Accounts Payable, Contract Compliance, Sponsored Research Services and Treasury to resolve purchasing and payment issues.
• Identify recurring operational purchasing challenges and recommend process improvements to shared services leadership.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal customers and external suppliers to support timely issue resolution.
• Perform related duties based on departmental need; this job description may change at any time.

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, finance, or a related field.
• Eleven (11) years of relevant education, experience and/or other specialized training can fulfill minimum education and experience requirements.

Required Experience

• Seven (7) years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex or higher‑risk purchasing transactions requiring judgment and policy interpretation.
• Experience applying competitive procurement principles in an operational purchasing environment.

Additional Qualifications Considered

• Experience in higher education or public sector procurement.
• Experience supporting research, grants, or sponsored programs procurement.
• Experience working within or alongside a strategic sourcing function.
• Familiarity with shared services or centralized procurement models.
• Experience using eProcurement or financial systems.
• Ability to mentor and support less‑experienced procurement staff.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Office environment/no specific unusual physical or environmental demands.

Compensation and Benefits

UC offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial security, and work-life balance. Eligibility may vary by position and FTE status. Highlights include:

Salary/Hourly Pay Rate Information: 

Comprehensive Tuition Remission

UC provides tuition remission for you and your eligible dependents, covering tuition costs for nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the university.

Robust Retirement Plans

As a UC employee, you won’t contribute to Social Security (except Medicare). Instead, you’ll choose between state pension plans (OPERS, STRS) or an Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP), with UC contributing 14–18% of your salary based on position.

Real Work-Life Balance

UC prioritizes work-life balance with a generous time-off policy, including:

Vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays and additional end-of-year paid time off (Winter Season Days)

6 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents

Additional Benefits Include:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription)
• Flexible spending accounts & wellness programs
• Professional development & mentorship opportunities

To learn more about why UC is a great place to work, please visit our  .

UC is an E-Verify employer. If hired into this position, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility by providing acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I-9 employment verification process. Click for a list of acceptable documents.

Important : To apply you must create a profile and submit a complete job application through the . We are unable to consider “easy apply” applications submitted via other websites. For questions about the UC recruiting process or to request accommodations with the application, please contact UC HR at  View email address on apply.j-vers.com .

Equal Opportunity Employer. Building a workplace where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, including Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans.

REQ: 103057