Procurement and Communications Specialist

NBBJ is an award-winning design firm recognized as a TIME100 Most Influential Company, a Fast Company Most Innovative Architecture Firmand a two-time 2025 AIA National Honor Awardrecipient. These recognitions reflect our purpose-driven approach that, fueled by ideas and a culture of collaboration, creates healthy buildings, strong communities and a resilient environment. That’s where you come in. With leading clients, diverse colleagues and offices in creative capitals around the globe, a career at NBBJ will inspire you to be extraordinary. You can learn more about our firm, see what it’s like to work hereand explore recent projectsand ideasat NBBJ.com. Join us to make an impact today! 

The role at a glance:  

The Procurement and Communications Specialist supports Digital procurement operations, purchasing workflows, vendor coordination, contract and renewal tracking, invoice support, and budget management. The role helps Digital teams acquire hardware, software, services, and supplies through efficient, compliant, and well-documented processes.

This position connects procurement activity to analytics and leadership decision support by tracking spend, supporting forecasting, maintaining budget visibility, identifying variances and risks, and developing reports, dashboards, and visuals. The role also helps establish Digital communications standards and supports internal platform posts and related messaging, using AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve analysis, reporting, clarity, consistency, and quality.

This role can be based in any of our NBBJ locations: Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, San Diego or Seattle.

 
In your new role, you will: 

• Process purchasing requests through Jira and other intake channels, including PO coordination, approvals, order placement, status tracking, receipt matching, documentation, and issue resolution.
• Manage the Digital Purchasing Card, reconcile monthly statements, code expenses, analyze spend activity, resolve discrepancies, and maintain records for reporting, audit, and budget review.
• Source and purchase hardware, software, small parts, components, and supplies through approved vendors while ensuring compliance with purchasing policies, spending limits, documentation requirements, and budget coding expectations.
• Use AI-enabled tools responsibly to organize procurement information, summarize activity, identify patterns, improve reporting consistency, and support review of procurement records.
• Coordinate Digital vendor interactions, including quotes, orders, renewals, service issues, negotiations, relationship management, and contract calendar maintenance.
• Track Digital budget activity, vendor obligations, planned and projected spending, recurring commitments, renewals, and risks requiring leadership attention.
• Analyze spend trends, identify variances and budget risks, and prepare dashboards, budget views, reports, and visuals that support Digital leadership decision-making.
• Partner with Finance and Accounts Payable on POs, invoice coding, payment cycles, budget reconciliation, forecasts, remaining budget, and payment status.
• Prepare monthly Verizon and AT&T phone plan allocation spreadsheets, download invoices, update cost spreadsheets, process upgrades, coordinate replacement phones, manage warranty processing, and submit documentation for payment.
• Work with Digital Team Leads on annual budget requests, quarterly and yearly forecasting, multi-year agreement tracking, renewal planning, contract obligations, funding requirements, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Help develop, document, maintain, and refine Digital communications standards for tone, style, formatting, quality, branding, and messaging consistency across the firm.
• Draft, edit, and refine internal platform posts and related Digital messaging as needed, including summarizing technical information into clear, user-friendly language.
• Use AI-enabled tools responsibly to create and refine standards, messaging, summaries, and drafts while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, appropriate tone, and human review.
• Serve as liaison between Digital, Finance, Accounts Payable, vendors, firm leadership, Service Desk, Cybersecurity, technical service owners, and internal requestors on procurement, budget, invoice, forecasting, reporting, and messaging needs.
• Maintain organized records for receipts, invoices, purchase orders, contracts, reconciliations, budget reports, communications guidance, and supporting analysis.
• Produce regular reports on procurement activity, budget status, spend trends, renewal obligations, forecast changes, variance risks, and relevant communications metrics.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, improve budget visibility, reduce cycle times, strengthen reporting accuracy, improve requestor experience, and refine communications standards.

What you will need to succeed: 

• Associate’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, Finance, or a related field—or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing coordination, vendor management, budget tracking, invoice coordination, reporting, administrative operations, communications support, or related work.
• Procurement, Analytics, and Reporting: Familiarity with PO workflows, invoice coding, vendor coordination, renewal tracking, spend reporting, budget data, forecasting, variance analysis, dashboards, and budget visuals.
• Communications and AI-Enabled Tools: Ability to support professional communications, internal platform posts, template guidance, technical summarization, budget analysis, dashboards, and reporting using AI-enabled tools responsibly.
• Collaboration and Organization: Ability to work cross-functionally with Finance, technical teams, vendors, and leadership while managing multiple priorities, deadlines, and recurring reporting cycles.

• Procurement and Budget Discipline: Manages procurement requests, vendor activity, invoices, renewals, budget tracking, forecasting support, and documentation with accuracy and consistency.

• Analytical Thinking: Analyzes spend trends, identifies budget variances, summarizes risks, prepares clear reports, develops budget visuals, and provides practical insights for leadership.

  AI-Enabled Work Practices: Uses AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve budget analysis, reporting efficiency, dashboard development, variance summaries, communications standards, and messaging support.

• Communication, Judgment, and Collaboration: Writes clearly, maintains confidentiality, manages details, solves problems proactively, and builds positive relationships with vendors, Finance, Digital leadership, requestors, and technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a technology, IT, digital services, architecture, engineering, or professional services environment.
• Experience with Jira Service Management, ServiceNow, internal communications platforms, budget forecasting, contract administration, vendor negotiations, spend analysis, renewal tracking, or AI-enabled reporting and communications tools.

Key Working Relationships:

• Digital Leadership: Provides procurement status, budget reports, spend analysis, renewal visibility, variance updates, dashboard support, forecasting input, and communications for review
• Finance & Accounts Payable: Partners on invoice processing, PO creation, budget reconciliation, payment cycles, coding accuracy, spend visibility, reporting, and forecast alignment.
• Asset & Licensing Specialist, Service Desk, Technical Teams, Vendors, and Requestors: Coordinates asset and licensing alignment, service messaging, quotes, orders, renewals, issue resolution, status updates, budget considerations, and vendor obligations.

Success Measures: 

• Procurement, Invoice, and Vendor Performance: Requests, orders, invoices, discrepancies, renewals, and vendor issues are handled accurately, promptly, and with clear status visibility.
• Budget Accuracy, Forecasting, and Analysis: Budget tracking is current; planned and projected spending, renewals, contracts, and vendor obligations are visible; variances, trends, risks, and forecast changes are clearly analyzed.
• AI-Enabled Reporting Quality: AI-enabled tools are used responsibly to improve analytics efficiency, budget visuals, spend trend identification, variance summaries, dashboards, and recurring reports.
• Communications and Stakeholder Satisfaction: Digital communications are clear, professional, consistent, and on-brand; stakeholders report positive experiences with procurement support, budget visibility, analytics outputs, and communications support.

The annual base pay range for this role dependent on location. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their skills, qualifications and experience, approximately $65,000-$80,000/year. 

This role requires the individual to be based in the United States. 

We believe that all NBBJ employees should love their work. This means not only loving what you do but having pride in your workplace. We strive to be that irresistible place to work by enhancing your employee experience with customized programs and comprehensive benefits. In addition to 100% covered employee healthcare costs and 401k contributions, we offer unique professional development opportunities, volunteer opportunities and access to leading technology and resources to further help you love your work and advance your career.

• NBBJ has been named three times by Fast Company as one of the most innovative architecture firms.
• Founded in 1943, our first office opened over 75 years ago in Seattle, Washington. We now have over 10 office locations around the globe.
• We are a transdisciplinary, cross-practice focused firm with a deep portfolio of Civic & Cultural, Commercial, Corporate, Healthcare, Higher Education, Science and Technology, Sports, and Urban Environment projects. We also have several areas of service expertise including: Architecture, Environmental Graphic Design, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Workplace Consulting and more.
• In the past decade, NBBJ has received more than 300 awards from leading global, national and regional award programs across the business, real estate and design communities.
• We work with 5 of the top global high-tech companies, 14 of the U.S. News and World Report Top Hospitals, and 4 of the top 10 highest-ranked learning institutions.
• Our clients include institutional leaders such as Cambridge University, Google, Samsung, Cleveland Clinic, Tencent, and Stanford University.