POSITION OBJECTIVE
Working under limited supervision and a high degree of independence, the Lead Procurement Manager will be the point person overseeing handling oversight of Support Services in the absence of the Director and as a trainer and reference source for e purchasing, travel and T&E function for multiple clinical and basic science departments within the School of Medicine Administrative Research Operations team. In addition, the Lead Procurement Manager will act as a Safety Officer, coordinating new employee safety training and tracking retraining as needed. The manager will work as part of an administrative team to assure that projects are not over expended and that expenses are assigned to the correct projects for compliance with federal regulations as outlined in A-21 and A-110.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Provide strategic input, consultation, and advice to the Director of Support Services Hub regarding policies, practices, and procedures as they relate to the school procurement and PCard activities. Develop strategies in partnership with the Director to help ensure team members can best accomplish department expectations. Listen to team members’ feedback and resolve any issues or conflicts. Discover training needs and provide coaching, manage onboarding of new staff. (15%) Oversee the management of Support Service Hub requests, ensuring efficient resolution is provided to customers. Assign tasks as needed to team members. Determine the completion timeline and monitor progress to keep the project on track and on schedule, addressing any delinquent timelines. Communicate clear guidelines and instructions to team members. Manage the flow of day-to-day operations. Conduct compliant audits for Support Service Team efforts and analyze results to address trends and deficiencies. Create and distribute reports to update the Director on the Support Service Hub team’s progress. Triage and manage escalated issues and customer complaints. Organize team and functional coverage as needed. (10%) Serve as subject matter expect for the Support Services Hub team on university policies and procedures as they pertain to procurement, answering escalated and complex questions and advising team members and campus partners on appropriate interpretations of policies and how to navigate multi-layered situations. Approve SmartCart orders submitted by window shoppers while assuring research budgets are in place to support the purchases. Order research supplies as directed by principal investigators or their delegates deciding the best mechanism for ordering and payment. Manage a high purchase limit Pcard. Order supplies using the Pcard when appropriate. Assign correct speedtypes and accounts when Pcard charges are posted. Monitor expenses for correct billing amounts. Purchase supplies and computers using the preferred vendor on-line ordering system where available. Coordinate shipping to the departments including FedEx, UPS and US mail. Return supplies as needed. Manage and process Gift-Card Requests and Zelle payments. Manage Wire Transfers, Independent Contract execution, N-Award, Metro Salary Invoices, vendor invoices. (25%) Pcard manager for principal investigators, lab managers and supervisory resource for Administrative Research Office. Assign speedtypes to lab manager’s Pcard statements to keep correcting journals to a minimum. Work closely with office research hub directors to contact lab managers to update Pcard statements before month end close to assure Pcard charges do not hit the operating speedtypes unnecessarily. Prepare journals to reassign speedtypes when needed. Perform Pcard and Dcard reconciliation for school departments as needed. Conduct internal audits in monitoring and reviewing all credit card purchases for compliance in adherence to procurement policies, notifying cardholders when non-compliant transactions are made. (10%) Serve as Petty Cash supervisor and oversee compliance to university policy. Oversight and supervisor for $12,000 Petty Cash account for the benefit of clinical trials study participants covering 25 different accounts. Oversee disbursements, management, of all receipts which needs to be refunded to the account related to clinical trials study participants. Independently oversee all petty cash account audits—ensure all accurate documentation is reconciled in terms of money in process, in box, and receipts. Conduct projection and analysis of ongoing cash needs to anticipate ensure appropriate cash is on hand. Maintain a transaction tracking spreadsheet and analyze for errors, variances, etc. Report daily receipt and deposit transactions to Corporate Cash Management to support reconciliation activities for the Concentration Account. Accurately maintain an environment of strong internal controls over cash and checks processed in order to balance and account for all funds at the end of each transaction. Serve as a resource to departments on cash/check handling and internal control matters. Manage various disbursements of cash including petty cash reimbursements, and cash advanced to authorized departments for research subject cash payments. Report any negative trends or observations related to these advances to management. (10%) Set up purchase orders for repetitive purchases or service contracts and sub-contract PO creation. Track end dates and set up continuation purchase orders as needed. Track encumbrances on expense statements, watching they are reduced or removed when appropriate and cleared when projects are ended. Work with head office for Events & Catering, maintaining compliance with university partners. Serve as liaison between Office of Graduate Students and Office of the Vice Dean of Medical Education in the school regarding compliance requirements related to students and alcohol served at events. Serve as liaison between vendor and legal for contract review on deadline. (5%) Track demurrage by placing orders and keeping paperwork with the tank numbers when tanks are delivered and returned to vendor. Ensure tank charges are removed from accounts when research is complete. Walk through research labs monthly to assure tanks are accounted for correctly. Advise faculty in obtaining multiple bids for major equipment purchases. Complete all necessary forms for equipment purchase including sole source when needed. Make arrangements for major equipment deliveries and setup. As needed, collaborate with manufacturers for quotes on major equipment, software, and computers, to ensure that requisitions are approved and PO’s obtained in a timely fashion. Ensure that all purchases are allowable from the funding source and that adequate funds are available for large purchases as directed by the director. (10%) Coordinate with university Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety regarding issues related to new employee safety training and space. Track retraining as needed. Maintain files and post information pertaining to safety and the handling of research materials. Alert the business manager and/or the chair of any potential violations in safety protocols. Assist shared resource director with space and equipment inventories. (6%) Key contact for all matters related to travel and the university’s travel policy and serve as primary advisor providing critical guidance on travel and expenses policy and compliance for end users. Maintain knowledge of all training opportunities and ensure all personnel have obtained required training and approvals to access the T&E system. Execute all travel arrangements from Administrative Research Office supported departments, reviewing the request for policy compliance and ensure T&E regulations are adhered to. Manage payment requests including travel and non-travel reimbursements for non-university employees and students. Manage expense reports including travel and non-travel reimbursements for university employees and students. Process tuition payment invoices through journaling. (6%)
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Cross train with administrative team for peak proposal periods and vacation schedules. (1%) Lead the team in the absence of the director. Handle questions, reference, training and guidance on day-to-day team requirements. Maintain a strong grasp of all the roles within the Support Services environment and be called upon to address complicated and demanding requests with which junior managers require assistance. Must be a dedicated backup for the director. (1%) Perform additional duties as assigned. (1%)
CONTACTS
Department: Daily contact with faculty and research personnel in assigned departments, the SOM Office of Finance and Planning, all administrative office and SOM administrators as well as other clinical administrative team members.
University: Daily to weekly contact with school Facilities Office, central Procurement, university movers, and Environmental Health Services. Some contact with other people in central administrative departments when cross coverage due to absences.
External: Daily contact with University Hospitals and other affiliate hospital physicians, administrators, and research personnel. Daily contact with vendors and delivery personnel.
Students: Regular contact with graduate students and student employees.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
No supervisory responsibility.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience: 7 or more years related work experience and High school education or Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of related experience. Experience in a university or non-profit setting preferred.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Knowledge of university policies and procedures preferred. Professional and effective oral and written communication skills; and good interpersonal skills with the ability to work and communicate with various individuals within and external to the university. Must demonstrate good presentation skills and the ability to articulately and accurately relay information to others in a formal and informal setting. Strong organization skills; ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines. Must demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy, time management skills, and follow-through. Effective interpersonal skills; ability to work with, and elicit cooperation from team members and staff. Ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively within a team. Must be highly motivated, responsible, dependable and a self-starter. Effective problem-solving skills; must demonstrate excellent analytical skills, sound judgment, good decision-making and creativity. Must demonstrate innovation and the ability to develop new ideas, procedures and systems in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Must be willing to share best practices with other team members and the SOM staff at large. Must demonstrate flexibility and ability to work under pressure; must be able and willing to conform to shifting priorities, demands, multiple interruptions and timeline. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, database applications, and with internet navigation. Experience with PeopleSoft and/or Oracle a plus. Must demonstrate willingness to learn new concepts, procedures, processes, and computer programs as needed. Have a full understanding of federal regulations for procurement as outlined in A-21 and A-110. Must be customer service oriented and professional.
WORKING CONDITIONS
General office environment for the majority of the workweek. Will walk through research laboratories that will have various research modalities weekly.