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Location

East Lansing, MI | United States

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Job description

Working/Functional Title

Exec. Director of Procurement and Payment Systems

Position Summary

University Procurement and Logistics (UPL) provides end-to-end supply chain operations through its team of innovative, collaborative, and engaged supply chain experts committed to making a difference in the world through effective supply chain solutions. Under the direction of the Associate Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer (AVP/CPO), the Executive Director of Procurement and Payment Systems (PPS) leads four departments:  IT Procurement, Core Procurement, Strategic Procurement, and Payment Systems.  

The Executive Director of PPS serves on the UPL leadership team and is responsible for managing long-range PPS planning including strategy, budgets, and resource planning. The Executive Director of PPS plans, initiates and runs projections for potential improvement projects (new systems, new network/logistic design, etc.) and provides stakeholders with the spend opportunity landscape in their unit of the university (e.g., Athletics, Chemistry). 

The role also oversees the development and continuous improvement of Quality Management Systems, which currently includes over 400 Standard Operating Procedures unit-wide, to guide procurement and payment system work in a highly audited area of MSU.  Compliance with federal, state and other regulatory requirements is required.

Overview of PPS departments:

Within UPL, PPS teams work together in a collaborative environment of active brainstorming, authentic feedback, and data-guided decision modeling with a continuous improvement mindset.  PPS has a combined 32 staff members who work with other UPL units to provide end-to-end supply chain solutions, focusing on customer service to enable important MSU research and academic missions.

• Procurement has an approximate annual spend of $350+ million for scientific, health, maintenance/repair, office products, information technology, custodial, research, agricultural commodities, and vehicles, etc.  
• Payment Systems includes both Accounts Payable and PCard administration.
  • Accounts Payable (AP) enables MSU to be a good partner to our supply base by ensuring suppliers are paid in a timely manner by writing checks and handling ACH transfers and other payment mechanisms. The AP department has over 58,304 annual transactions.  
  • PCard allows for direct procurement of low-dollar purchases with a university credit card. Annual activity includes approximately 3,000 active cards and 173,989 transactions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy:

• Leads strategic planning and goal setting for PP so that strategies, plans and goals ensure effective performance, financial and legal compliance, and technical innovation
• Supports stakeholders with their procurement strategies and needs in a timely manner by supplying subject matter expertise and promptly responding to questions with discretion and tact
• Contributes to unit-wide and institutional goals, initiatives, and strategic imperatives by serving as a resource to supply chain fulfillment professionals for strategic procurement issues
• Serves as campus-wide subject matter expert on procurement in support of the AVP/CPO

Leadership:

• Models excellent relationships with staff, suppliers, contractors, the campus community, and external professional associates to achieve organizational objectives 
• Manages and actively collaborates with supervisory staff who are responsible for the daily activities of the five specialized departments and a vendor management team
• Coaches and mentors supervisory staff on departmental budgets and on leadership/management techniques to maximize employee engagement  
• Fosters an environment that supports diversity, inclusion, initiative, innovation, service excellence, and sustainability

Operations:

• Pursues solutions to complex business needs in the university community in accordance with all regulatory policies and procedures, and communicates with tact and discretion 
• Manages the approved PPS annual budget, monitors fiscal soundness and cost-effectiveness; and manages the department allocation and adjustments throughout the year
• Has individual procurement authority up to $2 million 
• Develops and implements efficient operational processes focused on legal compliance; leads the development of PPS SOPs
• Guides professional staff in managing complex bidding and negotiating strategies; identifies and implements best practices
• Participates in university-wide committees related to procurement planning and conducts process benchmarking with peers, including other Big Ten universities 
• Oversees initiatives including compliance monitoring and necessary escalations
• Aligns data scraping and machine learning algorithms with Supply Chain Analytics to look for instances of non-compliance or process violations for any procurement method

Key Performance Indicator Metrics:

• Develops, documents, and implements PPS performance systems and metrics optimized for compliance and programmatic needs
• Increases cost savings and cost increase avoidance through strategic contract negotiations
• Expands competitive bidding opportunities for local and small business spend to achieve MSU’s annual goal of 50% domestic spend occurring in Michigan
• Oversees the maintenance and development of Quality Management System and PPL policies and processes
• Enhances current intelligence dashboards and data analytics which speak to procurement and payment timing and efficiencies
• Builds clear transparency of process steps with stakeholders

Compliance:

• Ensures PPS compliance with federal and state regulations, including Federal Regulations under 2 CFR 200, the Sherman Act, State of Michigan procurement regulations, conflict of interest rules, and constitutional prohibitions in public contracting (Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article I § 26)
• Closely interacts with other university units, including the Office of General Counsel, Risk Management, Contract and Grant Administration, Research and Innovation, Environmental Health and Safety, and others, to access and improve risk and compliance profile
• Collaborates with the Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance for internal audits as well as all external auditing agencies for systematic solutions

Communication:

• Communicates with stakeholders on procurement-related issues, trains university units on procurement specifics, and serves as a spokesperson for Business Partner Scorecards alongside the AVP/CPO 
• Conducts smooth and effective swim lane handoffs during procurement processes to other organizations such as Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), Contracts and Grant Administration (CGA), MSU IT, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Risk Management, and the Office of General Counsel (OGC)
• Communicates effectively and transparently with university administrators, staff, stakeholders to gather information, provide insight, and resolve issues
• Uses 8 Discipline (8D) problem-solving method to identify, correct, and eliminate problems and solve opportunities

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Bachelors -Supply Chain Management, Business, Law,

Desired Degree

Masters -Law, Business Administration, and/or Eng

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in procurement
• Comprehensive knowledge of and experience with procurement and payment system policies, procedures, practices, productivity tools, data analytics, and risk management
• Solution-oriented mindset to enable outstanding customer service in a highly audited, compliance-centric environment
• Knowledge of expected future direction of supply chain management 
• Experience in advancing and achieving an organization’s mission and strategic plan
• Experience leading a professional team addressing complex and wide-ranging issues—including managing, mentoring, motivating, and retaining staff
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to build trust with a broad range of stakeholders, exemplary listening skills, and the ability to critically analyze, challenge, and diplomatically push back when appropriate
• Superior written and oral communication skills:
  • Ability to understand and translate information for a wide range of audiences
  • Experience writing, revising and implementing policies and procedures
• Demonstrated:
  • personal integrity;
  • sound judgement and decision making with an ethical mindset;
  • ability to work well under pressure; 
  • work ethic coupled with a high degree of initiative
• Demonstrated skill in operational efficiency and the best use of resources, including a strong understanding of budgets and the ability to manage them
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and the ability to build relationships, and interact positively with a culturally diverse population of students, faculty, staff, and community members
• Appreciation for the mission and history of MSU, and the ability to articulate its unique role in the state of Michigan and the nation

Desired Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Law, Business Administration and/or Engineering
• Ability to implement change management programs in a complex institutional environment
• Demonstrated commitment to accepting feedback, continuous learning, and performance improvement

Required Application Materials

• Resume
• cover letter

Review of Applications Begins On

02/05/2024

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Website

upl.msu.edu

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

Connections working at Michigan State University

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