Senior Purchasing Agent

Position Summary

This role is responsible for purchasing a variety of high risk or complex commodities requiring extensive knowledge and expertise. The Senior Purchasing Agent negotiates and executes complex, large-dollar purchases.

Position duties include:

• Collaborates with university stakeholders and subject matter experts to obtain the best value on high risk or complex commodities in support of world-class research and education at Michigan State University.
• Demonstrates honesty and integrity to serve the mission of MSU and add value to the procurement process while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and university policies, laws, and regulations.
• Participates in a team of procurement professionals who provide the MSU community expertise and financial stewardship while maintaining high-level performance on individual work assignments.
• Uses procurement expertise and technical knowledge to evaluate purchase requisitions for appropriateness, content, compliance, and clarity.
• Manages the procurement process by writing, issuing, and soliciting requests for information, proposals, and/or quotations (RFIs, RFPs, and/or RFQs). Assembles stakeholder specifications for complex, unique, and large-scale purchases, determines suppliers to be solicited, evaluates proposals, and prepares bid analyses.
• Sources suppliers by selecting the appropriate procurement methodology (such as strategic contracts, bid solicitations, sole source) in alignment with Procurement department and university business policies and procedures.
• Communicates frequently and effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and suppliers to ensure supporting document needs are met, requirements are clear, and positive relationships are fostered.
• Employs broad procurement expertise and analytical skills to manage supplier relationships and assess supplier performance using measurement tools and decision modeling practices.
• Demonstrates strong negotiation skills, including strategy development, while partnering with MSU legal and risk management offices to negotiate supplier contracts and agreements.
• Provides compliance management and risk mitigation measures when assessing suppliers, including collaboration on policy development.
• Upholds a mentality of stewardship, sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion as these are integral themes of the MSU Strategic Plan.
• Partners with the Accounts Payable department to resolve invoice discrepancies in order to preserve positive supplier and stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrates flexibility by covering other commodities and duties as needed to provide the highest level of service to university stakeholders.
• Demonstrates superior customer service and professional communications to internal and external partners, both written and verbal, as this is core to our Michigan State University service mission.
• Participates in and/or leads large, complex projects including process improvement initiatives to best serve the university community.
• Supports the procurement team using extensive knowledge and experience and serves as a resource and mentor to colleagues.
• Drafts policy and procedure development.
• Other duties as assigned.

This position is "remote-friendly", with the expectation of on-campus presence periodically. This is typically referred to as "Hybrid", with the flexibility of regular remote work mixed with in-office work as mutually agreed upon with the supervisor.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Business Administration with relevant coursework in marketing, business law, finance, public relations and computer science; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in sales, purchasing/buying and accounting; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated sound procurement negotiations and contract management skills, using ethical and regulatory-based decision-making in high-pressure situations.
• Effective interpersonal skills to facilitate and resolve situations with differing objectives.
• An advanced degree in supply chain management, business, STEM, or law field.
• Demonstrated knowledge in supply chain compliance, risk management, and import/export regulations.

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 Application Materials

Resume, cover letter, and three professional references.

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Website

https://upl.msu.edu/

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.

Bidding eligibility ends August 19, 2025, 11:55 PM