Purchasing agent Jobs in Cleveland, OH

Purchasing Analyst

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves approximately 37,000 students in 100+ schools. Over the past several years, the Greater Cleveland community has united behind the collective goal of ensuring every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The Cleveland Plan defines CMSD's approach to the reinvention of public education and holds our community accountable for the success of Cleveland's schoolchildren. The Cleveland Plan is supported by Ohio House Bill 525, which provides much-needed flexibility and autonomy for the district and its schools. Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing his or her school as a high-quality, high-expectations academic center with a focus on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results.

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has developed standards of excellence that the district applies to all parts of the organization inclusive of schools, principals, school leadership teams, networks, and central office. Alignment between Standards of Excellence (SoE) and the district's Theory of Action helps ensure that principals are able to focus on scholar achievement and that central office supports are timely and effective. Our Vision for Learning in a Post-Pandemic World: In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we want each of our learners, both each of our scholars and each of their educators, to be individually and collectively presented with academically / intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their productive struggle and allow them authentic opportunities to demonstrate their work and their learning of academic content and transferable skills in a joyful and adventurous environment.

The Purchasing Analyst is responsible for District-wide procurement for departments and schools with high-volume and more complex buying needs through strategic sourcing, direct purchases, cooperative contracts, and competitive solicitations, ultimately leading to better outcomes for our schools and scholars.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Administers, manages, and tracks District solicitation and evaluation processes to procure commodities and services on behalf of the District, including eRate eligible procurements in alignment with the District's eRate program, and prepares the resulting contract documents, including renewals, extensions, and modifications as necessary
• Works in collaboration with IT to procure technology hardware (devices) in support of the District's 1-1 strategy
• Ensures that the procurement processes for District acquisitions are responsible, effective, meet all legal requirements, and are defensible
• Writes simple, complex, and multi-step bid invitations, requests for proposals, requests for quotations, and requests for qualifications using critical thinking skills and maintaining alignment with purchasing strategies
• Develops appropriate evaluation tools and measurements to successfully evaluate, select, negotiate, and award contracts in collaboration with District staff
• Maintains confidential records, including sealed bids, proposals, and related negotiation documents and information, until contracts are fully awarded and executed
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to the Risk Management team, the Legal Department, and Suppliers for procurement administration to resolve problems, conflicts, and/or protests arising throughout the selection process
• Employs critical thinking skills and relies on professional experience and judgment to negotiate and execute daily tasks
• Conducts training for District Staff, Suppliers, and External Agencies, as necessary, about District procurement processes, policies, programs, and goals
• Creates market cost analysis, pricing strategies, and rating criteria, and ensures the creation and implementation of such analysis is fiscally and legally accurate following State, City, and Federal procurement laws, policies, and procedures
• Participates in efforts to enhance and improve business processes, including researching, implementing, and using electronic tools/e-Bidding to automate procurement procedures for efficiencies and cost savings
• Analyzes metrics, reports, and key performance indicators to determine efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with District goals
• Works primarily with departments and schools that have high volume and complex procurement needs
• Assists internal and external stakeholder with services and technology purchases and follows orders to completion.
• Exercises a high degree of independence and work that involves recommendation, analysis, and interpretation of federal regulations, state statutes, and District policies and procedures in the execution of solicitation and business contract terms and conditions.
• Maintains accurate and complete records of ongoing and closed solicitation projects and responds to public records requests as necessary
• Implements and directs District and/or Board of Education policies and procedures
• Works to attract diverse and responsive suppliers and cooperative contract suppliers to do business on behalf of the District and maintains ongoing professional relationships with District suppliers
• Independently researches and actively identifies Cooperative Contract opportunities and provides support and guidance to District staff and related suppliers for Cooperative Contract purchases
• Supports training to end-users/stakeholders of District Purchasing policies/procedures and the District's Enterprise Resource Planning system (Workday)
• Assist with general procurement daily processing, as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree preferred, ideally in Public Administration, Project Management, Finance, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Legal Studies, Information Technology, or related field
• 2 -3 years of procurement experience required. Lesser experience will be considered in combination with education and direct public procurement experience
• CPPB or related certification preferred, or the ability to obtain certification within 24 months of being hired
• Skills using e-procurement and ERP systems
• Ability to analyze complex issues, focus on researching relevant information, and provide an accurate assessment
• Knowledge of business operations similar to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in terms of the type of work, nature of contracts, and culture
• Ability to serve as an individual contributor whose work requires regular exercise of discretion and independent judgment
• Ability to apply appropriate discretion and recognize the importance of risk-based assessments
• Ability to retain and maintain confidential records and information, and to hold such information confidential
• Able to plan ahead and drive toward a highly organized and systematic approach
• Possess negotiation, project management, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• Proven experience working collaboratively in a team-oriented environment
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to assert oneself to managers and executive leadership as necessary
• A personal sense of accountability around the ultimate success of CMSD transformation
• Understanding of how to effectively work with peers, District departmental teams, school leaders, and external partners
• Successful in overcoming significant barriers to meet goals in a fast-paced and changeable environment
• Able to critically assess challenges and identify flexible, effective solutions
• Ability to perform multifaceted tasks with minimum supervision
• Able to travel to school sites, off-site administration sites, and occasional conferences as necessary
• Valid Ohio driver's license

Working Conditions/Physical Demands

The characteristics listed below are representative of the work environment typically encountered by an individual while performing the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Expected moving, walking, and standing consistent with a school/office environment, and occasionally lifting up to 15 pounds
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms
• The employee is frequently required to talk and/or hear.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to a normal school environment.
• Local travel may be required for training/meetings.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and application using Workday, our online human capital management system. Please note that an offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of an FBI/BCI background check and drug screen.

EEO Statement

We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among