Business Associate

Primary Work Location :

50 Washington Street, Westborough, MA. Hybrid work schedule.

Job Summary :

Reporting to the Director, Service and Quality, the Business Associate provides business, administrative, operations, and customer service support.

This position will coordinate requests from University departments / unit, vendors and partners, and will identify, interpret, research and resolve issues to ensure smooth operation and customer satisfaction in compliance with all applicable University policies, processes and procedures.

The Associate will assist departments / units on proper completion of procurement, accounts payable, contracts, sourcing, payroll, and procurement technology transactions, procedures, and available self-service tools.

This position is the primary hiring path into the UPST, built around a 2-3 year rotational program where candidates will hone their overall business skills.

Essential Functions :

• Provide phone, email, and online customer support to internal and external procurement, accounts payable, contracts, sourcing, payroll, and procurement technology
• Work closely with the UPST Leadership and process owners in driving their strategic improvement initiatives with regards to impact on end-users
• Work closely with the Director of Service and Quality and other team members to develop and implement customer engagement and satisfaction strategies
• Research issues needing resolution and develop solutions that comply with all applicable UPST processes, procedures, and policies
• Recognize pre-determined triggers for escalation as well as the ability to search the knowledge base and provide clear directions based on defined solutions
• Escalate issues of a more complex nature to functional team members and process owners as needed
• Document all reported issues and proposed resolutions according to established standard operating procedures
• Develop and update specific departmental job aids, scripts, and processes as needed
• Develop and maintain knowledge base from content acquired from frequent customer / stakeholder interactions
• Attend required training to ensure the knowledge base of processes and procedures remains current and up-to-date
• Develop and maintain relationships with partner departments within UMass campuses and President's Office to drive stronger relationship
• Support project management activities for the Service and Quality Team
• Participate in end-user training on proper purchasing, payments, contracting, sourcing, supplier management, and payroll processes and tool usage
• Build competencies across the procurement platform to potentially be elevated into other roles that serve Operations, Training and Comms, Strategic Sourcing functions

Other Functions :

Perform other duties as may be assigned

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience) :

• Associates degree in Business or a closely related field or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 1-3 years of work experience in a business, relationship management, and customer service environment
• Able to coordinate multi-task effectively across various communication channels
• Strong communication (oral & written), interpersonal and leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience) :

• Bachelor's degree in Business or a closely related field
• Knowledge of software such as Salesforce, Windows and Microsoft products : Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint or equivalent;
• Internet navigation skills and the proven ability to quickly learn new systems

Working Conditions :

• Typical office environment
• Must be able to travel occasionally to all UMass campuses and the Boston central office

Additional Details :

Salary commensurate with experience up to $50,000.