Senior Buyer

About the Role The Senior Buyer provides advanced operational purchasing support within the University's centralized purchasing shared services function. This role independently manages complex, higher‑risk, or compliance‑sensitive purchasing transactions across a broad range of goods and services, ensuring adherence to University policies, competitive bidding requirements, and applicable federal and state regulations. What You'll Do

• Independently manage complex operational purchasing transactions, including those involving higher dollar values, non‑standard terms, or heightened compliance considerations.
• Support purchasing activities related to research, grants, and sponsored programs by ensuring allowability, documentation, and compliance with University policies and applicable regulations.
• Apply sourcing best practices to operational purchases, including preparation of appropriate basis‑of‑award documentation and support for competitive purchasing below formal bid thresholds.
• Serve as a senior‑level resource to Buyers and Associate Buyers on complex purchasing scenarios, policy interpretation, and documentation standards.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing to ensure smooth handoffs for purchases that require formal sourcing events, exceptions, or advanced negotiation.
• Provide guidance and informal training to shared services staff on procurement fundamentals, including competitive purchasing requirements, supplier selection rationale, and purchase order creation.
• Review purchasing requests for completeness, compliance, and appropriateness of procurement method prior to execution.
• Support audit readiness by maintaining accurate, well‑documented purchasing records and advising on corrective actions when needed. What We're Looking For
• Experience managing complex purchasing transactions with higher dollar values and heightened compliance considerations.
• Knowledge of procurement policies, competitive bidding requirements, and regulatory considerations related to research, grants, and sponsored programs.
• Ability to provide guidance and training to staff and serve as a senior resource for sourcing decisions.
• Experience collaborating with Strategic Sourcing, Accounts Payable, and Audit/Compliance functions.
• Strong documentation and record-keeping skills to support audit readiness.
• Effective communication and problem‑solving abilities.