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Northeastern University · 1 month ago

Purchasing Specialist

Boston, MA

Full-time

Hybrid

Entry, Mid Level

$23/hr - $31/hr

Northeastern University is seeking a Purchasing Specialist to serve as the main point person and subject matter expert on the procure-to-pay and contract processes for research in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The role involves managing research purchases, ensuring compliance with funding sources, and improving procurement workflows.

Education

Growth Opportunities

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

The Purchasing Specialist will be responsible for managing the process, facilitating, and executing research purchases with a high level of accuracy and customer service. They will partner with the post-award team to ensure purchases are compliant with the proposed funding source and create documentation to capture existing and new workflows, provide reports and statistics as directed, and perform other duties as required. This person will be trained in grant compliance and be able to problem solve within grant regulations. Use Workday Finance; IntelliBUY+ for supplier management, contract submissions, and catalog purchasing; and Concur

The Purchasing Specialist will manage the PO and contract process for research items from beginning to end. Serve as liaison between OGC and faculty, tracking and filing all contracts in an organized and timely manner. Be the expert on the contract and payment processes along with proactively managing contract and payment processes. Negotiate directly with vendors to answer questions, problem solve, set expectations, request and organize required documentation, etc. Educate department faculty, staff colleagues and vendors on our processes and timelines and communicate regularly throughout the process to maintain strong working relationships between the university and external vendors. Continuously aim to improve existing processes to shorten processing timelines and increase overall efficiency

Work with university, college and department staff and faculty on purchasing projects, including business process improvements, workflow documentation, and development of department specific training materials. Seek improvements to optimize procurement workflow and best practices. Continue to research initiatives for cost reduction. Performs other miscellaneous tasks as assigned

Qualification

Procure-to-pay processContract managementGrant complianceAnalytical skillsCustomer serviceDesktop software skillsMultitaskingProcess-orientedInterpersonal skillsOrganizational skillsConfidentialityTeamwork

Required

Associate's degree required

Excellent organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills

Aptitude for accuracy and detailed work is essential

Ability to prioritize work and multitask with ease and efficiency

Must be process-oriented and have the ability to work both independently and in a team environment

Successful candidates must stay current with all new and existing regulatory requirements and institutional policies/procedures and keep faculty PIs and department leadership informed of changes

Must have the aptitude for treating sensitive information related to salaries in a confidential and professional manner

High level of customer service and boutique support

Desktop software application skills required for the following: web browsers, Adobe, Microsoft Teams, Excel, and Outlook

Preferred

Bachelor's degree preferred

Experience working with Smartsheet and Airtable desired

Company

Northeastern University

Glassdoor4.3

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university with a distinctive, experience-driven approach to education and discovery.

Founded in 1898

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

5001-10000 employees

https://www.northeastern.edu/cri/

H1B Sponsorship

Northeastern University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (131)

2024 (112)

2023 (104)

2022 (100)

2021 (85)

2020 (111)