Colorado School of Mines · 5 hours ago
Director of Procurement and Payment Services
Colorado
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$135K/yr - $145K/yr
7+ years expColorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering. They are seeking a Director of Procurement and Payment Services to provide strategic leadership in the procurement, contracting, accounts payable, and expense management teams, ensuring compliance with regulations and institutional policies.
EducationInformation Technology
No H1B
Responsibilities
Develop and implement a strategic roadmap for PPS that transitions the department from a transactional function to a value-added strategic partner. This includes, but is not limited to:
Ensure advantageous payment terms (e.g., net 30)
Ensure optimal payment mechanisms (e.g., check, ACH, wire, virtual cards) and analyze rebate opportunities
Lead strategic vendor management, including the development of preferred and pre-vetted vendor programs
Ensure contractual terms and conditions are consistently advantageous to Mines, with a thoughtful balance of risk and benefit
Develop strategies and partnerships (e.g., with state agencies and other higher education institutions) to leverage collective purchasing power for the benefit of Mines
Drive digital transformation by identifying and implementing emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven invoice processing, automated workflows) to reduce cycle times and manual errors
Serve as the primary advisor to executive leadership and campus departments on complex payment workflows, regulatory compliance, and travel policies
Lead change management initiatives to drive organization-wide adoption of new procurement tools, policies, and best practices
Lead the drafting, update, and interpret school policies related to purchasing, travel, and disbursements. Audit existing purchasing, travel, and payment policies to ensure they are clear, accessible, and minimize the administrative burden on faculty and staff
Lead the development and delivery of comprehensive campus-wide training programs to educate faculty and staff on procurement and AP workflows and compliance requirements
Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external audits
Monitor internal controls to prevent duplicate payments, fraud, and unauthorized expenditures
Stay current on state-mandated travel regulations and ensure all faculty/staff reimbursements meet IRS "accountable plan" requirements
Develop and maintain a highly skilled and engaged team through managing the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities of the PPS teams: the Procurement/Purchasing Office and the Accounts Payable & Travel Office fostering a service-oriented team environment
Develop and maintain an inclusive and respectful work environment with a team capable of working through new challenges, responsive to ad hoc requests, able to meet important deadlines, and is highly accountable for accuracy in their work product
Ensure high quality, elite customer advising services to the campus community and implement service metrics and feedback reporting
Ensure performance plans include role-based professional development goals to drive exceptional quality work products
Develop performance-based metrics and ensure robust feedback loops between supervisors and employees are regularly utilized and documented
Foster a culture of professional development and continuous improvement within the staff. Shift the department’s perception from a "bottleneck" to a "solution provider" by streamlining support and user-facing resources
Ensure the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all PPS functions
Oversee all institutional purchasing activities, including formal bidding processes (RFPs, RFQs), contract negotiations, and vendor relationship management
Cultivate strategic vendor partnerships to ensure long-term value, ethical sourcing, and risk mitigation across the organizational supply chain
Ensure all procurement activities adhere to school policies and federal and state regulations, including diversity of spend goals (MWBE) and sustainability initiatives
Oversee the lifecycle management of institutional contracts, to mitigate risk and ensure favorable terms. Contracts include funded procurement and expense contracts, construction contracts, fee for service revenue contracts, revenue/expense neutral contracts, donation agreements, and facility and land use agreements
Direct the Accounts Payable functions to ensure timely and accurate payments to vendors. Ensure the daily activities of the AP and Travel staff, including invoice processing, payment runs (check, ACH, wire), and travel voucher audit function
Oversee the Travel Reimbursement program, ensuring faculty and staff travel is processed according to school policies and federal and state guidelines
Manage the Expense Card (P-Card) program, including issuance, auditing, and fraud prevention protocols
Ensure all disbursements are made in accordance with institutional policy and state/federal tax laws (including 1099 reporting)
Act as the final point of escalation for complex payment discrepancies or vendor disputes
Coordinate with other finance offices such, General Accounting, Budget, Payroll, Bursar, as necessary to ensure appropriate fiscal year end entries (accruals and deferrals), appropriate accounting of payments and management of cash advances
Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and data-driven reporting to measure departmental performance and impact on campus impact initiatives. Responsible for all data reporting out of PPS including operational reporting or strategic reporting to school leadership
Collaborate with Finance and IT to ensure seamless integration between procurement systems and the broader Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment. Management of the PPS related software systems or ERP modules. Monitoring upcoming releases and managing the implementation of any future systems
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, or a related field
Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in procurement and contracting, or financial operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership/supervisory role
Exceptional analytical and communication skills
Ability to advance the university's strategic procurement goals while delivering compliant, efficient, and customer-focused solutions
Demonstrated ability to drive change within a large, complex organization while maintaining high service standards and meeting strict reporting deadlines
Proactive, collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively across diverse groups to resolve complex and unique challenges
Preferred
Master's degree (Juris Doctorate, Certified Public Accountant, Masters Business Administration or Master's Public Administration)
Professional certifications such as Certified Public Procurement Officer, Certified Professional Public Buyer, or Certified Public Manager
Experience with e-procurement platforms
Experience implementing 'P2P' (Procure-to-Pay) technologies
Benefits
Flexible health and dental care options
Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
Free RTD Ecopass
Company
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public teaching and research university in Golden, Colorado.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$19.92MKey Investors
US Department of EnergyNational Nuclear Security AdministrationNational Institute of Standards and Technology
2024-09-17Grant· $1.5M
2024-03-13Grant· $3M
2023-05-19Grant
Leadership Team
Shannon Tyler
Mines Biomechanics Club Co-Founder and Secretary
Kirsten Volpi
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Recent News
Business Standard India
2025-12-26
Colorado School of Mines
2025-11-12
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