Purchasing Department Assistant Jobs in Connecticut

Western Connecticut State University is pleased to announce applications are being accepted for part-time, 19 hours per week Purchasing University Assistant position in our Administrative Services department.
Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) is committed to enhancing our diverse university community by actively encouraging people with disabilities, members of LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities, veterans, and women to apply. We take pride in our pluralistic community and continue to seek excellence through diversity and inclusion. WCSU is honored to be awarded the federal designation as a Hispanic Servicing Institution (HSI). This accomplishment marks a pivotal moment in our progress toward fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within our campus community.
The mission of Western Connecticut State University's Purchasing Office is to assist the University community in the procurement of goods and services. It is our goal to conduct all activities in the best interest of the University, provide procurement services in accordance with sound business and procurement practices, and comply with guidelines established by State of Connecticut and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. Our goal is to procure goods and services to accommodate University needs in a timely and economical manner. Information on the Purchasing Office can be found at: https://www.wcsu.edu/purchasing/ Information on the University may be found at www.wcsu.edu.
Position Summary:
The University Assistant provides purchasing office support to the Purchasing Office by assisting with vendor records, purchasing documentation, purchase order status inquiries, records retention, purchasing card support, spend research, and general customer service. The position supports the efficient operation of the office by maintaining organized records, tracking routine purchasing activity, preparing reports, and helping departments and vendors obtain procedural information.
This position is support in nature and does not have authority to approve purchases, issue purchase orders, select vendors, negotiate terms, approve requisitions, approve purchasing card transactions, determine allowability, or commit university funds. The position may research, compile, organize, and communicate routine status information, but may not approve purchases, authorize vendors, determine procurement method, evaluate bids or proposals, negotiate pricing or terms, approve purchasing card transactions, issue purchase orders, or make commitments on behalf of the university.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The University Assistant may perform the following duties:

• Assist with creating, updating, and maintaining vendor profile information, including vendor contact information, tax forms, insurance certificates, diversity documentation, and other required supplier records.
• Review vendor and departmental submissions for completeness and route materials to appropriate Purchasing Office staff for review or action.
• Maintain electronic and physical purchasing files in accordance with university records retention requirements, including scanning, uploading, indexing, naming, organizing, and archiving documents.
• Respond to routine inquiries from departments, vendors, and university stakeholders regarding purchasing procedures, required forms, document status, vendor information, purchase order status, and general office processes.
• Check and communicate routine status information related to requisitions, purchase orders, change orders, vendor setups, contract documents, purchasing card records, and pending requests.
• Monitor shared purchasing inboxes, maintain inquiry logs, track open items, and route policy questions, exceptions, compliance concerns, or procurement decision matters to authorized purchasing staff.
• Assist with researching and compiling spend and category information across university purchasing card activity, purchase orders, vendor records, and related systems.
• Prepare routine reports, spreadsheets, summaries, and tracking documents related to purchasing card activity, vendor usage, recurring purchases, departmental spend, open purchase orders, expiring contracts, and missing documentation.
• Support purchasing card coordination by tracking receipts, acknowledgments, user lists, training records, reconciliation status, and documentation needed for audit or compliance review.
• Assist with contract and renewal tracking by maintaining logs of expiration dates, insurance certificate dates, amendment status, renewal deadlines, and recurring service or subscription information.
• Prepare draft responses, status updates, and summaries for review by Purchasing Office staff.
• Assist with fiscal year-end preparation, recurring purchase tracking, file cleanup, audit support, and other purchasing office projects as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
The position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, customer service skills, and the ability to maintain accurate records. The University Assistant should be comfortable using email, spreadsheets, shared drives, document management systems, and university systems. The position also requires the ability to communicate professionally with faculty, staff, vendors, and other stakeholders while appropriately routing purchasing decisions to authorized personnel.
Required Qualifications:

• Associate's degree or higher in Business Administration, Accounting, Public Administration, Office Technology, or a related field. (Drop to HS Diploma if wanting a larger pool of applicants)
• Two (2) years of administrative, clerical, office support, accounting support, procurement support, records management, customer service, or related experience; or an equivalent combination of college education and experience.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain accurate records and organize electronic and paper files.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and maintain confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Business Administration, Accounting, Public Administration, Office Technology, or a related field.
• Experience supporting purchasing, procurement, accounts payable, finance, contract administration, records management, or compliance functions.
• Experience working in a college, university, government, or other public-sector environment.
• Experience with Banner, Jaggaer, Core-CT, or other enterprise resource planning software.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including sorting, filtering, basic formulas, and report generation.
• Experience maintaining vendor records, purchasing card documentation, contract files, or audit records.
• Familiarity with customer service practices and responding to inquiries from multiple stakeholders.

Work Hours, Salary & Benefits: 19 hours per week. The salary is $25.00 per hour. Additional information on part-time benefits can be found at www.wcsu.edu/hr/benefits/. Please note there are no paid benefits for this position. All employment, if offered, is contingent upon proof of citizenship or employability under the requirement of the Immigration and Control Act (IRCA) and the successful passing of a background check. WSCU is committed to providing a safe campus community. Background investigations include reference checks, employment verifications, and a criminal history record check.
As WCSU is a dynamic, diverse workplace, the proven ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures is highly valued.
Application Process: Prospective candidates must submit a cover letter, which includes the contact information for (3) current professional references and a resume. Questions may be directed to [email protected] - please reference Purchasing - University Assistant in subject line.
To apply, submit your materials to: https://westernconnecticutstateuniversity.applytojob.com/apply/yDPFLf4rCj/Purchasing-University-Assistant
Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled.
Western is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Educator/Employer