Strategic Purchasing Manager Jobs in East Rutherford, NJ

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Job:

Strategic Sourcing ManagerThe Strategic Sourcing Manager is responsible for leading the College's sourcing, vendor management, and procurement optimization activities to strengthen financial stewardship, improve operational efficiency, and reduce institutional costs. Reporting to the Associate Controller, Operations, this role provides strategic leadership for procurement initiatives and is responsible for implementing best practices in vendor negotiation, strategic sourcing, procurement operations, and purchasing process design.
The Strategic Sourcing Manager partners closely with Finance leadership, Information Technology, Human Resources, and administrative and academic departments to improve procurement discipline, strengthen vendor oversight, optimize purchasing workflows, and support data-driven sourcing decisions. The role is central to identifying cost savings opportunities, standardizing procurement practices, and supporting well-controlled purchasing operations across the College.
This position combines strategic sourcing leadership with procurement process improvement and operational optimization responsibilities and plays a key role in advancing sustainable financial operations within the Finance Division.

Job Description:

Reporting Structure

The Strategic Sourcing Manager reports to the Associate Controller, Operations.

The role works closely with Information Technology, Legal, Human Resources, Finance leadership, and departmental administrators across the College to support strategic sourcing initiatives, vendor negotiations, procurement planning, purchasing compliance, and procurement process optimization.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Management

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives designed to reduce institutional costs and improve procurement effectiveness.

• Conduct vendor negotiations, pricing analyses, and contract review coordination to achieve favorable financial and operational outcomes.

• Develop sourcing strategies for high-spend categories and institutional service contracts.

• Establish vendor performance expectations and support ongoing vendor relationship management.

• Identify opportunities for cost savings, purchasing consolidation, and operational efficiencies across departments.

Procurement Operations and Process Improvement

• Support optimization of purchasing workflows and procurement-related operational processes.

• Ensure procurement activities comply with institutional policies and internal control standards.

• Standardize procurement processes and implement best practices in sourcing and purchasing operations.

• Develop and maintain procurement-related SOPs, workflow documentation, and operational guidance materials.

Systems and Operational Enablement

• Partner with Information Technology and Finance leadership to optimize procurement workflows within Workday Finance and related systems.

• Support implementation of procurement reporting tools, workflow enhancements, and supplier management capabilities.

• Use procurement and spend analytics to support sourcing decisions and identify operational improvement opportunities.

• Ensure procurement systems and workflows support appropriate controls, approvals, and reporting visibility.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Strategic Sourcing Leadership

• Partner with departments across the College to support sourcing strategy development, procurement planning, and vendor management activities.

• Provide guidance on procurement processes, vendor engagement, and sourcing best practices.

• Coordinate with Legal, Finance leadership, and campus partners on contract review, vendor risk considerations, and procurement-related operational issues.

• Promote best practices in strategic sourcing, procurement operations, and vendor oversight to strengthen financial stewardship and operational effectiveness across the College.

• Support institution-wide efforts to improve procurement efficiency, operational discipline, customer service, and continuous improvement.

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, or a related field.

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, purchasing operations, or vendor management.

• Demonstrated experience negotiating vendor contracts and achieving measurable cost savings.

• Experience implementing procurement best practices and process improvements.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

• Experience working with procurement, ERP, or financial systems environments, preferably Workday.

• Ability to work effectively across administrative, operational, and technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education, nonprofit organizations, or similarly complex institutional environments.

• Experience with Workday Procurement or comparable ERP procurement systems.

• Professional certification in procurement or supply chain management (e.g., CPSM, CPM, CSCP, or equivalent).

• Experience supporting procurement technology implementations or workflow optimization initiatives.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Ability to manage multiple sourcing initiatives and operational priorities simultaneously.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to build effective cross-functional relationships across departments.

• Knowledge of procurement controls, purchasing operations, and sourcing best practices.

• Commitment to financial stewardship, operational effectiveness, customer service, and continuous improvement.

|Salary Range: $110,000 - $115,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimateof the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Company:

Barnard College

Time Type:

Full time