Purchasing Specialist

North Chicago

**Position Title:** Purchasing Specialist **Work Location:** Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 **Assignment Duration:** 12 months **Work Arrangement:** Hybrid (Onsite: T, W, Th \| Remote: M, F) **Schedule:** 1st Shift (Mon--Fri). No overtime. No travel. **++Position Overview++** This is a new position within the Indirect Procurement organization focused on **Facilities Management services**. The role supports the Procurement Category Associate Director by executing and managing category strategies at a transactional level. The primary objective is to lead the standardization and organization of contracting activities, ensuring all agreements are properly documented, renewed, and executed without lapses. **++Key Responsibilities++** * **Contracting \& Sourcing Execution:** Focus heavily on contracting for Facilities Management (Soft services: janitorial, landscaping; Hard services: HVAC, electrical, fire/life safety). * **Roadmap Management:** Gather existing contracts, build a roadmap for renewals/renegotiations, and manage a volume of approximately 300 contracts per year. * **Supplier Management:** Help requestors navigate approved buying channels and enforce the preferred supplier network. * **Negotiation \& Review:** Effectively review and negotiate Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), and other agreements within approved financial spend levels ($30K to $10M ). * **Administrative Support:** Provide redlining support, bid summary justifications, and data analysis for procurement projects. * **Process Efficiency:** Assist in executing projects to improve the customer experience within the Procure-to-Pay process. * **Stakeholder Collaboration:** Work closely with Legal, business partners, and suppliers to manage intake requests within established service level metrics. **++Qualifications \& Requirements++** **Education \& Experience** * **Education:** Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field is preferred. Strong relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. * **Experience:** 5 years of experience in Procurement, Purchasing, or Negotiations. * **Domain Expertise:** Strong experience in **Facilities Procurement / Facilities Management services** is highly preferred. * **Industry:** Pharma experience is a plus, but candidates from similar environments (e.g., food industry) are encouraged to apply. **Technical Skills:** * **Contract Management:** Proficiency in contract redlining, reviewing MSAs/SOWs, and execution. * **Software:** Strong proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook). * **ERP/Tools:** Experience with **SAP** is helpful. **Coupa** experience (Sourcing/Contracting) is highly desirable as the team migrates to this platform. **Soft Skills** * **Proactive Mindset:** A self-starter who brings ideas and takes initiative rather than waiting for step-by-step direction. * **Communication:** Excellent written and verbal communication skills for stakeholder management. * **Organization:** Ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple cross-divisional work processes and projects. * **Analytical Acumen:** Strong financial acumen for cost analysis and savings identification. **++Additional Information++** * **Work Environment:** An open seating setup requiring a mix of independent work and team collaboration. * **Role Nature:** This is a tactical execution and negotiation role. It is not a strategy-only or paralegal-only position; it requires a "procurement mindset." * **Support:** While the individual is expected to be autonomous, support and escalation points are available through the Category Manager. * **Project Context:** The role is driven by the need to support strategic projects by handling high-volume tactical contracting and "cleaning up" existing contract data.