Reporting to the Director of Procurement, the Assistant Director (AD) for Procurement leads all aspects of project-related procurement strategy for Columbia University Facilities and Operations, which includes procurement for large multi-year capital projects, construction management agreements, IT contracts, and service maintenance contracts. The AD will directly manage the work of approximately four Procurement professionals. Management responsibilities include assignment, prioritization and review of work, goal setting, and assessment of ongoing performance. The AD will track and prioritize tasks of the four Procurement professionals as needed.

Responsibilities

• Provides direction and expertise to other CUFO employees in order to facilitate and expedite the processing of procurement transactions and contract execution while ensuring procurement initiatives are in compliance with University policies.
• Oversees all contract negotiations completed by subordinates and gives guidance and direction on contract language.
• Provides direction and expertise to meet the needs of stakeholders for both budget and timeline and promote a diverse and highly rated vendor pool.
• Works closely with the Central Purchasing department to ensure CUFO priorities are met including but not limited to transaction and labor rate review and approval, identifying and resolving any issues that may arise between the team and Central Purchasing, and suggesting process improvements to avoid future issues.
• Evaluates existing procurement processes, implementing improvements and changes in order to streamline departmental operations.
• Develops and updates key performance indicators and other reporting metrics to help the Director of Procurement to manage the unit’s performance, suggesting process modifications in order to improve performance.
• Codify processes into formal departmental procedures.
• Develops and maintains official procurement templates to ensure consistency for all CUFO and provides procurement training to CUFO stakeholders as needed.
• Identifies procurement strategies that present savings opportunities and tracks savings realized by the group’s initiatives. 
• Generates reports as needed to maintain and improve upon operations within the department, including but not limited to task tracking and change order management.
• Provides guidance on suggesting vendors and identifying areas of need based on current utilization, performance ratings, spend analysis, and workload.
• When applicable, the AD is the primary liaison for reviewing and updating CUFO agreement templates in conjunction with the Office of General Counsel, Central Purchasing, and Risk Management. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. 4-6 years of related experience. Advanced degree preferred.
• Must be a self-starter and capable of operating with minimal supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including active listening skills, plus the ability to work closely and effectively with a diverse group of University administrators.
• Strong consensus-building and relationship-building skills are essential.
• Must be able to negotiate issues and resolve problems.
• Able to work well with all levels of management, both internally and externally, and exercise sound judgment.
• Must have a high degree of personal and professional integrity; be customer-focused (internal and external); have management experience and presentation skills; take initiative; can quickly grasp new concepts; is organized and thorough; can multi-task and manage workload; pays close attention to detail; proactive.
• Reporting and analytical skills are required. 
• Experience in a fast-paced environment requiring rapid decision-making and flexibility.
• An advanced degree is highly desirable. (Preferred)