The Buyer is responsible for identifying and procuring the goods and services that an organization requires. They identify external material needs of the organization, find suppliers who can supply these goods, negotiate for prices and arrange for the purchase and delivery of the goods or service.
The role of this position is to support, follow, and implement the procurement activities at TNC, focusing on the complete lifecycle (“Source to Award to Manage to Recycle”) of the commodity s/he will manage. The Buyer will work closely with the Associate Director of Procurement & Contracts on negotiating the purchasing agreements, procurement process and ordering logistics Conservancy staff will follow when making purchase acquisitions of the products and services s/he will be assigned. S/he will also review different agreements such as software license terms & conditions, maintenance/support agreements, purchasing program terms, etc., and with the guidance from the Associate Director of Procurement & Contracts, provide recommended redline changes and comments of such agreements to the vendor. While the primary responsibility in this position is for IT related commodities, the person in this role will be asked to support other commodities, as needed.
The right candidate must show proven experience is researching the different commodities assigned and become knowledgeable in the different procurement methods and agreements of such commodities. A knowledge in non-profit purchase programs is preferred. As the majority of the commodities being assigned with be in the IT space, the right candidate will also have knowledge and experience in IT asset lifecycle and experience using an asset management system.
The Buyer works directly with the Associate Director of IT Procurement & Contracts and their internal customers’ requirements to implement, co-ordinate and prioritize projects and tasks. In performing the duties, the individual needs to be able to work independently, communicate effectively, be able to work on multiple tasks and have excellent organizational skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Manage the complete lifecycle on assigned commodities.
- Manages vendors associated with assigned commodities.
- Negotiates purchasing agreements and pricing for assigned commodities.
- Coordinates RFP and other procurement related projects and duties as assigned.
- Ensures TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
- Reinforces consistency in the organization's policies and procedures and provides support related to relevant field.
- Travel requirements are minimum (<25% of time) except for the 1st three months of hire as travel may be up to 50% or more for training purposes
- Experience with accounting/financial issues and analysis.
- Ability to manipulate, analyze and interpret data.
- Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Excel and Word.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Accuracy, attention to detail and the ability to multi-task.
- Non-profit procurement experience.
- Understanding of the complete lifecycle process of goods.
- Experience with using the different RFx tools available for solicitation and negotiations with vendors.
- Experience with the use of purchase orders, SOWs, MLAs, MSAs and familiarity with their contract terms
The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.