The role of the Procurement Specialist is to support a small but growing contract research organization. The Procurement Specialist will work in support of and partnership with the Contract and Procurement Manager to efficiently operate and maintain an effective procurement and contract portfolio management system. Principal duties will include vendor/subcontract administration and support to ensure full compliance with FHI Clinical policies. The Procurement Specialist will also be responsible for facilitating contracting operations specifically with respect to the intake, processing, negotiation, and archiving of vendor agreements, purchase orders, confidentiality agreements, subcontracts and others. These tasks may include a wide variety of discrete transactions occurring at various stages of the award.
- Work closely with other functional areas, including clinical operations, to develop and manage RFPs/RFQs to meet business needs through competitive and responsive vendor proposals.
- Provide technical assistance to clinical operations staff on matters of contract interpretation and compliance.
- Prepare and review vendor/sub award contracts.
- Research suppliers to obtain pricing and specifications based on corporate usage and specifications.
- Create paperwork necessary for the acquisition of services and/or materials
- Negotiate vendor terms ensuring that they are as favorable to our business interests as possible, minimize risk, and are in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
- Recommend and implement updates and/or improvements ensuring organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and standardization, as necessary.
- All other duties as assigned.
- Self-directed with ability to clearly, concisely and professionally communicate findings and make appropriate recommendations.
- Organized, detail-oriented and accurate with the ability to exercise sound business judgment.
- Skilled in the use of CostPoint or other financial business systems.
- Basic knowledge of source-to-pay processes and logistics.
- High comfort level working in and learning new systems.
- Strong basic math skills with the ability to understand, manipulate and convert various units of measure and currencies.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills required.
- Strong interpersonal skills required with the ability to effectively interact globally and across all levels of the organization.
- Able to understand and resolve issues with incomplete information or which may be ambiguous in nature.
- A high level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results orientation.
- Ability to effectively communicate complex information to others both verbally and in writing and ability to satisfactorily resolve issues with customers.
- Strong negotiation and analytical skills with business acumen to make sound management decisions/recommendations.
- Working knowledge of strategic sourcing concepts and methodologies.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Skilled in drafting procurement instruments and vendor communications.
- In-depth working knowledge of contract drafting, management and change control processes.
- At least three years of procurement/sourcing experience, preferably for a contract research organization.
Typical Physical Demands:
- Typical office environment.
- Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
- Ability to lift 5-50 lbs.
Technology to be Used:
- Personal Computer, Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), e-mail, telephone, printer, calculator, copier, cell phones, PDAs and other hand held devices.
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