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• If you are NOT a current employee or student please click Apply and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work additional information on remote work at Penn State seeNotice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Penn State Office of Procurement is searching for a Senior Category Lead who will have University-wide responsibility for creating and driving strategic sourcing and vendor management for Administrative Supplies and Business Operations Support.

This category generally has an annual spend up to $40M and/or 3000 annual purchasing transactions.

The Senior Category Lead acts as a strategic business partner providing leadership in the Administrative Supplies and Business Operations Support category providing strategic planning and sourcing and other procurement processes such as supplier relationship management spend performance management category contract management internal spend and external market analysis and category governance for all units/colleges that are active in the Administrative Supplies and Business Operations Supportcategory. The Senior Category Lead collaborates with stakeholders on the development and implementation of annual and multi-year category strategies in order to achieve category goals achieve business strategies and deliver sustainable category value.

The successful candidate for this position will serve as a subject matter expert within a high performance category buying team including assigning workload monitoring cycle time identifying efficiencies and providing status updates to procurement leadership and customers. The Senior Category Lead will also coach and mentor buying team members and provide a support structure for the team to excel.

The successful candidate for this position must demonstrate knowledge of broad concepts industry policies and procedures related to the development management and implementation of a strategic category management plan with University-wide impact. They must possess:

• Extensive knowledge of category market and suppliers to drive value and savings for Administrative Supplies and Business Operations Support category.
• High level of analytical skill to develop and maintain detailed reporting and analysis of proposals and vendor capabilities negotiations and supplier selection as well as ability to analyze purchasing data trends and habits within the category.
• High level of communication skills to create and maintain sustainable partnerships and networks both within and outside of the University to ensure comprehensive strategy planning and implementation. This position communicates at all levels of the University and with external vendors and other stakeholders. These communications often involve significant and complex situations and the successful candidate must be able to relay this information in a way that is objective and adaptive to the audience.

This position offers a flexible work arrangement that combines remote and on-campus work. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

A degree in business administration supply chain finance or related field is preferred. Professional certificationssuch astheCPSM (Certificate in Supply Chain Management) ortheCPM (Certified Purchasing Manager)from the Institute for Supply Management experience with purchasing data analysisRFXsnegotiation contracts legal terms and conditions and e-procurement as well as proficiency in Microsoft Excel Word and Outlookispreferred.

MINIMUM EDUCATION WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary Structure - Information on Penn States salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional addition to comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988 Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security such as those concerning alcohol and drug use crime prevention the reporting of crimes sexual assault and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race color religion age sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability please contact .

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