Senior Buyer

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 89,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Buyer at George Mason University’s Purchasing Department is a seasoned procurement professional responsible for independently managing complex public procurements from planning through award and contract administration. This role leads competitive solicitations, strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, and high-value purchasing across a diverse portfolio.

Based in Fairfax, VA with hybrid eligibility, the Senior Buyer will provide expert guidance to university stakeholders, balance

Qualifications

• Seven years of full-time professional procurement experience in a public-sector environment.
• Ability to independently manage complex procurements from planning through award and contract administration.
• Experience writing clear, high-quality procurement documents for solicitation and award.
• Ability to advise senior administrators and stakeholders and balance cost, quality, risk, and compliance.
• Experience leading RFPs, IFBs, and other solicitations from planning through award.

Responsibilities

• Independently plans, develops, administers, evaluates, negotiates, awards, and administers complex procurement contracts and high-value purchasing actions.
• Conducts complex procurement activities frequently over $200,000 per procurement.
• Applies advanced public procurement knowledge to determine the appropriate method and manage competitive bids.
• Leads sourcing activities in partnership with departments to balance service, quality, price, risk and operational needs.
• Prepares purchase orders, contract documents, negotiation records, and cost savings documentation.
• Resolves vendor issues and ensures contract compliance and timely renewals.

Skills

Procurement expertise

Negotiation skills

Procurement writing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Public Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Contract Management, or related field

Procurement certifications (CPPB, CPPO, CPSM, etc.)

Tools

eVA

Ellucian Banner

Job description

Department: Fiscal Services

Classification: Procurement Officer 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary range $89,000 - $97,500, commensurate witheducation and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University is Virginia's largest public researchinstitution and serves a diverse community of students, faculty,researchers, and administrative units across multiple campuses.Fiscal Services provides critical financial stewardship andoperational support for the university, including procurement,strategic sourcing, accounts payable, travel, and related financialoperations. The Purchasing and Accounts Payable Department plays acentral role in supporting the university's academic, research,technology, facilities, and administrative missions. The departmentmanages a broad portfolio of procurements while ensuring compliancewith the Code of Virginia, university policies, and best practices.Team members work collaboratively with senior universityleadership, academic units, researchers, and administrativedepartments to deliver best-value procurement solutions andstrengthen institutional effectiveness.

About the Position:

The Senior Buyer serves as a senior procurement professional withinGeorge Mason University's Purchasing Department, and is responsiblefor independently managing complex public procurements fromplanning through award and contract administration. This positionleads competitive solicitations, strategic sourcing initiatives,contract negotiations, and high-impact purchasing activities for adiverse portfolio of goods and services. The successful candidatewill exercise substantial independent judgment, provide expertprocurement guidance to university stakeholders, and collaboratewith departments across the institution to develop procurementsolutions that balance cost, quality, risk, compliance, andoperational needs. The Senior Buyer serves as a strategicprocurement advisor and, in consultation with their supervisor,manages complex, high-value, and high-visibility procurements fromplanning through contract execution. This position is ideal for aprocurement professional who enjoys managing complex procurements,negotiating contractual terms and conditions, partnering withsenior stakeholders, and working in a fast-paced, high-volumeenvironment. This position reports to the Director of Purchasing and iscurrently specified as hybrid eligible, with on-site expectationsof two to three days per week.

Who Will Be Successful?

The successful candidate will be a self-directed procurement professional requiring minimal supervision; demonstratedprofessional procurement writing experience capable of producinghigh-quality solicitation, contract, and award documentation; comfortable advising senior administrators, faculty, researchers,and departmental leadership; experienced negotiating complexcontractual terms and conditions; and ability to exercise soundjudgment in situations involving competing priorities, compliancerequirements, and institutional risk.

Responsibilities:

• Independently plans, develops, administers, evaluates,negotiates, awards, and administers complex procurement contractsand high-value purchasing actions in accordance with applicablelaw, policy, and delegated authority;
• Conducts complex procurement activities frequently in excess of$200,000 per procurement, including procurements with significantinstitutional visibility, operational importance, or contractualcomplexity;
• Applies advanced public procurement knowledge to determine theappropriate procurement method and manage competitive bids,competitive negotiations, sole source procurements, emergencyprocurements, contract renewals, and related procurement actionswithin delegated authority;
• Works independently, exercises considerable discretion andjudgment, reviews purchase requisitions for accuracy andcompleteness, advises departments on procurement strategy, andidentifies the most appropriate procurement approach;
• Leads RFPs, IFBs, and other solicitations from planning throughaward, including drafting solicitation documents, managing addendaand evaluation processes, analyzing responses, supportingevaluation committees, negotiating when appropriate, and preparingaward documentation;
• Prepares purchase orders, contract documents, negotiationrecords, cost savings or cost avoidance documentation, andassociated procurement file materials in a timely, accurate, andlegally defensible manner;
• Executes contracts and purchase orders within delegatedsignature authority and routes documents for additional approvalwhen required;
• Maintains complete procurement files and reviews, approves, ordisapproves purchase order pricing changes and related contractadministration matters;
• Conducts and oversees strategic sourcing activities withinassigned categories;
• Reviews spending within assigned commodities to identifysourcing opportunities, improve compliance with Mason and statepolicies, and strengthen use of existing contracts and supplierrelationships;
• Leads sourcing activities in partnership with departmentalstakeholders to achieve an appropriate balance of service, quality,price, risk mitigation, and operational effectiveness;
• Provides customer service, vendor assistance, contractadministration, order expediting, receiving coordination, returnssupport, invoice-resolution assistance, and problem-solving forcomplex supplier or stakeholder issues;
• Advises university customers and vendors regarding procurementprocesses, procedures, policy interpretation, and best practices toreduce cycle time, improve compliance, and enhance service;
• Acts as liaison between suppliers and the university onprocurement and contractual matters;
• Assists suppliers in understanding how to conduct business withthe university;
• Advises and encourages SWaM vendors to certify with theVirginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, whereappropriate;
• Provides contract administration for assigned orders andcontracts to confirm goods and services are delivered in accordancewith contractual requirements and supports university departments,Central Receiving, and Accounts Payable in resolving delivery,order status, receiving, material return, and invoice issues;
• Resolves vendor performance issues, recommends or executesappropriate cure actions, and initiates timely contract renewals,extensions, reconciliations, or rebids;
• Encourages use of SWaM vendors where appropriate and consistentwith procurement requirements;
• Develops alternative, reliable, and responsible sources ofsupply through market research, source lists, supplier engagement,vendor visits, trade shows, exhibits, professional purchasingorganizations, and collaboration with other purchasing offices;and
• Encourages participation by small, women-owned, andminority-owned businesses, assists suppliers with certificationinformation as appropriate, and networks with other purchasingoffices and universities.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of seven years of full-time professional procurementexperience in a public-sector environment (including stategovernment, local government, higher education, federal government,public authorities or other governmental entities) serving as asenior buyer, warranted contracting officer, procurement officer,senior acquisition professional, or substantially equivalentprocurement role (with delegated authority) with responsibility for independently managing or materially leading procurement actionsfor goods or services.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Business,Public Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, ContractManagement, or a related field. Additional qualifying procurementand contracting experience may be substituted only on ayear-for-year basis up to four years;
• Professional procurement, purchasing, acquisition, sourcing, orcontracting certification preferred, including VCO, CPPB, CPPO,CPM, CPSM, FAC-C, CFCM, NIGP-CPP, CUPO, or equivalentcertification;
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible senior buyer,contracting officer, procurement officer, acquisition, strategicsourcing, or public purchasing experience strongly preferred;
• Experience as a warranted contracting officer or equivalentdelegated procurement authority strongly preferred;
• Experience independently managing complex procurements fromplanning through award and contract administration stronglypreferred;
• Experience using eVA, Ellucian Banner, or comparableprocurement/financial systems preferred;
• Ability to almost entirely independently run competitive orcomplex procurements across the procurement lifecycle, includingsolicitation development, evaluation, negotiation of business orcontractual terms and conditions, award, contract issuance,purchase order issuance, or other final procurement processing;and
• Expert in professional procurement writing, including theability to produce clear, accurate, and completeprocurement-related documents.

Posting Open Date: August 12, 2026

Posting Close Date: August 26, 2026

Open Until Filled: No

Mason Ad Statement

George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 researchuniversity committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperousworld. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largestand most diverse public research university in Virginia, offeringdegree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level,along with certificates and credentials.

Equity Statement

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative actionemployer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in itscommunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration foretamework without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability orveteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

Campus Safety Information

Mason’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available athttp://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/