Sourcing Consultant, Supporting Members in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin

E&I Cooperative Service, Inc.; Illinois; On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A procurement consultancy in education seeks a Sourcing Consultant to guide educational institutions in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The role requires at least 7 years of higher education procurement experience and offers the chance to influence decision-makers. You will deliver insights into procurement best practices and strategies while fostering relationships with member institutions, aimed at driving operational efficiency and cost control. This position entails travel to various member institutions approximately 30-35% of the time.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of experience in higher education procurement.
• Experience in sales or consulting to higher education procurement professionals is preferred.
• Deep understanding of procurement and strategic sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic advisor for E&I members.
• Guide members toward transformative procurement strategies.
• Deliver consultations on procurement best practices.

Skills

Influencing high-level decision makers

Strategic conversations

Data interpretation

Relationship building

Business analysis tools

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Who We Are At E&I Cooperative Services, we are transforming how universities and schools buy the goods and services they need to operate and thrive. By leveraging the power of cooperative purchasing, we help our 6,000+ member educational institutions save time, contain costs, and redirect critical resources to their core mission of education and research. With over 90 years of experience and a trusted brand, we now operate like a high-growth startup—launching innovative technology, data, and service solutions to meet the evolving needs of the education sector

As aSourcing Consultant, supportingIllinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin Members, you’ll serve as a strategic advisor and change agent for our members, helping them reimagine procurement through data-driven insights and best‑in‑class sourcing strategies. You’ll guide institutions toward operational efficiency, compliance, and cost control—positioning E&I as a true partner in their success. Your work will directly impact how our members achieve their goals and elevate the value of procurement across campuses nationwide.

Are you energized by the opportunity to influence high-level decision‑makers and drive meaningful change in higher education procurement? If so, we’d love for you to join our growing team and help shape the future of sourcing in education.

What Makes E&I Unique

• Mission-Driven Impact: At E&I, your work directly supports the success of educational institutions nationwide, from universities to K-12 schools.
• Growth Culture: We are passionate about the power of culture to create conditions for excellence. We believe in the power of linking arms and lifting each other up in pursuit of common objectives. And we invest heavily in the personal and professional development of every single member of our team.
• The Best of All Worlds: We’re ninety years old - but act like a startup. We’re a non-profit cooperative - with a high-growth enterprise mindset. We work hard – and play hard. We love success - but reward failure that comes from bold ideas and big swings. We combine tradition with innovation, passion with purpose, and ambition with heart.

What You Will Do

Reporting to the Vice President of Member Engagement, the Sourcing Consultant serves as a account owner for specific member accounts within an assigned territory and is the strategic advisor and change agent for E&I members, leveraging deep procurement expertise and data‑driven insights to challenge conventional sourcing practices and guide members toward transformative procurement strategies.

The Sourcing Consultant guides members with innovative strategies regarding their spend, tailors recommendations to their institutional priorities, and drives meaningful outcomes. By reframing the way members view procurement, this role positions E&I not just as a vendor, but as a strategic partner in achieving operational efficiency, compliance, and cost control.

The Sourcing Consultant leverages deep procurement and strategic sourcing expertise to assess the maturity and sophistication of members' procurement operations. Using the Challenger Model, they will guide members through insights that reshape their thinking and position E&I as the strategic partner in transforming their procurement strategies.

This role actively participates in our Deliberately Developmental Organizational (DDO) Culture, with the willingness to be open‑minded, identify, and make improvement on your growth edges. Support your colleagues’ development by providing feedback, utilizing development tools and practices as a team sport to further the growth, development and ultimately enhance innovation in our organization. This is accomplished through the cultivation and embodiment of our Core Values: Relentless Learning, Candor with Care, Proud Owners, Better Together and Member Obsessed.

How You Will Do It

• Deliver insight‑led consultations that educate members on procurement best practices, emerging trends, and the opportunity cost of maintaining outdated or decentralized sourcing strategies.
• Leverage deep knowledge of higher education procurement and member‑specific spend data to present highly relevant solutions that align with institutional goals and priorities.
• Lead purposeful conversations that reframe challenges, overcome inertia, and drive decision‑making—accelerating adoption of E&I contracts and services.
• Drive adoption of new E&I contracts and services by communicating the ROI of our offerings through a tailored, insight‑led approach. Increase contract volume in both existing and new accounts, in alignment with annual business goals.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with campus stakeholders, local business partners, and dealer reps to create custom engagement strategies that drive contract utilization and enhance the member experience.
• Work cross functionally with your business development experts, member success managers and business partner manager to continuously share market insights and member feedback to, improve member outcomes, identify new service or product opportunities and drive innovation.
• Create and execute territory‑specific engagement plans, prioritizing strategic touchpoints with key decision‑makers. Use E&I’s data‑driven engagement model to facilitate high‑impact discussions and influence procurement outcomes.
• Represent E&I at industry events, campus supplier fairs, and regional conferences to build brand awareness and reinforce E&I’s position as a trusted advisor in education procurement.
• Collaborate with the analytics team to develop and deliver comprehensive, data‑driven reports that align member spend with E&I’s contract portfolio and roadmap. Clearly articulate insights from these reports that deliver measurable value and uncover new opportunities for contract adoptions.
• Maintain accurate and timely CRM records for all member activity. Manage travel, territory engagement, and budget effectively, submitting regular expense reports and adhering to fiscal guidelines.

Education

• Bachelor’s de gree required; equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience will be considered.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of experience in higher education procurement required.
• Experience in sales or consulting to higher education procurement professionals is strongly preferred.
• Deep understanding of procurement and strategic sourcing within a higher education environment is essential.
• Proven ability to engage and influence high‑level decision makers through strategic conversations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply data within the strategic sourcing process to drive actionable insights.
• Skilled at developing strong professional relationships that support consultative influence and long‑term engagement.
• Proficient in the use of business analysis tools to evaluate current performance, identify gaps, and uncover growth opportunities.
• Exceptional oral, written, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Strong executive presence—confident, composed, and credible, while maintaining humility and authenticity.
• Highly organized and self‑directed, capable of working independently from a home office.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, with emphasis on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Travel Requirements

• Travel to member institutions, conferences, and meetings approximately 30-35%

Call To Action

If you’re ready to bring your skills or values to a mission that matters and create meaningful impact together, we’d love to hear from you.

Use the "Apply Now" button on our careers page and submit your resume and a cover letter specifying your salary expectations. All submissions will be handled with the highest level of confidentiality.

E&I is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal opportunities for employment and advancement without regard to an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law.