Strategic Procurement Director - Higher Education

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; La Crosse (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Flexible health insurance

Paid holidays and sick days

Retirement benefits

Job summary

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is seeking a Procurement Director to lead all university procurement functions and oversee purchasing, contracts, and printing services. This role requires directing processes in accordance with DOA, UWSA, state statutes, the WAC, and the UCC, while maintaining authority delegation.

The position emphasizes policy development, staff supervision, budget validation, and strong vendor relationships, with a focus on campus collaboration and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or equivalent experience.
• Five years of experience with increasing responsibility in business operations, including accounting, finance, procurement, contracting, or a related area.
• Ability to communicate professionally and effectively in written and oral forms.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for all procurement activities of the University to ensure purchasing and printing conform with policies and procedures established by DOA, UWSA, and the University, as well as Wisconsin state statutes, the WAC, and the UCC.
• Maintain procurement authority delegation from DOA and UWSA.
• Provide oversight of procurement sub-delegation to Facilities Management.
• Serve as the liaison between the University, DOA, UWSA, and the vendor community on procurement matters.
• Participate in UW System procurement conferences and meetings.
• Develop university procedures in accordance with state procurement policies related to competitive solicitations, negotiations, and other purchasing activities.
• Evaluate procurement processes for efficiency and implement new procedures as required.
• Authorize purchase requisitions and supervise the preparation and issuance of purchase orders.
• Review and approve contracts, purchase orders, and other procurement documents.
• Oversee the procurement of university printing services.
• Serve as the campus purchasing and sourcing expert, and communicate policies, procedures, and processes to campus stakeholders.
• Develop, maintain, and update procedures for the accountability of campus procurement programs.
• Perform budget verification for the purchase of products and services.
• Prepare cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) for complex procurement requests.
• Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships to enhance contract compliance, vendor responsiveness, fair and equitable pricing, and amicable dispute resolution.
• Initiate and manage requests for information (RFIs), simplified bids, official sealed bids, requests for bids (RFBs), requests for purchasing authority (RPAs), procurement plans, and requests for proposal (RFPs).
• Submit procurement documents to the Wisconsin Bureau of Procurement VendorNet System.
• Complete waivers of competitive bid and manage the non-competitive negotiation process.
• Ensure procurement plans are in place for university contractual services and agreements that will be expiring within the next fiscal year
• Ensure completion of university maintenance agreement renewals before the agreements expire.
• Provide adequate training, development, and supervision of individuals with delegated purchasing authority.
• Develop and implement processes for non-compliant procurement transaction activity.
• Provide campus oversight and direction for the procurement system.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or equivalent experience

Job description

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is seeking a Procurement Director to lead all university procurement functions and oversee purchasing, contracts, and printing services. This role requires directing processes in accordance with DOA, UWSA, state statutes, the WAC, and the UCC, while maintaining authority delegation.

The position emphasizes policy development, staff supervision, budget validation, and strong vendor relationships, with a focus on campus collaboration and compliance.