Vice President of Purchasing

CONNECTICUT STATE COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES (CSCU) SYSTEM JOB
OPPORTUNITY
VICE PRESIDENT OF
PURCHASING
Open
to: The Public

Location: 61 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT

Shift/Hours: Full-Time, 40 hours/week

Salary: Commensurate with experience
Closing
Date: Review of applications will begin August 15, 2018 and will
continue until the position is filled
Position Summary: The Connecticut State
Colleges and University (CSCU) System Vice President of Purchasing
is a motivated leader with responsibility for the overall vision
and direction of the purchasing functions performed by the twelve
(12) community colleges and four (4) state universities of the CSCU
System. CSCU is a $1.2B organization. The Vice President of
Purchasing shall oversee purchasing and compliance functions as
well as create and maintain a shared service organization for
system-wide requirements focusing on quality of goods and services
and cost containment. He/she shall also develop and maintain
system-wide policies, implement and maintain required software, and
supervise and train staff to manage all applicable functions. The
Vice President of Purchasing reports to the System's Chief
Financial Officer.
Position Responsibilities:
The Vice President of Purchasing is the CSCU System's leader and
expert over the purchasing function, ensuring that all federal,
state and system purchasing policies and regulations are observed.
He/she provides system-wide tools and resources to meet end user's
needs for goods and services, and develops revenue generation, cost
reduction, cost savings, and risk mitigation strategies in the
purchasing arena.
The Vice President of Purchasing is responsible for the
management and oversight of the consolidated, system-wide
procurement organization. This includes the implementation,
maintenance and management of an electronic procurement system as
well as the management of services that are shared throughout the
system. This will also involve working closely with subject matter
experts for technical procurement's.
The Vice President will work with legal and contracting
professional teams in pursuit of strategic sourcing and development
of strategic initiatives.
The Vice President will define and articulate a vision for
system-wide purchasing, promote stakeholder involvement and be
responsible for the policy/procedure/process and program review and
development.
Additional responsibilities include:

Development of purchasing training programs for employees
throughout the system, including purchasing professionals,
requisitioners, and the system community.
Serves as liaison between the CSCU, the Office of the Attorney
General, the Department of Administrative Services and other state
agencies as required of the position.
Development of a communication strategy.
Administration of the CSCU system Set-Aside Program for small
contractors and minority business enterprises.
Supervision of full-time and part-time professionals and
clerical staff within the respective areas of position
responsibilities.
Maintaining and analyzing spend data in order to optimize
purchases.
Liaising with other agency procurement executives to determine
if consolidating efforts is beneficial to CSCU.
Periodic reporting of performance metrics and quantified
savings.
Development/Compliance with Service Level Agreements.

Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in accounting, purchasing management,
financial management or a relevant business or public
administration concentration. Master's Degree, legal degree, or
other type of advanced degree is preferred. A minimum of ten years
related experience in business, purchasing and/or administration
required.
The following experience is required, or if indicated,
preferred:

Leadership in a shared services environment of an organization
the size of CSCU (approximately $1B).
Leadership of a decentralized organization to function in
unison as a single purchasing system.
Functioned at Director level; Vice President level
preferred.
Worked in an e-procurement environment; experience in a new
implementation preferred.
Experience with Banner or similar ERP platform as well as an
electronic procurement system preferred.
In-depth knowledge of the procurement field, including the
competitive bid process, e-procurement, cooperative purchasing, and
management of complex procurements and contracts is required.
Demonstrated commitment to a metrics-driven organization with
cost savings and process improvements.
Demonstrated strength in the ability to negotiate with vendors
and service providers, as well as the ability to build strong
vendor partnerships.
Ability to manage and monitor purchases in accordance with
their terms and conditions, State and Federal statutes and
regulations, Attorney General guidelines, Board of Trustees
policies and State Code of Ethics.
Demonstrated experience in developing Requests for Proposal
(RFP's) and other such justification documents while working in
conjunction with the Vice President of Contracting.
Knowledge of the basic principles of risk management and
insurance programs including safety and loss control
techniques.
Demonstrated knowledge of applicable State and Federal
statutes, and procurement best practices.
Experience in a college, university or system setting
preferred.
Experience with complying with Service Level Agreements.

Personal characteristics include:

Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as
the ability to work cooperatively with a wide range of stakeholders
at all levels of a complex organization. Demonstrated ability to
manage the work of support staff.
Customer focused and service oriented disposition.
Possess effective interaction skills with diverse constituents
including academic and administrative leaders, faculty,
professional staff and suppliers.
Innovative, and at the same time respectful of fiduciary
obligations.
Possess the ability to inspire others and build a sense of team
while managing multiple, complex procurement's that may have
system-wide impact.
Possess the willingness to take "ownership" of the procurement
process and the commitment to achieving articulated goals.
Ability to multi-task and respond to time sensitive
requirements while ensuring compliance with policies.

Professional certification in either purchasing (i.e. C.P.M,
CPPO/CPPB) or project management (i.e. CAPM, PMP) is preferred.
Some of these qualifications may be waived for individuals with
appropriate alternate experience.
Application Instructions:
Please submit the following via email to : (1) CSCU
Employment Application (available at
AND (2) in a single Word or PDF file
provide a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three
professional references. Please
reference "Search #18-08" on the subject line of
the email.
Refer to for more information about the CSCU
and our 17 institutions. Review of applications
will begin on August 15, 2018 and will continue until the position
is filled.
Notice of
Nondiscrimination
The CSCU System does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression,
national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history
of intellectual disability, learning disability or physical
disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information
or criminal record. The following person has been designated to
handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Leah
Glende, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion, 61 Woodland Street,
Hartford, CT 06105, , or by email at .
The CSCU System is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity
Employer and strongly encourages the applications of women,
minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. Category: Logistics , Keywords: Purchasing Director