Senior Specialist, Procurement

Description of Position

Reporting to the Director of Procurement & Contract Services, the Senior Procurement Specialist performs advanced professional and technical procurement work supporting the College's mission and responsible stewardship of public funds. The position plans, develops, conducts, evaluates, awards, and administers formal and informal competitive solicitations and contracts across a broad range of commodities, services, technology, equipment, and professional engagements. Current assignments may include information technology and Software-as-a-Service solutions, Career and Technical Education equipment, and marketing and creative services; portfolio assignments may change based on College needs.

The position partners with academic and administrative departments to translate operational needs into clear specifications and scopes of work; facilitates objective evaluation processes; negotiates commercial and public-sector terms; and maintains complete, auditable procurement and contract records. Work requires sound independent judgment, strong customer service, attention to detail, and consistent application of College policies, applicable Arizona public procurement requirements, grant conditions, and federal regulations when applicable.

Please note: Preference will be given to local Prescott candidates working on-site Monday through Friday, with the opportunity to work remotely one day per week once fully up to speed. Fully remote candidates residing in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area may be considered based on exceptional experience and a willingness to travel to Prescott approximately once per month to work with the team in person. Relocation assistance is not available, and out-of-state candidates will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Solicitations and Strategic Sourcing (35%)

• Plans, drafts, issues, and administers formal and informal solicitations, including Invitations for Bids (IFBs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), and requests for quotations, from initial planning through award and contract implementation.
• Manages assigned procurements that may include information technology that may include computers, network and classroom technology, enterprise software, cloud-hosted applications, cybersecurity tools, telecommunications, and Software-as-a-Service solutions. Coordinates with Information Technology, data owners, accessibility personnel, and other stakeholders to address information security, privacy, FERPA, data ownership, records retention, integration, service levels, and accessibility documentation such as VPATs and Section 508 conformance.
• Manages assigned procurements that may include Career and Technical Education requirements that may include CNC and manufacturing technology, welding and automotive equipment, simulators, laboratory or instructional systems, specialized tools, and related installation, training, warranty, utility, safety, and maintenance requirements.
• Manages assigned procurements that may include marketing and institutional advancement requirements that may include branding, media buying, digital advertising, website and creative services, photography and video production, printing, promotional products, market research, and related professional services.
• Conducts market research; identifies qualified suppliers and cooperative contracts; analyzes total cost of ownership, pricing structures, licensing metrics, renewal exposure, implementation requirements, warranties, support models, and supplier performance risks.
• Plans and facilitates pre-solicitation meetings, pre-bid conferences, site visits, demonstrations, interviews, and proposal evaluation committees. Trains committee members on confidentiality, conflicts of interest, scoring requirements, documentation, and objective evaluation practices.
• Prepares award recommendations, bid tabulations, evaluation summaries, negotiation documentation, notices, and other procurement records that clearly support the basis for selection and best value determination.

2. Contract Development, Administration, and Compliance (35%)

• Reviews, drafts, negotiates, and administers contracts, amendments, renewals, purchase orders, statements of work, software license agreements, SaaS agreements, master service agreements, equipment purchase and maintenance agreements, and professional service agreements within delegated authority.
• Reviews supplier terms for commercial, operational, and public-sector risk, including pricing and escalation, automatic renewal, payment, ownership and licensing, confidentiality, data security, accessibility, indemnification, insurance, warranties, service levels, termination, governing law, audit rights, and records requirements. Coordinates legal, risk, information security, accessibility, and department review as appropriate.
• Interprets and explains College procurement policies, procedures, competitive requirements, documentation standards, delegated authority, and applicable grant or funding restrictions to departments and suppliers.
• Evaluates and uses cooperative purchasing contracts, including Arizona and national cooperative agreements, when the procurement method is authorized, the scope supports the requirement, pricing is fair and reasonable, and contract terms align with College needs and applicable law.
• Monitors contract milestones, renewals, pricing, deliverables, supplier compliance, and available remedies. Supports departments in resolving product deficiencies, service failures, billing discrepancies, software performance issues, and delivery, installation, or warranty disputes.
• Analyzes purchase requisitions, quotes, supporting documentation, and proposed purchasing methods for compliance, completeness, funding alignment, and operational readiness before commitment of College funds.

3. Customer Service and Internal Advisory Support (20%)

• Partners with academic, Information Technology, Facilities, Marketing, Finance, and other departments early in project planning to establish procurement strategies, realistic schedules, evaluation methods, implementation milestones, and contract administration responsibilities.
• Advises departments in developing clear, competitive, and outcome-based specifications, scopes of work, service levels, acceptance criteria, supplier qualifications, pricing schedules, and evaluation criteria.
• Explains procurement options and requirements in a practical, service-oriented manner while maintaining fairness, transparency, confidentiality, and consistent treatment of suppliers.
• Uses College financial, e-procurement, electronic signature, and contract management systems to process and track requisitions, purchase orders, solicitations, agreements, renewals, and supplier performance information.
• Develops and delivers procurement guidance, templates, checklists, desk procedures, and training materials for College employees and evaluation committee members.

4. Records, Reporting, and Other Duties (10%)

• Maintains complete, organized, and auditable procurement and contract files in accordance with College procedures, public records requirements, applicable records retention schedules, and grant documentation requirements.
• Maintains solicitation and contract templates, standard forms, cooperative contract documentation, supplier records, and assigned procurement procedures.
• Compiles procurement activity, savings, cycle time, competition, contract status, supplier performance, and compliance information for management reporting and continuous improvement.
• Participates in supplier outreach, training, professional development, site walks, equipment inspections, and cross-functional College initiatives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Expectations & Requirements

Education:

• Associate degree from a regionally accredited institution in business administration, public administration, supply chain management, finance, information technology, or a closely related field.

Experience:

• Three years of progressively responsible experience in Arizona public procurement, with demonstrated experience applying Arizona public-sector procurement requirements, including purchasing, sourcing, competitive solicitations, contracting, or closely related activities.
• Experience developing or administering informal or formal competitive procurements, including specifications or scopes of work, supplier communications, quote or proposal analysis, and award documentation.
• Working knowledge of purchasing cycles, including requisition review, competitive sourcing, purchase order issuance, receiving, contract administration, and invoice resolution.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the position may be considered.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to analyze detailed technical and commercial information, organize multiple procurements and deadlines, and produce clear, accurate, and defensible written work.
• Public procurement principles and practices, including competition, ethics, transparency, specifications, evaluation, negotiation, award, contract administration, sole-source justification, emergency procurement, cooperative purchasing, and documentation of fair and reasonable pricing.
• General understanding of Arizona public procurement practices, College purchasing policies, public records obligations, and federal requirements applicable to federally funded purchases.
• Commercial and operational considerations associated with SaaS licensing, cloud hosting, data security, accessibility, implementation, integrations, service levels, renewals, and software support.
• Equipment procurement considerations such as delivery, installation, utilities, site readiness, training, safety, warranty, maintenance, acceptance testing, and total cost of ownership.
• Professional services procurement considerations such as deliverables, approval rights, intellectual property, media usage, performance measures, fee structures, change control, and schedule management.
• Ability to interpret policies and contract terms; identify risks; develop practical options; and elevate legal, security, accessibility, safety, funding, or operational concerns to the appropriate reviewer.
• Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically in writing and verbally with employees, suppliers, evaluation committee members, technical personnel, and leadership.
• Ability to negotiate favorable and balanced business terms while preserving integrity, fairness, confidentiality, and public accountability.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain accurate records in a high-volume service environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications and the ability to learn College financial, procurement, contract management, and records systems.
• Demonstrates the ability to appropriately use artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to support job responsibilities, improve efficiency, and enhance the quality of work. Uses AI tools responsibly and in accordance with College policies, data privacy, security, confidentiality, and applicable legal and ethical requirements. Exercises professional judgment when reviewing and using AI-generated information.

Preferred Skills & Abilities

Experience:

• Experience procuring or administering contracts for IT hardware, enterprise software, SaaS or cloud solutions, industrial or skilled-trades equipment, and marketing and creative services.
• Professional experience in an Arizona community college, public university, school district, municipality, state agency, or other public-sector environment.
• Experience with Ellucian Banner or a comparable enterprise resource planning system and with electronic procurement, solicitation, signature, or contract lifecycle management systems.
• Experience with ESM Procurement, Sourcing and Supplier modules, or similar procurement systems preferably within an Ellucian Banner environment.
• Experience reviewing technology-related requirements involving information security, data privacy, FERPA, accessibility, implementation services, service levels, licensing, and renewals.
• Experience facilitating cross-functional evaluation committees and negotiating supplier pricing and contract terms.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Current professional procurement certification, such as Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO), or NIGP Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP).

Essential Functions To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements and competencies listed represent the required knowledge, skill, and ability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. In addition, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Benefits

Yavapai College offers its full-time employees a comprehensive benefit package:

HEALTH/LIFE BENEFITS

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance: College's partial payment of premiums toward medical with pharmacy and/or dental plan options picked by employees for themselves (and eligible dependents)
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Pre-tax pay deductions to use for eligible medical or dependent daycare costs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Counseling and referral services for employees and their immediate families for depression, stress, family/marital conflict, and alcohol/drug issues
• Vision: Provides an amount per plan year for eligible expenses such as vision exams, lenses, frames, prescription sunglasses, and contact lenses
• Life Insurance: The College provides Basic Life Insurance coverage at twice of the employee's annual salary. Dependents have automatic coverage of $2,000/spouse and $1,000/per child if enrolled in medical plan.
• Voluntary Individual And Family Term Life Insurance: Additional term life insurance coverage available for employee, spouse and children.
• Other Insurance Coverage: Short Term and Long Term Disability (replacement income insurance), and Workers' Compensation (compensation, medical expenses and death benefits for on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases)

RETIREMENT BENEFITS

• Retirement Benefits: Arizona State Retirement System or Optional Retirement Plan, and Social Security (which provides a basic retirement annuity based on age and years of contribution)
• Tax Deferred Annuities: Employees' contributions to designated tax-deferred annuities
• Unemployment Compensation: Employees who are laid off or terminated may receive benefits in covered wages meet requirements

LEAVE BENEFITS

• Vacation : 15 days of Vacation leave annually. NOTE: For employees who work an amount of contractual days, there will be no earned vacation.
• Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave annually. NOTE: Employees working less than full time or an amount of contractual days will receive a proration of sick leave.
• Personal Leave: Use of up to three personal leave days per year which are charged against accumulated sick leave to take care of items of personal business
• Other Leave: Bereavement leave, Civic Duty Leave (Jury duty, active military duty, military training), and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Holidays: 29 days during the year as paid holidays for full-time employees which include Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, 3 days at Thanksgiving, 10 days at Winter/year-end break, Martin Luther King Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Fall Break.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Breaking Bread: 32 meal swipes for use at the Prescott Campus Eatery. All Other Campuses and Sites receive a $140 credit each semester (fall and spring) to be used at the Open Market on campus/center
• Spanish Interpreter Incentive Program: Employees interested in additional compensation for their Spanish speaking skills agree to assist YC by attending two recruiting events and being available for Spanish Interpretation needs as they arise. Compensation is added to the employee's regular pay at the rate of $175 per month. Employees that are interested in participating let your HR Business Partner know, so they can schedule you for the ACTFL language proficiency test at the YC testing center.
• Direct Deposit: Paychecks deposited directly into the employee's bank account(s)
• Tuition Waiver: Eligible Full-time Faculty and Staff, their legally married spouse, and eligible dependents may enroll in a partial or full program of coursework without payment of tuition, exceptions may be lab fees and market-based additional fees
• Sabbatical: Faculty, professional, and administrative staff may apply for compensated leave of up to a year after six years of continuous service
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Additional Benefits and Services: Local community discounts to faculty and staff, computer loan program, mail and notary service.