Senior Buyer, Purchasing Services, Administration & Finance
University of CincinnatiAbout the role
Current UC employees must apply internally via SuccessFactors
Next Lives at the University of Cincinnati
Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati ranks among the nation’s best urban public research universities. Home to more than 53,600 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, and over 360,000 living alumni, UC, a Carnegie 1 institution, combines research prowess with a physical setting The New York Times has called “the most ambitious campus design program in the country." UC's momentum has never been stronger as the anchor of the Cincinnati Innovation District, the oldest cooperative education (co-op) program in the country with students earning $94 million annually through paid experiences, an academic health system, and as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university contributes $10.6 billion in economic impact to the city and $22.7 billion to the state of Ohio. At UC, next is all of us. Learn more at uc.edu.
UC is a mission-driven organization where we are committed to student success and positively transforming the community through scholarship and service. We thrive on innovation, making an impact, and fostering an environment where staff and faculty are key contributors to UC’s success.
Job Overview
The Senior Buyer provides advanced operational purchasing support within the University’s centralized purchasing shared services function. This role independently manages complex, higher‑risk, or compliance‑sensitive purchasing transactions across a broad range of goods and services, ensuring adherence to University policies, competitive bidding requirements, and applicable federal and state regulations.
Essential Functions
- Independently manage complex operational purchasing transactions, including those involving higher dollar values, non‑standard terms, or heightened compliance considerations.
- Support purchasing activities related to research, grants, and sponsored programs by ensuring allowability, documentation, and compliance with University policies and applicable regulations.
- Apply sourcing best practices to operational purchases, including preparation of appropriate basis‑of‑award documentation and support for competitive purchasing below formal bid thresholds.
- Serve as a senior‑level resource to Buyers and Associate Buyers on complex purchasing scenarios, policy interpretation, and documentation standards.
- Partner with Strategic Sourcing to ensure smooth handoffs for purchases that require formal sourcing events, exceptions, or advanced negotiation.
- Provide guidance and informal training to shared services staff on procurement fundamentals, including competitive purchasing requirements, supplier selection rationale, and purchase order creation.
- Review purchasing requests for completeness, compliance, and appropriateness of procurement method prior to execution.
- Support audit readiness by maintaining accurate, well‑documented purchasing records and advising on corrective actions when needed.
- Collaborate with Accounts Payable, Contract Compliance, Sponsored Research Services and Treasury to resolve purchasing and payment issues.
- Identify recurring operational purchasing challenges and recommend process improvements to shared services leadership.
- Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal customers and external suppliers to support timely issue resolution.
- Perform related duties based on departmental need; this job description may change at any time.
Required Education
- Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, finance, or a related field.
- Eleven (11) years of relevant education, experience and/or other specialized training can fulfill minimum education and experience requirements.
Required Experience
- Seven (7) years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex or higher‑risk purchasing transactions requiring judgment and policy interpretation.
- Experience applying competitive procurement principles in an operational purchasing environment.
Additional Qualifications Considered
- Experience in higher education or public sector procurement.
- Experience supporting research, grants, or sponsored programs procurement.
- Experience working within or alongside a strategic sourcing func
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