Procurement Officer Specialist – Technical Support

Title: Procurement Officer Specialist – Technical Support
Division Name: Finance and Planning
Department: Purchasing Office

Job Summary

The Procurement Officer is responsible for performing advanced procurement functions in support of the university’s academic, administrative, and research missions. As a technical specialist for the Procurement Team, this role serves as the organization’s primary expert in the functionality, configuration, and effective use of the procurement technology platform. This role acts as the bridge between Procurement, IT, end users, and system vendors—ensuring the system is optimized, users are supported, data integrity is maintained, and continuous improvements are identified and implemented. The Specialist plays a critical role in driving process efficiency, system adoption, and compliance across the procurement lifecycle.

Additional Information

University Benefit Highlights:

• Insurance benefits, including health, dental, vision, and life
• Retirement and supplemental retirement planning options
• Tuition waiver benefits available to staff as well as their eligible dependents
• Paid holiday/administrative closures during Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks
• Paid benefit time

For more University Benefit information: https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/ 

Information regarding eligibility for participation in the State Universities Retirement System and the State of Illinois Group Insurance program can be reviewed here https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/insurance/

Salary Rate / Pay Rate

$5,834 - $6,500 per month

Required Qualifications

Any one or any combination of the following, totaling two (2) years (24 months) from the categories below of which one (1) year (12 months) must be actual work experience:

A. Work experience performing duties comparable to those performed at the Procurement Officer level of this series or in positions of comparable responsibility

AND/OR

B. College credit for course work in any field
-30 semester hours equals six (6) months-
-60 semester hours or Associate’s Degree equals one (1) year (12 months)
-90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
-120 semester hours or a Bachelor’s Degree equals three (3) years (36 months)
-Master Degree or higher equals four (4) years (48 months)

NOTE: Possession of a current Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) from The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC), or a current Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (APP) certificate, Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) or Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) or equivalent certifications may satisfy the above requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s (or higher) degree in Supply Chain, Public Administration, Business, Law, Finance, or related field
2. Four (4) or more years of professional level experience with procurement or purchasing
3. Demonstrated experience in the implementation, enhancement, or support of enterprise systems that enable purchasing, sourcing, and procurement processes, including requisitioning, approval workflows, supplier management, and contract administration.
4. Intermediate or advanced excel experience
5. Ability to work effectively and professionally with Purchasing staff, University staff, state procurement offices, and vendors.
6. Thorough knowledge of ethical and moral concepts which guide relationships between end user, buyer and vendor.
7. Strong understanding of the procurement lifecycle (requisitions, POs, contracts, vendor management, approvals).
8. High proficiency with system configuration, workflow logic, and data management practices.
9. Ability to translate business needs into system requirements.
10. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and customer-service orientation.
11. Familiarity with ERP/procurement systems -Unimarket, Jagger, Banner, or Workday
12. Knowledge of public-sector purchasing practices and Illinois procurement regulations (or ability to learn quickly).

Work Hours

Core work hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4