Purchase Associate (Contract Administrator) - College Of Environmental Science And Forestry

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About College of Environmental Science and Forestry:

Founded in 1911, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is the nation's oldest and most respected school dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies and building a sustainable future. The ESF main campus is in Syracuse, NY and has regional campuses throughout Central New York and the Adirondack Park. ESF consistently earns high rankings in US News and World Report, Forbes, Peterson's Guide, The Washington Monthly, Princeton Review and other national college guidebooks.

The College is committed to providing high-quality instruction, research, and service at its facilities in New York State, which encompass 25,000 acres, and at other locations worldwide. ESF features extensive forest lands and scientific facilities that offer unparalleled learning and research opportunities. At these facilities students can participate with faculty in hands-on field and lab activities using state-of-the-art technologies to prepare them to enter the workforce, and to make a difference as they embark on the next phases of their lives.

ESF is well positioned for success at a time when society increasingly recognizes the importance of a sustainable environment - and the health of ecosystems around the world - to the economic and social well-being of all. The College provides national and international leadership to address and solve some of the world's most important and complex natural resource and environmental policy challenges. ESF consistently earns high rankings in Forbes, Peterson's Guide, Princeton Review, US News and World Report, and other national college guidebooks. It is one of only a handful of academic institutions in the US to have achieved the highest status (Platinum) in the academic industry-standard Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). For more information about the College, please visit https://www.esf.edu/

Job Description:

Budget Title: Purchase Associate

Campus Title: Contract Administrator

Unit: Business Office

Professional Rank and Salary: SL-4 $55,000 - $66,500 DOQ

Location: Syracuse

Description of Duties:

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) seeks to hire a Contract Administrator with a focus on customer service, reporting to the Director of Business Affairs. The Contract Administrator performs daily operations within the College's procurement department at SUNY ESF, in accordance with applicable policies, regulations, and guidelines, to include purchase order creation and modification and contract management for revenue, commodities and services needed by the College. The Contract Administrator will direct and manage the property control functions of the department and supervise property control staff. Responsibilities include maintaining procurement records, vendor catalogs, contracts, requests for proposals and quotes, as well as required regulatory documents. Prepares and coordinates bidding and contractual documents, negotiates procurement for services and commodities. The Contract Administrator must be able to Interact with College departments, all levels of college administration and leadership, faculty and staff, vendors, SUNY System Administration, Offices of the NYS Attorney General and NYS Office of General Services, and NYS Comptroller.

POSITION DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES:

With a customer service focus:

• Review and authorize College requisitions ensuring proper documentation for audit and internal controls, review sub-object coding, account coding and budget compliance

• Coordinate budgetary compliance and review with Director of Business Affairs

• Consult with department directors and administrators regarding purchases as needed

• Oversee and complete assigned College procurements

• Prepare Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Invitation for Bid (IFB) requests, Requests for Qualifications (RFQ), and Requests for Information (RFI) as part of the procurement exploration and the procurement process including ensuring that such documents are sufficiently detailed, and work or products are properly specified to result in qualified, efficient, and quality responses to the requests

• Develop and edit specifications in consultation with requisitioners the scope of services, technical service agreements, and consultant agreements

• Prepare and execute College SUNY contracts, including purchase orders, in accordance with rules and regulations (i.e., bidding requirements, campus budgetary requirements, with focus on utilization minority/women-owned vendors, etc.) in a timely, accurate and thorough manner

• Ensure compliance with College, SUNY, Research Foundation, and NYS internal control guidelines

• Proactively communicate with the Research Foundation, New York State Offices of the State Comptroller, General Services and Attorney General, and SUNY, regarding procurement activities and maintain authoritative knowledge of policies and regulations- Supervise and assign tasks to staff, provide technical guidance and training in procurement procedures and implementation techniques

• Advise the College community of procurement policies and procedures and ensure compliance with these guidelines

• Oversee implementation of E-Market procurement system to include administering the electronic requisition and purchasing system, procedures, and training of employees to ensure efficient and cost-effective solution at the College.

• Continually seek to streamline and improve the College's procurement processes as it relates to State procurement. Recommend changes in methods or procedures to improve the procurement efficiency

• Monitor and develop reports to assist in the efficient review of purchasing activity

• Establish and maintain good working relationships with the College's accounting, accounts payable and business offices staffs

• Maintains departmental webpage

• Ensure that all procurement records are complete and properly documented to withstand internal and external audit reviews and procurement protests

• Ensure all contracts follow all applicable State, Federal, and other external requirements, policies, procedures, regulations, and statutes

• Serve as a subject matter expert on Campus contracts for the Campus community and staff

• Train personnel on purchasing policies and procedures and use of the electronic requisition system.

• Participate in various committees throughout the campus.

• Oversee Asset Management including procurement, inventory and life cycle tracking and supervision of departmental staff

Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business or management or related field from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization, or equivalent experience.

• 3+ years of experience with purchasing and contracting

• Experience with competitive bid processes

• Ability to manage complex negotiations and documents

• Advanced critical thinking skills

• Excellent communication and people skills

• Experience with multi-tasking critical procurements

• Proficiency in MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

• Applicants must address in their applications their ability to work with a culturally diverse population.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business administration from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization

• 5+ years of experience with purchasing and contracting

• Experience working with procurement and contracts for colleges

• Experience with procurement within the State University of New York (SUNY) system

• Experience with New York State purchasing and contracting

• Experience with e-procurement systems

Additional Information:

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act" institutions of higher education are required to prepare an annual report containing information on campus security policies and campus statistics. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by SUNY-ESF; and on property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a printed copy of this report by contacting SUNY-ESF University Police at 315-470-6667 or by accessing the following web site: https://www.esf.edu/safety/annual-security-reports.php

Additional Information: Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.

SUNY ESF is a Smoke and Tobacco Free campus and is dedicated to providing a healthy and safe environment for the entire campus. For more information you can visit our Tobacco and Smoke Free Policy at https://www.esf.edu/employees/policies/policy-smoking.php

SUNY-ESF is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Application Instructions:

Application Procedure: Application materials are required to be submitted on-line at http://www.esf.edu/hr/. Please provide Cover Letter, Resume, and at least three employment references (we will not contact references without prior permission).

Application Deadline: To ensure optimal consideration, all application materials must be received by September 30, 2023, although this position will remain open until filled.

Internal Procedures: UUP-represented employees of ESF desiring consideration under the Advanced Internal Application Procedures should submit application materials online and notify the Office of Human Resources by August 15, 2023 that they would like early consideration.