EducationPlus
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Job Title: Cooperative Purchasing Manager
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
About EducationPlus
EducationPlus is an education service center/cooperative that provides a complete line of purchasing services to over 50 member school districts/charter schools and hundreds of other educational institutions and governmental entities throughout Missouri and Southern Illinois. EducationPlus adds value to the purchasing process for customers because the bidding, invoicing, and customer service is handled for them. Our goal is to promote efficient use of educational dollars, and simultaneously provide an ongoing market for those vendors doing business with EducationPlus.
About the job
The Cooperative Purchasing Manager will lead and oversee Cooperative Purchasing by performing the essential functions in the areas listed below.
Essential Functions
*Direct the cooperative purchasing operational policies, objectives, and initiatives
*Build relationships with customers and vendors
*Publish local bids, make awards, and establish contracts
*Refresh ongoing bids
*Establish a bid schedule that meets districts’ purchasing cycles
*Attend trade shows as vendor
*Provide leadership in the AEPA [serve on solicitation committee(s) and provide other services to AEPA as appropriate]
*Attend regularly scheduled AEPA meetings
*Organize quarterly AEPA vendor sales and fee reports, and report same online to AEPA semiannually
*Assure all public bids meet state, federal and school districts’ guidelines
*Oversee training programs to increase awareness of the Cooperative Purchasing Program
*Develop budget for Cooperative Purchasing
*Maintain online Marketplace and provide training to customers on marketplace use
*Track contracts and execute extensions, as appropriate, according to contract cycles
*Regularly solve issues related to Cooperative Purchasing, such as conflicts between vendors and customers
*Provide customer service to member and other districts (and other Missouri non-profit organizations)
*Supervise Cooperative Purchasing employees
*Market vendor partner contracts
*Act as a sales representative for Cooperative Purchasing, MOREAP, Comparative Data, and other EducationPlus products
*Regularly call on school districts and other customers
*Lead the purchasing Professional Learning Network (PLN)
*Work with Communications department to facilitate attracting vendors to sponsorship opportunities
*Other duties as assigned
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills
*Read & understand terms for contracts and agreements
*Knowledge of bid specifications and bid awarding procedures and an understanding of school policies and laws
*Supervise and evaluate staff
*Ability to work as a member of a work team, and independently
*Possess strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen, work in groups, communicate both verbally and non-verbally, negotiate, and solve problems
*Evidence of an on-going customer focus
*Maintain the highest levels of integrity
*Possess experience in providing constructive feedback
*Gather, analyze and organizes data for various reports
Required Education/Experience/Certifications
*Bachelor’s degree in business administration, or advanced degree in Educational Leadership
*Customer service management experience
*Supervisory experience
Preferred Education/Experience/Certifications
*Procurement, bid specification and purchasing contract experience
*Knowledge of and experience with implementing and/or managing on-line ordering/purchasing systems
*Public purchasing certification through UPPCC or NIGP
*Sales experience
Physical Demands
Lifting, carrying, and sitting and/or standing for extended periods. Excellent dexterity, ability to perform repetitive motions; operate telephone, computer, presentation equipment. Lift and transport materials weighing up to 50 lbs. Exerts up to 20 lbs of force occasionally and/or exerts up to 10 lbs of force and a negligible amount of force constantly.
Supervisory Responsibilities
2 or more employees
Working Conditions
Office & school environment.
Equipment
Standard office equipment, including but not limited to computer/laptop and associated software, copy machine, printers, scanners, facsimile machines, and presentation equipment such as interactive whiteboards, overhead projectors, projectors, screens, etc.
Travel
The means to travel within the St. Louis on a regular basis. Ability to attend local, state and national evening and/or weekend conferences, tradeshows, meetings and other events.
Work Hours
8:00-4:30 Mon-Fri, unless determined otherwise. Some evening or weekend work may be required.
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws. Certain job functions described above may be subject to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. Reasonable changes or accommodations may be appropriate under certain circumstances.
