Job Description

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

This position is a ESSER III Grant funded position for a 3-year contract term. This position focuses on the  procurement of all goods and services in accordance to federal laws, regulations, requirements, process, procedures, and audits. 

This position provides support to all 4 of KIPP’s Regions (Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) that includes 52 schools, 32,000 students, and over 3,000 staff members.  Procurement methods require strategic sourcing, competitive bidding, cooperatives, interlocal agreements, establishment and management of procurement projects to satisfy requirements, limit or lesson risk, and obtain best value. This includes research and analysis of markets, trends, prices, costs, anticipation of demand through receipt and acceptance of the goods and services, and administering contracts to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures. 

DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Procures or supervises the timely procurement of supplies, equipment and services needed by the District in accordance with Federal and State Laws. 

2. Maintains the integrity of the public procurement process. 

3. Consults with school and department personnel on procurement needs, advises on the best methods of purchasing required goods and services, and provides assistance.

4. Investigates, develops, and maintains records of supply sources, prices, specifications, and requirements to assist in the bid process. 

5. Conducts product and vendor research to forecast price trends, determine future availability, advise on new products, and anticipate future problems or opportunities. 

6. Plans administers, and executes the buying procedure including preparing requests for proposals, finalizing specifications and statements of work, coordinating legal and insurance results with departmental personnel, evaluating bids/proposals, and preparing contracts. 

7. Reviews and executes contracts and purchase orders within delegated authority. 

8. Develops and implements effective strategic source agreements based on spend analysis, market conditions, and risk. 

9. Monitors purchase orders to ensure that goods and services are responsive to District needs and best value is being obtained. 

10. Effectively communicates purchasing policies and procedures to District personnel and interprets said policies and procedures as necessary. 

11. Assists in the establishment and supervision of a contract administration system designed to ensure that contractors are performing in accordance with the terms and conditions of their contracts. 

12. Assists in the development, preparation, and issuance of various internal monthly and annual reports that accurately represent the purchasing activities.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Skills in providing effective customer service for internal and external customers.

• Knowledge of Federal grant laws, regulations, policy, process, and procedures.

• Knowledge of purchasing systems, best practices, principles, ethics, and standards.

• Proficient in eProcurement, P2P, Excel, and Word.

• Ability to obtain best value for KIPP through procurement methods including strategic sourcing, request for proposals, competitive sealed proposals, cooperatives, interlocal agreements, and negotiations. 

• Bid document preparation, and proper procurement techniques. 

• Analytical Skills and ability to learn, navigate, and generate reports in an eProcurement System and P2P Systems. 

• Skills in project management to lead multi-stakeholders in procurement projects from conception to establishment. 

• Must be able to lead vendors, District administrators, and staff through the competitive solicitation and bid/proposal evaluation process to achieve best value results. 

• Proficient written and oral communication skills including public speaking.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE: 

• This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and three (3) years of work experience. Experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis

PREFERRED LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/SPECIALIZED TRAINING:

• Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or other professional purchasing certification desired

Additional Information

LOCATION:

Any KIPP Texas region (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

In addition to a competitive salary scale, a part of KIPP Texas’ competitive benefits options, KIPP offers all employees an $0 HMO plan for the employee only. In addition to our $0 plan, KIPP provides a $600 employer contribution towards a Health Savings Account and a variety of other supplemental benefits such as Dental, Vision, Short and Long-Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Life, etc.

FUNDING:

The Buyer/Procurement Specialist will be funded directly from the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants awarded by the Texas Education Agency under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (ESSER II) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ESSER III). This position will be funded solely (100%) from the ESSER II and III allocation for administrative expenses through September 30, 2023, and may continue to be funded through September 30, 2024, depending upon the availability of ESSER grant funds. At the end of the grant period this position may be eliminated unless other sources of funds are secured to maintain this position or a similar position. The employee must sign this job description acknowledging receipt of the job description and signing their acknowledgement that this position is grant funded and is temporarily aligning with the terms of the grant period.