Lead Buyer

At the American Cancer Society, we're working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Our employees and 1.3 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities. The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

The Lead Buyer supports a team of buyers to oversee order fulfillment and ad-hoc purchase requests, ensuring compliance with policy and performance standards. This role collaborates with various ACS departments and the Supply Chain team to identify suppliers, negotiate pricing, and ensure compliance with ACS standards. Responsibilities include managing internal purchasing requests, clarifying requirements, obtaining pricing, executing Purchase Orders, and tracking deliveries. Additionally, the role involves monitoring and assigning the buyer team workload, coaching buyers, managing complex requests, maintaining strategic supplier relationships, and communicating policies and procedures to stakeholders. This is a fully remote position that can be home-based anywhere within the United States. Must have prior procurement/ buyer experience. Knowledge of Coupa is highly preferred.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Handles intake or procurement requests and support/coach the buyer team through the associated activities including bidding, contract execution, requisition creation, and purchase order management.  (15%)

• Identifies, evaluates, and manages supplier engagement, including contract negotiation, digital transactions, and performance management. (20%)

• Creates and issues purchase orders, manage order modifications, and coordinate the delivery of goods and services, including tracking and resolving delivery and invoicing issues. (20%)

• Leads or manages bidding processes, conduct bid reviews, negotiate pricing and terms with suppliers, manages reverse auctions as needed. (20%)

• Supports digital adoption and process improvement, collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve issues, and provide guidance to internal customers and other buyers. (15%)

• Provides product, spend, and supplier information, assist with catalog/category management, and create necessary reports, communications and status updates. (10%)

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, prefer concentration in Business Administration, Supply Chain, or related field.

• 5 years of experience with Coupa or other BSM/Procurement platforms preferred.

• Experience conducting RFPs and/or RFQs

• Experienced with negotiations and contract processes

• Proficient with procurement/supply chain industry-specific terminology and practices.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Experienced negotiator with formal bid process understanding.

• Basic knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting, and cost control.

• Experience in bidding and evaluating print jobs and logistics services.

• Skilled in organizing resources and establishing priorities.

• Makes data-driven decisions and applies sound business judgement.

• Experience purchasing from nationwide, regional, and local suppliers across various product categories.

• Ability to gather and analyze statistical data and generate reports.

• Collaborative in deadline-oriented environments.

• Effective in managing interactions and coordination with internal and external constituencies.  

• Self-starter with outstanding work ethic, detailed oriented, motivated, and committed to quality and teamwork.  

• Excellent customer service, interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

• Experience with advanced P2P systems, electronic purchasing tools and reverse auction systems (Coupa experience a plus).

• Proficient with Microsoft Office tools.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to travel when necessary

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment. 

• No or very limited physical effort required.  

• No or very limited exposure to physical risk. 

The starting rate is $63,000 to $73,000 annual. The final candidate's relevant experience/skills will be considered before an offer is extended. Actual starting pay will vary based on non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, skills, specialty, and education.

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.