Category Buyer

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 44,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Department of Procurement and Contracts provides CPS schools with the best options for purchasing the highest quality goods and services at the best price. The team works with schools, departments, vendors, and business stakeholders to provide goods and services of the highest quality and value for the district. We are dedicated to meeting our goal through competitive pricing while adhering to relevant laws, Board of Education rules, policies, and procedures.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Category Manager, a Category Buyer is responsible for collaborating with schools and departments on competitive solicitations for desired goods and services, and managing purchasing projects that are presented to the Board of Education for approval.

The Category Buyer will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Executes category strategy developed by Category Manager in alignment with Procurement Office and district priorities
• Works with clients to develop the sourcing plan; manages the process and provides advice to senior management on procurement type, appropriate contract length, and bundling opportunities
• Coordinates the sourcing process, implementing a tactical approach to sourcing in order to obtain the best value for money and leads negotiations for renewals and less complex RFPs / RFQs
• Analyzes final responses from potential vendors and provides recommendations based on cost/cash/quality and strategic fit criteria
• Coordinates vendor sourcing and contractual agreement process ensuring that all agreements are aligned with district policy and practices, including all required approvals
• Assesses and manages supplier performance for continuous improvement by leading supplier meetings, developing reports, and reviewing vendor performance to identify areas of opportunity, determine action items, and provide feedback.
• Develops collaboration with the vendor to drive cost saving through operational improvements in the supply chain.
• Evaluates supplier selection by verifying capabilities, cost, quality, and overall strategic fit for CPS.
• Other duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Category Buyer must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in business, supply chain, or other related field

Experience Required:

• Minimum of two (2) years of related professional experience in procurement including the following, is required:

o Experience with the solicitation (RFX) process

o Experience with negotiations

• Experience in a large, complex organization preferred
• Oracle experienced preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Advanced Microsoft Office (proficiency in Excel required)
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and decision-making skills
• Action oriented, well organized
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships with multiple departments, managers of the organization, and external entities (vendors)
• Negotiation and influencing skills

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.