Director of Procurement (24-25) - IDEA Public Schools

Director of Procurement

Finance Department

Role Mission:

IDEA Public Schools is searching for a Director of Procurement. The Procurement Team strives to support the leadership at IDEA as we work together to meet and exceed our ambitious financial and student achievement goals. The Director of Procurement provides managerial oversight and administration of the organization’s purchasing and contract management processes.  The Director of Procurement is responsible for providing support to all financial management users, sets clear expectations in planning, organizing, directing operations and activities related to procurement processing and is committed to continuously improve the procurement process.  The vision of the department is to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction by facilitating the efficient acquisition of goods and services, including leveraging our ERP system to facilitate BID/RFP processes, while keeping in compliance with local policy, procedures and State and Federal regulations.

Their mission is to oversee and manage the procurement process, ensuring the acquisition of goods and services in a cost-effective, efficient, and compliant manner. Additionally, the Director is responsible for negotiating and managing contracts to ensure favorable terms and compliance with organizational standards. Streamlining procurement procedures to reduce costs and improve efficiency, the Director aligns all procurement activities with the strategic objectives of IDEA Public Schools to ensure students get to and through college. This is a hybrid position based in Texas with preference given to candidates who live in Texas.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Director of Procurement will supervise the procurement and contracts team.

Location:

This is a full-time remote position based in Texas with preference given to candidates who live in Austin, El Paso, Houston, Permian Basin (Midland/Odessa), Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Tarrant County (Fort Worth), or who are willing to relocate.

Travel Expectations:

Up to 20% of the time during the busiest parts of the year

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities

In this role you will:

Professional

• Contribute expertise to organization related to purchasing and procurement. Advise senior leaders on most effective strategies in areas such as cost control, contracts management, cooperative purchasing and other areas as appropriate.
• Serve as the resident expert for best practices in purchasing for IDEA Texas and IPS entities in Louisiana, Florida, and Ohio.
• Network with other large charter management organizations as well as similarly-sized government or private organizations to learn and share innovations and best practices for procurement

Team Management

• Manage team of up to four FTE, providing annual performance and salary reviews, reward pay recommendations, coaching and professional development
• Achieve 85% annual retention of Procurement Department staff
• Develop and train 90% of Talent Review “A players” within the procurement department to meet Staff Development Cycle annual performance goals and continue to be “A” rated. 
• Achieve 95% customer service rating from Zendesk for the Procurement Department 

Requisitions

• Consider end-to-end purchase requisition process and steps for maximum effectiveness and efficiency for purchasers while complying with policy directives, audit requirements and legal statutes. With your team, meet the indicators below.
• Ensure 99% of requisitions are reviewed and approved within 2 business days
• Monitor and minimize after the fact and aged trend requisitions and purchase orders
• Develop a comprehensive strategy encompassing improved processes, professional development, and financial manager coaching to reduce the number of rejected requisitions regarding
  • Coding
  • Required documentation
  • Vendor issues
• Collaborate with Assistant Director of Accounts Payable and Managing Director of Finance Services and Development to inform and guide Business Clerks and Financial Managers regarding critical procurement actions during weekly tactical meetings, quarterly professional development and all other operating mechanisms
• 100% compliance with the TEA, USDOE and other governing body regulations
• Attend trainings semiannually on current and new State and Federal laws and regulations concerning procurement
• Update purchasing policy and procedures manual quarterly or as needed
• Update forms on the department website (HUB) for internal use as needed
• Comply 100% with Texas Education Agency (TEA) Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG)
• Submit 100% of audit samples requested from internal or external auditors related to procurement on or before deadline with no audit findings
• Obtain feedback from end users to identify gaps in processes and policies 
• Take an active leadership role in the beginning of year (BOY) planning committee and attend 100% of all meetings

Vendor Management

• Direct and guide your team to ensure that vendor management at IDEA meets the standards below.
• 100% of vendor records and contracts follow IDEA’s retention policy procuring according to federal guidelines. 
• 100% of all vendors have CIQ, SB9, SAM.gov and W9 information in IDEA’s financial information system, Tyler Munis
• All CIQ’s are reviewed, updated annually, and posted on the IDEA website.
• 100% of vendors are coded correctly for 1099 status
• New vendors are added to Tyler Munis within one business day of request
• TIN # matching is verified with IRS
• With the Accounting team, processing of 100% of 1099’s and mail out to vendors by the annual deadline
• With the Accounting team, filing of 100% of 1099’s with the IRS by the annual deadline
• 100% of any Form-1099-MISC errors indicated by the IRS are corrected within 3 months of notice
• Biannually inactive vendors in Tyler Munis are coded as part of vendor maintenance cleanup 
• Vendor bank information changes are approved by VP Accounting prior to making change in Tyler Munis 

Contracts Management

• Oversee and provide guidance to Procurement Specialist/Buyer to ensure vendor contracts follow IDEA, TEA, and EDGAR policies. 

What You Bring – Competencies

Knowledge and Skills:

• Skill in critical-thinking and problem-solving, along with the ability to perform during moments of ambiguity
• Skill in organization, prioritization, follow through, and attention to detail
• Ability to build strong relationships and mutually beneficial business partnerships through trust, empathy, and credibility
• Knowledge of state and federal rules and regulations concerning procurement
• Knowledge of Texas Education Agency Financial Accountability Systems Resource Guide, preferred  
• Knowledge of automated purchasing systems
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills
• Basic understanding of accounting and finance  
• Data analysis 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel  
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Customer service centric approach to purchasing functions

Required experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, management, finance, business or another relevant field. Master of Accountancy or Business Administration preferred.
• 5+ years of professional-level experience in high volume, deadline critical procurement environment, preferably in school districts.

What We Offer:

Compensation & Benefits:

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $98,200 and $115,900, with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment

Additionally, IDEA offers medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, 403(b) and 457 retirement plans. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.

Learn more about IDEA

• https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/leadership/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/campus-operations/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/impact-magazine/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/history/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/our-approach/special-programs/
• https://ideapublicschools.org/blog/introducing-our-revised-core-values/