Course Materials Buyer - Utah State University

Overview:

Reporting to the Course Materials Manager, the Course Materials Buyer (Buyer II) assists in the timely and efficient provision of course materials to meet the academic needs of the university and the fiscal requirements of the USU Campus Store. This buyer supervises, schedules, and trains 6-10 hourly employees in course material customer service, adoption processing, and ordering.

Responsibilities:

• Adoption Collection: Coordinate the collection of course material requests from faculty for each semester and serve as the primary point of contact for faculty inquiries about textbook editions, availability, and alternatives (such as digital formats, Open Educational Resources, or custom course packs).
• Inventory Ordering and Management: Make buying decisions for textbook titles based on sales and course enrollment data. Create and manage purchase orders based on those decisions and manage inbound and on-hand inventory to ensure efficiency and financial accountability
• Customer Service: Provide excellent customer service to the USU community by communicating effectively verbally and in writing
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Analyze data and create reports aimed at increasing operational efficiency, ensuring deadlines are met, and financial performance is achieved.
• Vendor Management: Establish and maintain relationships with publishers, distributors, and other suppliers. Negotiate pricing, terms, and returns with vendors.
• Price Inventory: Determine retail pricing for textbooks in accordance with institutional policies and market trends, while also ensuring affordability for students
• Return Management: Coordinate and oversee the process for returning unsold or obsolete textbooks to publishers, ensuring compliance with vendor return policies.
• Compliance: Ensure compliance with all institutional, state, and federal regulations regarding textbook affordability and disclosure (e.g., HEOA regulations).
• Collaboration: Work closely with other Campus Store team members to optimize related processes and ensure smooth operations during peak periods like back-to-school season.
• Author Events: Coordinates the ordering, selling, and staffing of books for author events on campus

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, preferably in accounting, finance, or business-related field plus two years of experience in procurement or inventory management OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously with attention to detail and accuracy

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience supervising a team of employees in providing excellent customer service, as well as aligning the team to accomplish projects on time and accurately
• Proficiency in inventory management and purchasing systems, preferably NetSuite and Verba by VitalSource
• Must be able to communicate with customers, vendors/supplies, University faculty/staff, and other employees, both verbally and in writing
• Must have experience using Microsoft Windows with intermediate to advanced experience using Microsoft Excel.

Required Documents:

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
2. Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary:Minimum $43,888; Commensurate on experience, plus excellent benefitsADA:

Must be able to move freely throughout the store, including reaching, bending, and lifting items up to 60 pounds. Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. The employee is also regularly required to sit for long periods of time and often uses repetitive hand motions.

University Highlights:

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

 

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu. 

 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

 

*updated 04/2024

Notice of Non-discrimination:

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

 

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

*updated 09/2023