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Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 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 Senior Category Buyer will be 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 as the buyer for a designated portfolio. 

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

• Works with the Category Manager to define a 3-year strategy for complex categories and is fully responsible for its execution.
• Works with clients to develop the sourcing plan: manages the process and provides advice on procurement type, appropriate contract length, and bundling opportunities to senior management.
• Implements a tactical approach to sourcing in order to obtain the best value for money/lead negotiations for complex RFPs/RFQs.
• Analyzes final answers from potential vendors and provides recommendations based on cost/cash/quality and strategic fit criteria.
• Coordinates the sourcing process to finalize the vendor contractual agreement.
• Assesses and manages supplier performance for continuous improvement by leading supplier meetings.
• Develops collaboration with the vendor to drive cost saving through operational improvements in the supply chain.
• Takes a leading role in proposing and implementing improvement in CPS procurement processes.
• Develops and facilitates training for staff on CPS systems and procurement processes.
• Serves as a mentor to other Category Buyers to help them develop their professional skills.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Senior 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 is required
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in business, supply chain or other related field is preferred

Experience Required: 

• Minimum of three (3) years of related professional experience required, preferably in Procurement in a large, complex organization
• Previous experience with the solicitation (RFX) process   
• Previous experience with negotiations 

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 communications skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships with multiple departments, managers of the organization and external entities (vendors)
• Negotiation and influencing skills
• Oracle experienced preferred

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.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 -Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.