"Sourcing Specialist, Procurement (Buyer)"

Sourcing Specialist, Procurement (Buyer)

Company: Western Governors University

Job Location: WGU North Carolina

Category: Business and Financial Services

Type: Full-Time

Job Type: Full time

Job Number: JR-023829

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Professional 307 Pay Range: $66,300.00 - $99,500.00

Job Description

At WGU, we're transforming higher education through innovation and accessibility, and every role contributes to that mission. As a Sourcing Specialist, you'll help ensure we secure the best products and services, enabling our teams to operate efficiently and deliver exceptional experiences for our students. Your work will strengthen supplier relationships, optimize costs, and support the university's commitment to affordability and quality.

What You'll Do:

• Evaluates new supplier capabilities, assesses risk, and quality as necessary.
• Invites and receives bids.
• Evaluates prices, products, discounts, and delivery conditions.
• Makes award selections, confers, and corresponds with suppliers, manufacturers, service suppliers, and sales representatives to obtain pricing and product information, services provided, market information, and trends.
• Resolves problems with PO, billing, and payment.
• Maintains records of contracts negotiated, ordered, and received.
• Coordinates with other departments including finance and legal for the negotiation and implementation of the contracts.
• Participates in the review of specifications and statements of work for, but not limited to curriculum, materials, equipment, facilities, supplies, and services.
• Processes contract, bid, or purchase order requests. Monitors current market to ensure competitive pricing.
• Maintains purchasing instructions, policies, and procedures. Communicates and educates university employees to ensure compliance.
• Assists in negotiating of contracts, terms, and pricing. Ensures best prices and services are obtained in assigned areas of responsibility.
• Assists with forecasting and trend analysis to effectively predict business needs.
• Reviews purchase orders and contracts for conformance to company policies.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities You'll Need to Be Successful:

• Basic knowledge of the principles and practices of purchasing, including purchasing ethics and standards
• Basic understanding of the use of PO's versus contracts
• Basic understanding of the competitive bidding process
• Basic understanding of key PO/contract terms and conditions
• Basic knowledge of cost/pricing analysis
• Ability to learn new technologies and adapt to moving priorities
• Strong negotiation and organizational skills, including basic understanding of how to negotiate business terms with suppliers (i.e., price, delivery, quality, payment).
• Excellent decision-making skills
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office products

What You'll Bring (Minimum Qualifications):

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree
• Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Experience:

• 2 years of procurement, supply chain, or business experience

Bonus Points for (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience with events, hotel sourcing, or facilities procurement.
• Prior experience in higher education, nonprofit, or complex multi-stakeholder orgs.
• Procurement certifications (CPPB, CPSM).

Work Location:

• While this position will begin as remote/work-from-home, it is expected to transition to an in-office role in Raleigh, North Carolina, once a dedicated office space is established (anticipated by mid-2026).
• Must currently reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the Raleigh, North Carolina area within 90 days of hire.
• Ability to work on-site at the Raleigh, NC office four (4) days per week with the option to work remotely on Fridays, as scheduled by the department.

What to Expect:

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do-including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations, practical problem-solving, and authentic collaboration.

We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission. If selected, you'll hear from a recruiter or hiring manager who will guide you through the process and help you know what to expect at each stage. We aim to communicate decisions promptly and respectfully.

Here's what that typically looks like:

• Introductory phone screen (~30-45 minutes): We'll walk you through who we are at WGU, what you'll do in this role, and learn about your relevant experience.
• Hiring Manager Interview (~45 minutes): Dive deeper into your skills and how you'll contribute to the team.
• Director Interview (~ 30 minutes)

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

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