Shared Services Purchasing Analyst

Company: University of Washington
Location: Seattle
Posted on: January 27, 2023

Job Description:

Req #: 217560Department: Applied Physics LaboratoryPosting Date: 01/18/2023Closing Info: Closes On 01/25/2023Salary: $3936 - $5290 per monthShift: First ShiftNotes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-summary-classified-staff-greater-than-half-time-20220908_a11y.pdf)As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.The Business and Finance team at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the University of Washington is hiring see yourself at APL! The Applied Physics Laboratory is a research unit at the University of Washington. Our research expertise is in ocean physics and engineering, ocean and medical acoustics, polar science, environmental remote sensing, and signal processing. We conduct research and development that is sponsored by a variety of federal and state agencies, and take great pride in our long-standing status as a US Navy-designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Our work takes place not only on the University of Washington campus and medical centers, but in field locations around the world at sea, in the air, and on polar ice caps. We apply rigorous scientific inquiry and engineering excellence in pursuit of solutions to important problems for the good of our region, nation, and world.Diversity is a core value at University of Washington and the Applied Physics Laboratory shares this commitment. We are focused on building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable research environment for all students, staff, and collaborators. We believe every member on our team enriches our community by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions.APL has an outstanding opportunity for a Shared Services Purchasing Analyst. This is a full-time, regular position.The Shared Services Purchasing Analyst is a member of the Business and Finance team, where incoming requests will be sent in from our 8 research units, and 5 administrative units to be processed in this shared services environment. APL conducts research that frequently involves the fabrication of custom or prototype instrumentation and equipment. This requires purchasing of approximately $10M in materials and components (source: UW Office of Research Annual Report 2019, Direct Expenditures data from cube). The Laboratory has an in-house Purchasing Department to conduct all of this activity, headed by the Purchasing and Property Control Manager. Working within this team is the Shared Services Purchasing Analyst. The Shared Services Purchasing Analyst advises and supports staff within the Purchasing team in their day-to-day activities, performs higher level purchasing activities, provides reporting and data to department research administrators to support budget analysis, and acts as a point of contact within the Laboratory for general purchasing related questions and concerns.With the fast approaching onset of The University of Washingtons Finance Transformation (UWFT) and move to Workday Financials, the Laboratorys purchasing and fiscal activities are on the cusp of a total reimagining and foundational change. To support this transition and ensure continuous operations within the Purchasing team, the Shared Services Purchasing Analyst will serve as a point of contact both to Purchasing staff members and other APL stakeholders, as well as Central UW and external stakeholders. This position will advise staff members on the proper applications of common yet complex purchase requests, such as Machinery & Equipment (M&E) tax exemptions, resale orders, equipment fabrications, and engineering prototype services. This position will also process and manage larger blanket purchase orders (BPOs) and requests, coordinating with APL and UW partners to approve payments, manage invoices, and ensure compliance with State and Federal laws throughout the order lifecycle.The University of Washington Finance Transformation project will create far-reaching changes to fiscal processes not only for the UW, but for our sponsors and suppliers with whom we do business. It is crucial to our continued operation of research programs that we create a smooth transition for all of our stakeholders, maintaining our high volume of purchasing activity ($10M annually) with the same level of expertise and care. Failure to obtain items required for use in research can result in irreparable damage to high profile research projects and the reputation of APL-UW in the sponsor community.Major Duties and Responsibilities: APL Purchasing Program Support:Assists Purchasing Team with day-to-day purchasing activities and questions. Troubleshoots issues and escalates to the Purchasing Compliance Analyst. Advises on policy and procedure, and provides customer support to Research Department Administrators (RDAs), Principal Investigators, and other APL stakeholders. Performs procurement card reconciliation review for department ProCard cardholders. Conducts department-level training for Purchasing Team and ad hoc training for junior staff. Assists in onboarding of new Purchasing Team staff members. Develops and maintains relationships with central UW partners in Procurement, Equipment and Inventory, and Vendor control, among others, as well as external stakeholders with whom we do business, including Sponsors and suppliers.Purchasing: Complex Requests:Serves as primary contact for complex purchase requests that involve a high level of invoice and payment management. Advises Purchasing Team on complex Blanket Purchase Orders, assists in service quote interpretation, and escalates issues and questions as needed to the Purchasing Compliance Analyst.Fiscal Data Analysis and Process Review:Provides reporting and data to research administrators and other stakeholders to support budget analysis. Working collaboratively with the Purchasing Compliance Analyst, develop procedures for purchasing operations, conducts process reviews, analyzes customer service data and other performance metrics, ultimately recommending improvement initiatives to Purchasing leadership. As needed, performs process and policy research broadly to inform and improve purchasing business operations.Property Control/Equipment Inventory:Collaborates with the Inventory and Asset Compliance Analyst to ensure newly purchased assets are integrated into the UW inventory management system. Serves as primary point of contact between Purchasing and Inventory/Asset Management regarding insurance requests, asset status changes, audit support, and other requests requiring interface between the two teams.Requirements: A Bachelor's Degree and two years of work experience as a Shared Service Specialist, or equivalent combination of education/experience.Additional Requirements: Demonstrated collaborative and independent problem-solving. Flexibility to manage multiple and competing deadline-dependent priorities. Commitment to and orientation towards excellent customer service. Ability to teach, troubleshoot, and mentor staff and peers.Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. Desired: Experience with complex purchasing activities. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite of applications and software, Adobe Acrobat. Demonstrated ability to adapt to new software, web-based programs and tools. Familiarity with UW systems (ARIBA, MyFD, JPMorgan PaymentNet), policies (purchasing, reimbursement. reporting, reconciliation), and procedures. Experience with Workday financials. Excellent communication skills. Customer service is a core element for The Purchasing Services Specialist. This position communicates in-person, by phone, and email with a wide range of customers including PIs, faculty, staff, other UW departments and central services, vendors, and external collaborators. The Purchasing Services Specialist demonstrates understanding of subject matter, knows and uses available resources to better address customers needs, maintains compliance with department, UW, and sponsor requirements, and effectively communicates these often-competing variables to all stakeholders.University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Keywords: University of Washington, Seattle , Shared Services Purchasing Analyst, Accounting, Auditing , Seattle, Washington