YMCA of the USA→
Procurement Specialist - National… at YMCA of the USA · Chicago
Skills
Job Description
The Procurement Specialist is responsible for managing procurement-eligible goods and services for Y-USA, with a focus on vendor sourcing, negotiation support, contract coordination, and ongoing vendor relationship management.
This role supports the full lifecycle of vendor engagements subject to procurement—including intake, competitive sourcing, negotiation, contract execution, renewal management, and performance monitoring—while explicitly excluding grants, pass-through funding to Ys and Alliances, fair share refunds, and other non-procurement activity.
The Procurement Specialist partners closely with Finance, Contract Administration, IT, Events, Legal, and functional leaders to ensure vendor relationships are well-managed, cost-effective, compliant, and aligned with organizational priorities.
YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) embraces a remote-first working environment which means most employees work remotely from a home office within the continental United States.
Procurement-Eligible Spend (In Scope):
- Professional and consulting services
- Technology, SaaS platforms, licensing, and IT services
- Marketing, media, creative, and communications vendors
- Temporary staffing, independent contractors, and recruiting firms
- Corporate facilities, office services, and operational vendors
- Printing, promotional items, and externally purchased goods
Not Managed Through Procurement (Out of Scope):
- Grants and pass-through payments to Ys, Alliances, and partners
- Fair share refunds and inter-organization settlements
- Scholarships, stipends, and volunteer reimbursements
- Conference registrations, dues, and memberships
- Programmatic travel and lodging where vendor selection is not discretionary
Key Responsibilities
- Procurement and Sourcing
- Manage intake and review of procurement-eligible purchase requests
- Support and lead competitive sourcing activities (RFPs, RFQs, vendor comparisons)
- Apply procurement thresholds and approval rules consistently
- Advise internal stakeholders on sourcing approaches based on risk and spend
- Negotiation and Commercial Review
- Support and lead negotiations on pricing, terms, and scopes of work
- Identify opportunities for cost savings, scope clarity, and risk reduction
- Partner with Contract Administration and Legal on contract negotiations
- Contract and Vendor Management
- Coordinate contract execution and maintain documentation of key terms
- Track renewals and support renewal and re-bid decisions
- Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and issue resolution
- Escalate vendor risks or performance concerns when appropriate
- Spend Analysis and Reporting
- Analyze procurement-eligible vendor spend
- Identify opportunities for consolidation or renegotiation
- Prepare reports for Finance leadership on managed spend and renewals
- Process and Policy Support
- Reinforce procurement workflows and role clarity
- Support standardized templates and intake processes
- Collaborate with Finance, IT, Events, and Contract Administration on controls
A successful candidate will possess a majority of the following professional and personal attributes and competencies:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business, finance, supply chain management-
- Preferred: Institute for Supply Chain Management Certification: APSM or CPSM
- 3–6 years of experience in procurement, contract administration, or vendor management
- Experience with vendor negotiation and relationship management
- Ability to interpret contracts, pricing schedules, and scopes of work
- Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills
- Clear communicator with strong stakeholder management skills
- Comfortable balancing service orientation with control discipline
- Experience with professional services and SaaS vendors preferred
- Nonprofit or mission-driven experience a plus
- Strong Excel skills; ERP/AP and contract repository experience preferred
- Excellent communication, negotiation and collaboration skills
We offer a full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, defined benefit plan (retirement savings), defined contribution plan (403(b) plan, life and disability insurances, technology stipend, and generous paid time off, all in a work from anywhere in the continental U.S. workplace.