Manager, Procurement Operations at Circular Action Alliance – Remote

Role Overview

The Procurement Manager – Operations leads day-to-day procurement execution in support of State Program Operations where CAA is designated as the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). This role owns the operational delivery of sourcing events (RFQs/RFPs), contract execution, requisition-to-PO workflows, supplier onboarding, and spend compliance. The position partners closely with State Program teams, Finance/AP, Legal, and IT to ensure timely procurement support, adherence to CAA policies (e.g., No PO, No Pay), and continuous process improvement across Workday P2P, Ironclad CLM, and eRFX tools.

The role focuses on service delivery, operational excellence, and compliance—ensuring suppliers are onboarded, contracts are executed, POs are issued before work begins, and invoices are paid accurately and on time—while driving measurable value through cost optimization, cycle-time reduction, and risk mitigation.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Procurement Delivery

• Lead end-to-end procurement execution for goods and services supporting State and National programs, from intake through PO issuance and supplier payment.
• Manage RFQs/RFPs and eRFX events aligned to State program needs (e.g., haulers, carts, trucks, MRF services, consulting, software, and MRO).
• Coordinate contract workflows in Ironclad (NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, ICAs) and ensure timely execution in partnership with Legal.
• Oversee requisition creation, approval routing, and PO issuance in Workday; enforce “No PO, No Pay.”
• Partner with AP to resolve invoice exceptions, mismatches, and accrual issues.

Supplier Onboarding & Management

• Ensure suppliers and service providers are onboarded in compliance with CAA standards (W-9, bank validation via Trustpair, insurance, and required documentation).
• Maintain supplier master data integrity; support vendor reactivations/deactivations per policy.
• Serve as the primary operational escalation point for supplier performance, billing, and compliance issues.

Process, Compliance & Controls

• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, State-specific procurement requirements, and CAA procurement policies and SOPs.
• Monitor PO and invoice compliance metrics (e.g., PO before invoice, spend under PO, 3-way match rates).
• Support audits by providing documentation, controls evidence, and transaction traceability.

Cost Optimization & Value Delivery

• Support competitive benchmarking, rate card development, and pricing analysis for recurring services and reimbursement models.
• Identify and execute cost savings and cost-avoidance opportunities through sourcing, renegotiations, and demand management.
• Track and report procurement KPIs (cycle time, compliance, savings, supplier performance).

Stakeholder Partnership

• Build and maintain a forward-looking pipeline of procurement needs with State Program teams.
• Provide guidance to internal customers on when and how to engage Procurement and how to raise requisitions in Workday.
• Communicate status, risks, and mitigation plans for high-visibility procurements.

Continuous Improvement & Enablement

• Drive operational improvements to P2P workflows, intake forms, approval routing, and supplier onboarding.
• Contribute to Procurement playbooks, SOPs, and training materials.
• Support special projects (e.g., tool implementations, policy updates, new State program launches).
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong experience with Procure-to-Pay (P2P), Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), eRFX tools, category management, and supplier management.
• Operational excellence mindset with the ability to manage high-volume, high-visibility procurement activity.
• Strong financial acumen: ability to analyze spend, pricing, and budgets to inform decisions.
• Detail-Oriented and highly organized with the ability to prioritize tasks, adapt and provide critical thinking, recommendations and to present and summarize key issues and suggested paths of resolution.
• Strong financial acumen especially related to formulating insights from data, supplied spend and financial analysis to budgets or other baseline information.
• Strong planning, organizing, coordinating and interpersonal skills.
• Strong data analytical and negotiations skills
• High proficiency in MicroSoft365, with Expert skills in Microsoft WORD, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or institution.
• 5 years or more with a BA/BS degree in Procurement/Supply Chain or Finance, with experience in procurement, strategic sourcing and contracts management required.
• General knowledge of State specific recycling system, local government, and post-consumer supply chains (i.e., haulers, etc.).
• Procurement and strategic sourcing experience in corporate, publicly traded company with experience working with local governments, state and/or national government organizations.
• Solid knowledge of acquisition regulations and contract negotiations and compliance practices.
• Proficient in Workday preferred.

Compensation & Other Information

• Location: Fully Remote; preference for candidates based in the Cincinnati, OH or Atlanta, GA areas to support collaboration and periodic in-person engagement.
• ·Travel: Occasional travel may be required for team offsites, stakeholder meetings, or organizational planning sessions.

• Pay Rate: Based on a variety of factors in accordance with applicable law including the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Reports To: Procurement Director.

Circular Action Alliance is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you require accommodation as part of the application process, please contact careers@circularaction.org.