Manager - Procurement Controls and Support Services

The Controls and Support Services group will support the core functions of the Procurement Services organization through the development, management and compliance monitoring of policies, procedures, processes, tools and systems.

The Controls and Support Services Manager is responsible for the management and oversight of the Controls and Support Services division including: Quality Assurance, Safety, Procurement Systems, and Purchasing sub-division.

Quality Assurance

Be responsible for giving direction to, and for the performance of, the Quality Assurance Specialist who in turn is responsible to:

• Review and analyze transactions, documents, records, reports and accounts relating to procurement actions to evaluate the effectiveness of internal control procedures and compliance, and prepares comprehensive working papers and audit reports of findings;
• Understand and document business processes interpreting university policies and procedures, governance practices and regulatory obligations into Procurement guides, policies and procedures;
• Evaluate the compliance of Procurement actions with policies, procedures and regulations, and compare operating practices with established norms;
• Develop and periodically conduct comprehensive education for the Procurement Services team and their customers on Procurement policies, procedures, processes and systems;

Safety

Be responsible for giving direction to, and for the performance of, the Safety Officer who in turn is responsible to:

• Direct, coordinate and control the overall Procurement Services safety planning and technical support services activities in collaboration with operational managers.
• Responsible for keeping people free from danger, risk or injury in the workplace and the development of safety programs to minimize losses due to injuries and property damage;
• Manage the undertaking of specialized and specific technical reviews of facilities, procedures and environments to ensure the safety of KAUST human and material capital;
• Lead all incident investigations and determines root cause and associated corrective actions. Tracks all corrective actions to a timely conclusion;

Procurement Systems

Be responsible for giving direction to, and for the performance of, the Procurement Systems team who in turn is responsible to:

• Lead the development and deployment of Enterprise Resource Planning procurement and supply chain applications to both Procurement Services and University end users;
• Manage the coordination with IT to define business requirements and ensure the business process is consistent with policies and procedures;
• Support end users with ongoing training programs, including program coordination, material development, and curriculum instruction, as appropriate;
• Coordinate change management activities as it relates to new system functionality or deployment efforts;

Purchasing

Be responsible for giving direction to, and for the performance of, the Procurement Purchasing sub-division who in turn is responsible to:

• Develop Head Agreements and sourcing of non-catalogue requisitions in accordance with the KAUST Purchasing Guide.
• Develop further supplier relationships, client relationships and catalogue items.
• Responsible for the development of University wide purchasing strategies and Agreements and the overall operation of the purchasing group.
• Procure the University’s needs for various materials (other than research materials) in the most effective and expedient manner and at the lowest possible prices.

Skills

• Communication skills: written documentation, strong written and spoken English fluency capabilities.
• Analytical Skills/ Problem Solving/ Decision Making.
• Organizational Understanding and Global Thinking.
• Planning and Organizational Skills: Strong ability to anticipate and predict internal and external changes, trends and influences in order to effectively allocate resources and implement appropriate initiatives.
• Strong ability to schedule and monitor activities to achieve organisational goals.
• Resource Management: demonstrated resource management skills including ability to motivate employees towards a common goal.
• Interpersonal/Group Skills: Strong interpersonal and social skills.
• Expertise and Technical Knowledge: Knowledge and understanding of electronic procurement and Enterprise Resource Planning systems within a research and university context. Ability to use SAP or other Material Resource Planning applications and Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, is highly desirable.

Required Education

• Preference for CIPS accredited or working towards CIPS accreditation, or any other equivalent procurement/purchasing accreditation.
• Other degree holders will also be eligible assuming they have demonstrated ability and experience in the Contracting field.
• Preference for certification in Project Management

Required Experience

• Minimum 10 years applicable experience in a Procurement support function, Contracting, Strategic Sourcing or service procurement at a management or strategic level; and
• Minimum 2 years applicable experience in a quality assurance or auditing role.