Principal Sourcing Specialist - Ashland, VA

The Principal Sourcing Specialist is responsible for independently processing operational procurement purchase requests for their assigned business unit groups (Generation, Home, Corporate Shared Services, Business). Operational Procurement activities may include identifying the appropriate source of supply for the requested goods or services. This will entail understanding available strategic agreements, identifying potential qualified suppliers, conducting requests for quotes and competitive pricing analysis, selection of suppliers and the issuance and management of purchase orders and blanket agreements.

This position will be part of an operational procurement center that provides support for fulfilling purchase requests and managing purchase activities with business requisitioners and suppliers. The group will work in a team environment to efficiently respond to requests and coordinate sourcing activities with the strategic sourcing group as required. As a Principal Sourcing Specialist this individual will provide coaching and mentoring to other procurement specialists and assist in balancing the transactional workload and project responsibilities across the team. A Principal Sourcing Specialist will support complex purchase requests and project-related initiatives.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Process purchase requisitions for materials and services into purchase orders with qualified sources of supply and competitive pricing

• Research potential sources of supply and conducts requests for quotes and pricing to comply with the appropriate supply chain policies

• Engage and communicate with suppliers, as required, as part of the RFQ, selection and PO fulfillment process

• Coordinates with strategic sourcing organization to provide information related to strategic agreements and identify potential bid event opportunities

• Collaborates with requisitioners and suppliers to ensure effective communications and understanding of purchasing needs, supplier capabilities and fulfillment activities

• Collaborates with business unit to monitor and report savings and other key performance information

• Engages suppliers on delivery confirmations, performance and invoice processing activities to address any delays or issues with the procure-to-pay process

• Updates blanket agreements and pricing on outline agreements to maintain accuracy and effective terms

• Maintains compliance with all operational procurement process and procedures and practices

• Provide direction on opportunities to initiate enterprise-wide sourcing initiatives based on purchasing requisitioning demand and strategic agreement usage

• Engage business unit stakeholder on outage planning and project-based procurement activities to identify and respond to procurement needs related to Purchasing demand, requirements, fulfillment and project reporting milestones

• Provide coaching and mentoring to junior team members

• Lead operational procurement process improvement initiatives, metrics reporting, and business driven operational procurement projects

Working Conditions:

• Working at power plants, and working in an open office environment

• Some overtime required as special projects arise

• Travel (10-20% of time)

Minimum Requirements:

• High School Diploma

• Strong negotiation skills

• 5 years or more of procurement work experience

• Experience with Microsoft Office 365 applications (Specifically Excel & Power BI)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or Engineering fields

• 5-7 years of sourcing experience related to spend categories in the areas of Generation, Retail, or Corporate

• 1 + years working with SAP applications

• Institute for Supply Management (ISM) qualification for Certified Professional in Supply Management CPSM)

Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Prior supply management experience with power plant, corporate, IT, marketing, advertising, contact center direct sales, or similar categories

• Strong interpersonal, motivating and influencing skills for interacting with team members, business partners, suppliers, and management

• Strong technical skills with required proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel & Power BI)

• Ability to plan, prioritize and manage workload with considerable independence

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills for producing and communicating comprehensive and concise reports

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Requirements:

• High School Diploma

• Strong negotiation skills

• 5 years or more of procurement work experience

• Experience with Microsoft Excel & Power BI