Strategic Sourcing Agent

Overview & Benefits Oakland County is more than just a workplace. It is a place where you can make a real difference. As one of Michigan’s leading public service organizations, we are committed to strengthening communities, delivering essential services, and improving the quality of life for nearly 1.3 million residents. When you join our team, you become part of a mission-driven workforce guided by integrity, innovation, and a passion for public service. We offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and the opportunity to do meaningful work that matters. Apply today and help shape the future of Oakland County, where we are All Ways Moving Forward. For more information about Oakland County benefits and employee perks, please visit: General Summary $77,840 - $104,290 Hybrid GENERAL SUMMARY Ready to shape the future of public procurement and deliver exceptional value to the community? As a Strategic Sourcing Agent, you will lead the sourcing, evaluation, and management of suppliers to secure goods and services at the optimal balance of cost, quality, and value for Oakland County. You will administer complex and high-value ($1M and above) formal solicitations, negotiate favorable contract terms, monitor supplier performance, mitigate risk, and market trends to support operational efficiency. Serving as a trusted advisor to County departments, you will guide the full procurement process—from developing specifications and evaluation criteria to conducting evaluations and awarding solicitations—while maintaining reports that inform procurement strategy and contract portfolios. You will represent Oakland County at procurement and vendor outreach events, engage with vendors and the public to ensure a fair and transparent process, and utilize countywide and department-specific software to successfully execute assignments. What You’ll Do • Lead construction bids and/or other complex, high-dollar solicitations, including services in technical areas such as engineering, financial services, and information technology. • Determine bonding requirements and oversee formal bids valued at $1M and above in accordance with County policies and procedures. • Serve as a strategic advisor to departments by guiding procurement methods, establishing evaluation criteria and pricing matrices, and verifying sourcing strategies with Fiscal Services. • Ensure adherence to Board-approved procurement policies, fair business practices, and the integrity of all public bid events. • Monitor supplier performance, negotiate contract terms, and maintain reports that support procurement strategy and contract portfolio management. Why You’ll Love This Job • You will manage high-impact, high-value projects that directly support County operations. • You will play a central role in shaping procurement strategy and influencing sourcing decisions across departments. • You will represent Oakland County in vendor outreach and procurement events, serving as a key point of contact for suppliers and the public. • You will collaborate with departments and leadership to ensure fair, transparent, and policy-driven procurement practices. • You will have the opportunity to provide leadership and guidance to procurement staff through mentoring and knowledge sharing. If you are ready to bring strategic thinking, sound judgment, and procurement expertise to a role that makes a measurable difference, we invite you to join Oakland County’s Purchasing team. Minimum Qualifications SUPERVISION EXERCISED May provide leadership through demonstrating skills, observing, assisting and instructing lower level or newly assigned Procurement staff. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Responsible for construction bids and construction related contracting including determining bonding requirements for solicitations valued at $1M and above, and formal bids for difficult and complex services for the County, including but not limited to highly technical areas such as engineering services, high dollar financial services, and information technology services. Functions as an advisor to departments on fair processes, procurement protocols, policies and procedures, and determines the best possible strategic sourcing methods, verifying those sources with Fiscal Services. Ensures departmental adherence to Board-approved procurement policies and fair business practices, as well as the integrity of all public bid events. Maintains the integrity of the solicitation process by coordinating all communications between the vendor community and the County. Responds to bidders and departmental questions during the solicitation and the evaluation and selection process. Coordinates and oversees the creation, revision and review of c omplex scopes of work. Determines additional information needed to secure the best supplier submissions. Approves final scope prior to inclusion in the bid process. Proactively engages with Corporation Counsel and Risk Management to determine the appropriate contract type to ensure that the correct insurance requirements are established for solicitations and contracts, to minimize the County’s risk. Proactively engages with Information Technology to determine the necessary questionnaires and review needed based on scope of work. Coordinates and leads all procurement meetings related to highly complex contracts, including pre-bid meetings, evaluation and selection meetings, pre-award meetings, negotiation related meetings, supplier interviews, and bidder debriefing meetings to explain the evaluation and scoring process to help vendors better understand the evaluation process. Attends site visits for solicitations as well as e-mail and phone exchanges regarding these issues. Schedules vendor contacts for product demonstration and obtains information for County departments. Manages the evaluation process including development of the scoring matrixes, analyzing complex bids, complex financial information contained in bids, contract and budgets, and investigates the background of proposing vendors, checking references before the formation of a contract, and potentially reviewing information to determine vendor’s financial stability. Guides and negotiates contract scope and pricing, including organizing, reviewing, and recommending strategies to the negotiation team. Develops and distributes final contract documents for approval by supplier, management, and administration. Conducts public bid openings for sealed bids and obtains bids on specific items electronically. Ensures a complete file of all solicitation documentation utilizing adopted procurement processes, anticipates potential areas of concern, and acts independently to prevent and/or resolve protests. Keeps management apprised of all situations and escalates as needed. Addresses supplier/contract disputes related to contractual verbiage or determining the validity of vendor invoices as it relates to contract language. Investigates the dispute, verifies facts, and formulates resolutions in the County’s best interest and in fairness to the vendor community including but limited to negotiating price changes requested by the contractor. Maintains the Contract Portfolio Reports and proactively contacts users and department heads regarding the continued need for the contract or to initiate re-bidding, consolidation, etc. Utilizes current countywide and/or department specific software to complete assignments. ADDITIONAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Assists in the selection, testing and implementation of new procurement specific systems. Provides training to division and countywide end users. Reviews blanket orders and contracts and makes recommendations for contract consolidation and/or inclusion in cooperative purchasing program. Participates in establishing and maintaining Key Performance Indicators for the division. Conducts market research on various products and services to stay abreast of new trends and technologies. Assists in the development and writing of Countywide purchasing policies. Maintains memberships with professional purchasing organizations such as the Michigan Professional Purchasing Officers Association (MPPOA) and attends conferences and trade shows as required for professional development. Participates and contributes to vendor outreach programs for minority and small businesses. ESSENTIAL MENTAL & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Ability to communicate to accurately convey information with tact and diplomacy. WORKING CONDITIONS Work is performed in a typical office environment. May be required to travel to other locations during the course of work. IMPORTANT NOTE : The primary purpose of this job description is to set a fair and equitable salary range for this job classification. Generally, only those key duties necessary for proper job evaluation and/or labor market analysis have been included. Other duties and responsibilities will be assigned by the supervisor. EXPERIENCE, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a preferred major in business administration, Supply Chain Management, public administration, or closely related field of study. Have at least six (6) years of full-time work experience in a purchasing department. Additional Minimum Qualifications B. ADDITIONAL DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS Certification by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC), National Institute of Government Purchasers (NIGP) or National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM) is preferred. Considerable knowledge of purchasing practices and policies, and of laws and regulations governing public procurement. Considerable ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with vendors, salespersons, County officials, employees, and the public. Considerable knowledge of government structure and budgeting and its relation to procurement as well as the ability to advise end users of this process. Considerable ability to summarize and prepare reports on various procurement projects. Considerable ability to identify concerns and make independent work decisions in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, and departmental policies. Reasonable ability to understand and follow complex oral and written instructions. Reasonable ability to make arithmetical computations with speed and accuracy and keep simple account books. Reasonable ability to utilize current word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, and Internet software. Union* BU69 - United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 889: Management & Budget NON-Supv (UAW) *If applicable EEO Statement We are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Inclusion Statement Oakland County is committed to welcoming applicants from all backgrounds, including those with prior convictions, as we believe in providing equal opportunities for all. We value the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings to our team and are dedicated to fostering an inclusive, supportive workplace. If you have the skills and qualifications for the position, we encourage you to apply. All candidates are evaluated based on their ability to meet the job requirements, legal obligations and thrive in our organization. All ways, MOVING FORWARD.