Purchasing Services Administrative Supervisor

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Position Title:

Job Category:

Employment Type:

Job Profile:

Job Duties:

The Purchasing Services Administrative Supervisor will provide leadership, oversight, and continuous improvement for low dollar purchases and business support functions that enable efficient systemwide operations across the Universities of Wisconsin. This position supervises a team of 3-4 staff responsible for processing procurements under $5,000, administering contract repository operations for Universities of Wisconsin System Administration and Department of Administration agreements, coordinating the annual systemwide waiver process, managing insurance certificate collection, and overseeing daily inbound communications and service requests. The Administrative Supervisor establishes work priorities, monitors performance and service levels, ensures compliance with applicable policies and regulations, and fosters a customer-service-oriented environment that supports UW stakeholders.

Work Location
The office location is located at 660 West Washington, Madison, WI. An in-office requirement is expected three (3) days per week, and two days may be worked off-site/remote.  Telecommuting agreements are subject to change at any time.

Key Job Responsibilities:

•  Supervises, coaches, and develops a team of 3-4 employees, including assigning work, establishing priorities, approving time, managing performance and conduct, and participating in hiring, discipline, and other personnel actions.
• Directs the timely and accurate processing of procurements under $5,000 and provides guidance to staff and UW stakeholders on applicable purchasing requirements and procedures.
• Oversees contract repository operations for Universities of Wisconsin System Administration and State of Wisconsin Department of Administration agreements, supporting accurate records, accessibility, and lifecycle administration.
• Coordinates the annual systemwide waiver process, including work planning, stakeholder communications, tracking, issue resolution, and timely completion.
• Oversees the collection, review, tracking, and maintenance of supplier insurance certificates and addresses documentation gaps or service issues.
• Manages daily inbound communications and service requests, establishes service expectations, monitors workload and response times, and ensures consistent, customer-focused support.
• Analyzes operational data and trends, prepares reports on workload and service performance, and recommends process, technology, and service improvements.
• Partners with procurement, finance, legal, risk management, and campus stakeholders to resolve complex issues and improve systemwide purchasing support.
• Develops and maintains procedures, training materials, and cross-training plans that promote consistency, continuity, and staff development.
• Fosters an inclusive, accountable, and collaborative work environment focused on continuous improvement and high-quality public service.

Department:

UW-Shared Services provides payroll, benefits, HR, business services, and reporting services to UW employees and universities.  UW-Shared Services exists to standardize processes, consolidate operations, and streamline administrative practices to provide high-quality services while improving administrative efficiency and effectiveness. In addition to providing high-quality services, Service Operations brings value to UW institutions by reducing administrative burden and cost, thereby allowing them to invest time and resources into activities which are more central to their mission.

Compensation:

The Purchasing Services Administrative Supervisor is a full-time, salaried (exempt), academic staff-ongoing, position. Well-qualified candidates can expect a starting annual salary within a range of $78,000. –  $84,500. commensurate with the candidate’s education, related experience, and qualifications.

Required Qualifications:

·       Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.

·       At least two years of a combination of Purchasing, Finance or Accounting experience.

·       Experience interpreting and applying policies, procedures, laws, regulations, or internal controls.

·       Experience supporting customers in a large complex organization

·       Experience supervising employees, leading teams, coordinating work assignments, or serving in a lead role responsible for operational outcomes.

·       Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and purchasing software systems

Preferred Qualifications:

·       Knowledge of State and University of Wisconsin purchasing rules and procedures.

·       Experience with contract repository operations for Universities of Wisconsin System Administration and State of Wisconsin Department of Administration agreements.

·       Experience working with Workday and/or Jagger

How to Apply:

Applicant screening will begin immediately and be ongoing through November 15, 2026. However, applications may be accepted until the position has been filled. To receive full consideration, applicants are required to apply online and provide:

·       Resume (PDF Format) 

·       Cover letter addressing your experience and education as it applies to all minimum and preferred qualifications (PDF Format) 

Contact Information:

Questions may be addressed to [email protected].

Accommodation Request

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request by contacting [email protected]. 

Criminal Background Check and Reference Check Policy

This offer of employment is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check and a reference check process that includes questions regarding employee misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. If you have prior work history within the past 7 years with the Universities of Wisconsin, your personnel file will also be reviewed for employee misconduct. If the results are unacceptable, the offer will be withdrawn or, if you have started employment, your employment will be terminated.

Employment Authorization

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on, before, or after the effective date of appointment.   

Confidentiality

The Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. §. 19.36(7). 

Benefits Information

Universities of Wisconsin employees receive an excellent benefits package. To learn more about the benefits package, review the Faculty, Academic Staff & Limited Appointees  or University Staff   Please see this link for total compensation information: Universities of Wisconsin Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator to provide you with total compensation information. 

Clery Act information 

The Universities of Wisconsin provides statistics on campus crime in its Annual Security Report.  For more information on university campus statistics see https://www.wisconsin.edu/compliance/clery/.

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.