Procurement Data Solutions Specialist

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Overview

Reporting to the Procurement Operations Business Analytics Leader, this position applies advanced analytics and AI/ML techniques to procurement and financial transaction data from various sources (Jaggaer, ERP/AP, P-Card, and other auxiliary systems) to detect trends and anomalies, improve cycle times, and deliver actionable decision support (dashboards, exception queues, alerts, and narrative insights) for procurement strategy and operational excellence.:

1. Jaggaer Reporting Implementation and Support -- Collaborating with internal stakeholders and Jaggaer support team to configure, test and deploy reporting modules in alignment with institutional needs.  Tracking platform adoption and performance metrics, and collecting user feedback to guide improvements and training efforts -- and monitoring platform updates and best practices in higher education procurement systems. 
2. Cross-system Data Integration and Business Analytics:  Integrate and analyze procurement related data from Jaggaer and other university systems e.g., ERP, finance, grants management, supplier databases, specialized finance systems (facilities, library, hospitality) to develop dashboards/reports for strategic decision making and track KPIs - including spend analysis, supplier performance tracking and service delivery effectiveness.  Collaborate with IT, Finance and Institutional Research Teams to ensure data accuracy, system reliability and meaningful reporting outcomes.
3. Process improvement: Assess procurement workflows across university business units to identify inefficiencies, gaps and opportunities for standardization and savings.  Recommend and implement business process changes that enhance automation, reduce cycle times and improve user satisfaction.  Utilize AI tools in the development of analysis for anomoly detection / outlier analytics, classification (automated spend categorization), NLP/dcocument analysis. 
4. Change Management & Stakeholder Engagement:  Support change management initiatives by translating data insights into clear narratives for decision makers and end-users.  Lead or contribute to training sessions, users forums and communication efforts to promote new processes and tools.  Collaborate with academic and administrative leaders to ensure procurement solutions are responsive to the university’s evolving needs.  Promote a culture of continuous improvement and data-informed decision making within the procurement function.

Principal possibilities:

1. Work with business partners and process owners to document data, reporting and BI requirements and performance targets.
2. Develops and maintains a standard methodology for documenting and codifying requirements and specifications using standard templates that meet the needs of both business partners and ITS.
3. Develop prototypes and mock-ups to help elicit and define requirements.
4. Partner with ITS to identify reporting & BI solutions, including evaluation of commercial off-the-shelf software and other solutions.
5. Develop prototypes using reporting software & BI tools to model and iterate requirements, and ensure the appropriateness of chosen solutions.
6. Provide analytical support for the development and deployment of solutions, and collaborates with developers and end-users to insure that application functionality meets business needs.
7. Develops test cases and scenarios, and actively participates in the testing and quality assurance process.
8. Contributes to the deployment planning, including training, communications and user readiness planning.
9. Facilitate and support data stewardship and governance processes.

10. Develop metrics to monitor data quality.
11. Analyze and resolve data quality and reporting issues.
12. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills & Abilities

1.Proficiency in data compilation and data visualization techniques and tools (e.g., Alteryx, PowerBI, Tableau).
2.Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to adapt communication style to address the needs of individuals at all levels and explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
3.Strong analytical skills and well-developed problem-solving skills.
4.Exceptionally organized, with the demonstrated ability to plan, track, and follow through to meet deadlines; meticulous and thorough.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

1.An inquisitive mindset able to observe current practices, identify issues/opportunities and propose solutions.
2.Demonstrated ability to use data and user feedback to diagnose root causes, prioritize opportunities, and evaluate results, exercising sound judgment to deliver strong outcomes.
3.Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies, tools, and concepts (including those related to Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML) and prompt engineering).  Adaptive as priorities evolve. 

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in business, technology or related field and three years of experience in analysis of reporting needs and development of related business intelligence solutions or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Education and Experience

1.Experience in a financial, audit, or business operations environment particularly higher education or complex, decentralized organizations.
2.Experience with data querying languages (SQL, Snowflake, Python,) and.

3.Knowledge of sourcing/contracting metrics (savings methodologies, benchmarking, supplier scorecards).

4.Production deployment (scheduled pipelines, automated reporting, monitoring) and collaboration with IT/security.

5.Experience in using code-based automation and data blending techniques.

Principal Responsibilities

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in business, technology or related field and three years of experience in analysis of reporting needs and development of related business intelligence solutions or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.