Job Description

We are seeking a Purchasing Coordinator to join the KIPP TEAM & Family purchasing team. In this pivotal role, you will collaborate with directors of school operations, budget managers, other operations teammates and vendors to ensure that teachers and staff can access essential goods and services efficiently and promptly. This includes maintaining compliance with procurement policies and public-school regulations. The Purchasing Team plays a crucial role in the operational excellence of our schools, empowering instructional and support staff to focus on their primary mission: guiding students toward academic achievement and lifelong success.

Key Responsibilities

As a Purchasing Coordinator, you will take on a range of critical responsibilities, including:

• Purchase Order Management: Ensure the accurate and timely processing of purchase orders in alignment with our service-level agreements.
• Compliance Enforcement: Uphold organizational policies and ensure adherence to public school procurement regulations.
• Communication & Collaboration: Foster strong working relationships with school and department operations teams and build productive vendor partnerships.
• Order Tracking: Provide clear and consistent updates regarding the status and delivery of goods and services.
• Financial Coordination: Collaborate with the Accounts Payable team to ensure seamless purchasing-to-payment workflows and assist the accounting team in maintaining accurate and compliant purchasing records.
• Data Maintenance: Regularly review and manage aged encumbrance reports to ensure data accuracy and integrity.
• Problem-Solving: Resolve issues proactively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Qualifications

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, detail-oriented professional with a passion for operational excellence. The ideal candidate will possess:

• Experience: At least three years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or similar operations or financial functions.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) and Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Forms). Experience with purchasing/procurement platforms such as Coupa is highly valued.
• Organizational Skills: Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational capabilities.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a customer service mindset.
• Adaptability: A proactive problem-solver who thrives under deadlines and can manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Technology Proficiency: Experience with Zoom and helpdesk platforms like Zendesk (nice-to-have).
• Mission Alignment: A team-oriented individual who is driven by KIPP’s mission to prepare students for success in college and life.

Additional Information

Location

This is a hybrid role. At this time, we typically work from the office 2 days per week (Wednesdays and Thursdays) and work remotely 3 days per week. Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of the three cities within which we work: Newark, NJ, Camden, NJ, or Miami, FL

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this role is $65,000 - $75,000, depending on related experience.

In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a full comprehensive benefits plan, including health care, retirement, a laptop and transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into New Jersey from the New York City area.

KIPP New Jersey | KIPP Miami is an equal opportunity employer