Director, Procurement

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We are a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization and the leading provider of educational reporting, data exchange, verification, and research services. Serving the education, workforce and learner communities has been at the heart of our mission for over 30 years. Our work - performed in a trusted, secure, and private environment - provides numerous time- and cost-saving benefits to students, schools, administrators, and requestors. Education leaders rely on the Clearinghouse's unique national student data resources to better understand student pathways and outcomes in order to help students succeed, and our research better informs practitioners and policymakers about student educational pathways and enables informed decision making.

The Procurement Director will oversee and manage all procurement activities for the Clearinghouse, ensuring the strategic sourcing of goods and services is in alignment with our mission and budget. The individual will be responsible for developing procurement policies, negotiating contracts, and maintaining vendor relationships to optimize costs and efficiency. The director will partner with senior leaders to understand the operational needs, expectations, and financial impact of engaging with the intended suppliers and business partners to ensure arrangements are appropriate and targeted with our specific purpose. Furthermore, the director will help develop and lead Request for Proposal (RFP) processes to both solicit, review, and recommend vendors for a particular engagement. The director will collaborate with the functional leaders at the Clearinghouse to establish appropriate metrics and KPI's to continually assess vendor commitments and will work with management to regularly monitor vendor performance to determine if corrective actions are necessary. The Procurement Director will have supervisory responsibilities, foster a team-based environment that aligns with company values.

Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

• Develop and implement procurement strategies and policies to support the organization's operational needs.
• Manage the end-to-end procurement process, including vendor selection, contract negotiation, and purchase order management.
• Ensure compliance with internal procurement policies, grant requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements while maintaining quality standards.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement.
• Collaborate with internal departments to forecast procurement needs and align purchasing with organizational objectives.
• Monitor market trends and industry developments to inform purchasing decisions.
• Oversee procurement documentation, ensuring accuracy and compliance with record-keeping standards.
• Lead procurement-related initiatives, including sustainability and supplier diversity programs.
• Conduct risk assessments related to supply chain disruptions and developed contingency plans.
• Deal effectively with conflict, reach agreement without damaging relationships and find win-win solutions.
• Develop and foster a partnership relationship with a diverse group of stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Provide critical financial, business, and operational visibility to the CEO, CFO, and leadership team and make actionable recommendations on both procurement strategy and operations.
• Balance the needs of various stakeholders focusing on delivering value added solutions and services.
• Partner with service line teams to complete analytical work; create, refine and report vendor performance metrics to management.
• Serve as an advisor to the CFO in managing the Clearinghouse's strategic sourcing activities.
• Work closely, drive and lead key internal resources that will derive new and mutually beneficial vendor relationships.
• Encourage and support creativity, ideation, and innovated thinking by staff and create plan for implementation. Views failures as opportunity to learn.
• Move beyond traditional ways of doing things and push past status quo.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization and efficiency, and drive initiatives to enhance profitability
• Streamline the company's procurement activities and seek innovative solutions to improve processes and efficiency.
• Lead by example with a high level of emotional intelligence and demonstrate a positive and intellectually curious demeanor about the Clearinghouse's mission, vision, values, and opportunities for the Clearinghouse to provide value to the education community and learners.
• Establish credibility throughout the organization as an effective director capable of finding vendor solutions to business challenges.
• Review trends, anticipate future needs, and create a vision of possibilities for sustainable value and opportunities.
• Perform analyses utilizing internal and external data sources to support business/project evaluation, vendor-based decision-making and strategy development.
• Analyze historical results to identify trends and make business recommendations.
• Provide guidance and expert advice to the Clearinghouse leadership team or other groups on vendor management capabilities and trends to continuously improve performance.
• Develop, maintain, and demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Clearinghouse, its environment, including its mission, services, and key stakeholders and how each organizational unit contributes to that mission.
• Actively seek opportunities for efficiencies and cost-effective solutions that reduce costs and optimize results.
• Act as the facilitator to led and manage supplier contractual negotiations and provide continual review to ensure that all terms and conditions are met to mitigate potential risk.

Workforce Management:

• Demonstrate the management and/or senior leadership competencies:
• Management Competencies: Making Complex Decisions, Being Flexible and Adaptive, Build Collaborative Relationships, Focusing on Performance, and Optimizing Diverse Talent.
• Senior Leadership Competencies: Balances Stakeholders, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Vision and Purpose, Strategic Mindset, and Understanding the Business.
• Build a team-based environment that aligns with company values, ways of working, and competencies.
• Ensure employees comply with company policies, procedures and regulations, while meeting established goals.
• Recruit and select the best talent to help optimize skills and experiences.
• Motivate and manage staff to maximize productivity and efficiency.
• Provide direction to team members, including feedback to support personal and career development and ongoing improvement.
• Develop and manage career development and advancement and define and monitor training and development plans to support job and career satisfaction.
• Coach, mentor, and ensure staff are adequately trained and provide guidance, as needed.
• Monitor and provide feedback on performance including annual reviews, rewards, and compensation structure.
• Reward employees using formal and informal methods.

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field, or a combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.
• 10 years of direct procurement experience, preferably in a non-profit or educational-related environment.
• 5 years of demonstrated leadership experience in developing procurement policies and end-to-end processes, negotiating contracts, and maintaining vendor relationships to optimize costs and efficiency.
• 3 years of direct experience performing in a management/supervisory role, managing others, exercising independent judgement, including the ability to lead, motivate, develop, and focus on team engagement.
• Strong negotiation, contract management, and supplier relationship management skills.
• Knowledge of procurement regulations, grant funding compliance, and best practices.
• Experience with procurement software and financial systems.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Competency with Microsoft Office Suite, and proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including development of analytical tools through use of Pivot Tables.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse's core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/, for more details.
• Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.
• Must be at least 18 years old.

• Certification such as Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) is a plus.

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a telephone and/or copy machine.
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day.
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Travel via car, train, and/or airplane, when needed (up to 10% in a given year).

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account, are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period, and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year. Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 11 paid holidays per year.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health and well-being benefits. To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!

Additionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $175,000 to $185,000. Bonus eligible.

The pay range listed above represents a general guideline and is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, and the National Student Clearinghouse considers a number of factors when determining base pay for offers, which include but are not limited to, responsibilities and scope of the job and the candidate's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Internal Candidates: If you feel that you qualify and meet the requirements of the job, we highly encourage you to apply and focus on preparing for the application process. Once the final candidates are selected, they can anticipate a review of the compensation prior to any offer made.

This job announcement was posted to the National Student Clearinghouse's Careers site at www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers 10/22/2025 and the online application period will be open for at least 3 days. A completed online application is required to be considered for this opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status (or known to have a spousal, family, business, social or other relationship or association with a protected veteran), sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.

Pay Transparency Notice: The National Student Clearinghouse is a federal contractor that abides by all applicable equal opportunity laws and regulations. Under these laws, companies doing business with the federal government must provide applicants and employees with certain policies, including the following information. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)