Procurement Specialist

Job Title: Procurement Specialist, Communications

Location: SF preferred; open to NY (Hybrid)

Location: (Hybrid) at SFO , CA 94105 - Onsite Schedule: 2 days/week (days may vary)

Contract Duration: 1 year (9/7/2026 - 9/8/2027) with Potential to extend

Pay Rate: $125/hr on W2

Procurement Specialist, Communications

About the role

The Communications Strategy & Operations team runs all vendor and agency procurement for client's Communications organization: purchase orders, contracts and amendments, change orders, and invoicing across a multi-vendor portfolio spanning a variety of regional entities and different currencies. This role owns execution of that process end-to-end. You will be working a high-volume queue with a daily rhythm of review, triage, and follow-up. This role requires strong relationship management, ownership, and flawless execution: you are the go-to person for vendors and Communications teammates alike, and you ensure contracts and purchase orders move accurately and on time so the team can invest in vendor strategy, process design, and other strategic improvements.

Key responsibilities

• File and manage purchase requests and change orders in the procure-to-pay system: run structured vendor intake, submit requests, and work approval threads to unstick requests
• Draft statements of work and contract amendments from templates and shepherd them through the contract workflow to full execution
• Chase approvals and signatures persistently, and escalate early when a request is stuck rather than letting it stall
• Reconcile purchase orders against contracts line-by-line: catch gaps between contract terms and PO lines, vendor math errors, missing expense lines, and overbilling; verify itemized vendor breakdowns against agreed-upon expense rates
• Track the team’s purchase orders in real time; run regular "where are we blocked" and "who am I waiting on" sweeps; triage and troubleshoot most blockers independently
• Feed clean PO data into monthly finance spend tracking
• Partner day to day with communications teammates requesting purchases, as well as accounting, procurement operations, legal, and finance teams
• Build and manage strong day-to-day relationships with vendors and agency partners, acting as their primary point of contact for procurement matters
• Communicate effectively, thoroughly, and clearly — and in a timely fashion — with communications teammates and vendors alike
• Navigate thorny questions and occasionally difficult vendor conversations with professionalism, tact, and good judgment
• Flex quickly to urgent or shifting requests without dropping ongoing threads

Minimum qualifications

• Ability to ramp up quickly on new tools and processes, and re-ramping when the process evolves
• Meticulous, line-item-level attention to detail in contracts, purchase orders, and invoices
• Proven follow-through on a high-volume queue; tracks 100% of requests to resolution and either follows up or escalates before anything stalls
• Clear, professional, and prompt communication with vendors and internal partners, both written and verbal
• Fluency with spreadsheets (especially Google Sheets) for trackers and reconciliation
• Sound judgment about what to execute independently and what to escalate
• Experience supporting fast-moving operations teams that not infrequently require rapid response
• Experience owning vendor or agency relationships day to day, including navigating thorny questions, pushback, and occasionally difficult vendor conversations with tact and good judgment
• Demonstrated ability to work as a true partner to teammates—communicating thoroughly and proactively rather than only when asked

Preferred qualifications

• Experience procuring communications, PR, or marketing agency services
• Experience in procurement operations, contract administration, or a similar high-volume operations role

Experience Required

• 5–7+ years

Ideal Background

• Prior procurement experience preferred; alternatively, experience in a tech comms agency or another fast-moving (non-bureaucratic) institution.
• Preferred: experience procuring communications, PR, or marketing agency services.
• Preferred: experience in procurement operations, contract administration, or a similar high-volume operations role.
• Comfortable with high-volume, indirect/operations-heavy work.
• Strong, line-item-level attention to detail.
• Fluency with spreadsheets (especially Google Sheets) for trackers and reconciliation.
• Sound judgment about what to execute independently vs. escalate.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively partner with teammates, not just respond when asked.