Senior Buyer

Department: Fiscal Services

Classification: Procurement Officer 2

Job Category:Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule:Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type:Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility:Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band:05

Salary:Salary range $89,000 - $97,500, commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check:Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research institution and serves a diverse community of students, faculty, researchers, and administrative units across multiple campuses. Fiscal Services provides critical financial stewardship and operational support for the university, including procurement, strategic sourcing, accounts payable, travel, and related financial operations. The Purchasing and Accounts Payable Department plays a central role in supporting the university's academic, research, technology, facilities, and administrative missions.

The department manages a broad portfolio of procurements while ensuring compliance with the Code of Virginia, university policies, and best practices. Team members work collaboratively with senior university leadership, academic units, researchers, and administrative departments to deliver best-value procurement solutions and strengthen institutional effectiveness.

The Senior Buyer serves as a senior procurement professional within George Mason University's Purchasing Department, and is responsible for independently managing complex public procurements from planning through award and contract administration. This position leads competitive solicitations, strategic sourcing initiatives, contract negotiations, and high-impact purchasing activities for a diverse portfolio of goods and services. The successful candidate will exercise substantial independent judgment, provide expert procurement guidance to university stakeholders, and collaborate with departments across the institution to develop procurement solutions that balance cost, quality, risk, compliance, and operational needs.

The Senior Buyer serves as a strategic procurement advisor and, in consultation with their supervisor, manages complex, high-value, and high-visibility procurements from planning through contract execution. This position is ideal for a procurement professional who enjoys managing complex procurements, negotiating contractual terms and conditions, partnering with senior stakeholders, and working in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

This position reports to the Director of Purchasing and is currently specified as hybrid eligible, with on-site expectations of two to three days per week.

The successful candidate will be a self-directed procurement professional requiring minimal supervision; demonstrated professional procurement writing experience capable of producing high-quality solicitation, contract, and award documentation; comfortable advising senior administrators, faculty, researchers, and departmental leadership; experienced negotiating complex contractual terms and conditions; and ability to exercise sound judgment in situations involving competing priorities, compliance requirements, and institutional risk.

• Independently plans, develops, administers, evaluates, negotiates, awards, and administers complex procurement contracts and high-value purchasing actions in accordance with applicable law, policy, and delegated authority;
• Conducts complex procurement activities frequently in excess of $200,000 per procurement, including procurements with significant institutional visibility, operational importance, or contractual complexity;
• Applies advanced public procurement knowledge to determine the appropriate procurement method and manage competitive bids, competitive negotiations, sole source procurements, emergency procurements, contract renewals, and related procurement actions within delegated authority;
• Works independently, exercises considerable discretion and judgment, reviews purchase requisitions for accuracy and completeness, advises departments on procurement…