Purchasing Specialist III

The Fountain Group is currently seeking a Specialist, R&D Operations Procure to Pay Support (Financial Support III / Purchasing Specialist III) for a prominent client of ours. This position is located in Lake County, IL
. Details for the position are as follows:

Lake County, IL – 100% On-Site

$31–39/hour

Duration: 3 months (possibility of extension based on performance and business need)

The Specialist, R&D Operations Procure to Pay Support is responsible for initiating and managing purchase orders, resolving invoice issues, and ensuring timely supplier payments. This role serves as a key liaison between internal business partners and suppliers to support efficient procurement and payment processes.

• Initiate orders in response to customer requests for material goods or services in company purchasing systems (e.g., SAP SRM, Ariba, RMM Jaggaer), including WBS-associated orders.
• Create shopping carts in SAP SRM.
• Act as liaison between business and suppliers to resolve order issues (damaged goods, incorrect shipments, returns, etc.).
• Track open/outstanding orders and follow up to ensure proper closeout.
• Investigate and resolve invoice issues related to purchase order purchases.
• Partner with Purchasing and Corporate Disbursement Office to resolve discrepancies (pricing, quantity, etc.) between requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices.
• Post receipts for goods and services.
• Close open orders appropriately and initiate supplier payments within expected time frames.
• Provide invoice payment issue identification and resolution support for Stockrooms and R&D community.
• Resolve invoice issues in SAP S4
  
  Hana
  .

• High School Diploma with 4+ years relevant experience
  OR Associate’s Degree with 3+ years relevant experience
  OR Bachelor’s Degree with 2+ years relevant experience
• Minimum 2 years of experience working with procurement or payment systems.
• Strong understanding of purchasing and payment processes and procedures.
• Experience creating shopping carts in SAP SRM.
• Experience resolving invoice issues in SAP S4
  
  Hana
  .
• Exceptional customer service skills with strong problem-solving ability.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with high attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Excel.
• Ability to work independently with limited oversight and manage competing priorities effectively.

• Creating requisitions
• Managing POs
• Tracking open orders
• Posting receipts
• Resolving invoice mismatches
• Clearing price/quantity blocks
• Working with AP / CDO / Finance
• Ensuring supplier gets paid