Procurement Operations Specialist – Sales & Marketing

Location: Remote – Pacific Time Zone
Preference: Candidates located near San Francisco, CA or Seattle, WA for occasional onsite needs
Contract: 12-month W2 contract with potential for extension or conversion
Pay Rate: $70–$80/hour, based on experience
Travel: Ad hoc travel may be requested

Russell Tobin is partnering with a leading AI technology company to hire a Procurement Operations Specialist supporting Sales & Marketing.

This is not a traditional, “cookie-cutter” procurement role focused solely on sourcing or vendor negotiations. We are looking for a detail-oriented, process-minded operations professional who understands how procurement workflows support fast-moving Sales and Marketing organizations.

You will partner closely with the Procurement Operations Lead to manage high-volume intake workflows, improve day-to-day procurement processes, support month-end activities, and help internal stakeholders navigate purchasing and contracting processes effectively.

The ideal candidate enjoys bringing structure to complex processes, identifying root causes, and creating scalable solutions that make it easier for teams to get work done.

What You'll Do

Procurement Intake & Workflow Management

• Manage a high-volume purchase request intake queue and conduct first-pass reviews for completeness and accuracy.
• Identify missing information, communicate with requesters, and manage SLAs to reduce processing delays.
• Monitor purchase requests throughout the workflow and proactively unblock stale or delayed requests.
• Coordinate contract routing and track workflow status.
• Review purchase orders and support ongoing PO hygiene and system clean-up.
• Identify situations requiring escalation and thoughtfully flag new or complex scenarios.
• Provide proactive updates to stakeholders and surface potential blockers early.

Stakeholder Support & Enablement

• Respond to routine procurement questions using established processes and playbooks.
• Support Sales, Marketing, and other business stakeholders in navigating procurement workflows.
• Help facilitate office hours and procurement training sessions.
• Educate internal teams on purchasing processes, requirements, and best practices.
• Identify recurring questions or issues and develop scalable solutions to reduce repeat inquiries.
• Maintain a strong internal customer service mindset while balancing procurement and financial controls.

Month-End Close & PO Support

• Run monthly stale and unbilled PO reports and coordinate open PO reviews.
• Support PO closure and change order processes.
• Gather accrual and expense data from spend owners and vendors.
• Partner with Accounting, Accounts Payable, and Finance during month-end close.
• Support initial analysis of expense flux patterns and key drivers for select Sales and Marketing vendors.
• Identify vendor, requester, or category-level data hygiene issues requiring follow-up.

Process Improvement & Documentation

• Partner with the Procurement Operations Lead on operational initiatives and process improvements.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, decision trees, FAQs, how-to guides, and procurement playbooks.
• Evaluate common workflow challenges and identify root causes.
• Recommend opportunities to improve SLAs, process clarity, and operational efficiency.
• Continuously look for ways to simplify workflows and improve the stakeholder experience.

What We're Looking For

• 3–5 years of experience in procurement operations, accounts payable, finance/accounting operations, or a related operational function.
• Hands-on experience managing procurement intake, purchasing workflows, and process documentation.
• Experience managing a high volume of requests or operational workflows.
• Understanding of financial controls, accruals, and budget-versus-actual concepts.
• Experience supporting Sales and/or Marketing spend, business processes, vendors, or contracting workflows is strongly preferred.
• Experience with Zip or another procurement intake/orchestration platform is required. Zip experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong Excel and/or Google Sheets skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail with a track record of catching errors, validating data, and following issues through resolution.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to look beyond the immediate issue and identify root causes.
• Clear and thorough written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain procurement processes to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder management and internal customer service skills.
• Experience improving processes and creating operational documentation.
• Ability to work independently, own tasks end-to-end, and escalate thoughtfully.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities and processes may evolve.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Zip, Slack, and Ironclad.
• Ironclad or contract lifecycle management experience.
• Previous month-end close, accrual, or vendor reconciliation experience.
• Experience supporting Sales and Marketing procurement operations.
• Experience documenting complex processes for non-technical audiences.

Who Will Be Successful in This Role?

You are someone who asks thoughtful questions and wants to understand the “why” behind a process. You can learn complex systems quickly, manage competing priorities, and take ownership of work with minimal supervision.

You enjoy unblocking others and improving how work gets done. You know when to investigate independently, when to ask questions, and when an issue genuinely needs escalation.

Candidates located near San Francisco or Seattle are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note your ability to visit a local office on an as-needed basis.