Operations Program Associate

Purchasing Department

Position Summary

This position has three main areas of responsibility:

  • Audit and maintain records for the Purchasing Card (p-card) program

Administer the UWSP capital equipment program

  • Maintain the Shared Financial System (SFS) vendor file (vendors and non-employees)

The position is located in the UWSP Purchasing Department. This position:

  • Independently audits all p-card transactions to adhere to all DOA, UW-System and University policies and procedures.
  • Provides operational support for purchasing services for the University.
  • Exercises a significant degree of independence and is solely responsible for the Capital Equipment/Property Management for the campus and acts as the resource person and liaison to the campus involving the interpretation and application of Financial Administration Policy F33.

This position requires excellent computer skills especially in Excel and Word, and a thorough understanding of the Capital Equipment Inventory Management System. Other software also used includes: UW-System Shared Financial System, Microsoft Office, Wisdom reporting, Outlook, Photo Editor, Internet Explorer, and Adobe Acrobat. It also requires knowledge of, and ability to, interpret and apply the System Financial Policy Papers as well as UWSP policies and procedures.

This position also requires:

  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to work independently, with good problem solving and analytical skills
  • Attention to detail and accurate keyboarding skills
  • Strong interpersonal skills and organizational skills

Position Description

A.Purchasing Card Program – 65%

  • Review the VISA card data packets (for those departments that send their information to Purchasing) for appropriate documentation.
  • Audit the transactions for adherence to the appropriate Financial Policy Paper. Report possible violations to the Director of Purchasing and Payment Services.
  • Report any MIRS transactions, rentals, leases, royalties, and services to the Director of Purchasing and Payment Services,and forward copies of those transactions to the Payment Services Manager.
  • Monitor p-card packets for travel or food purchases. Determine if more information is necessary from the department and forward to Payment Services for further audit.
  • Reconcile the packets received to the bi-weekly reports from US Bank. Do follow-up on missing packets.
  • Audit delegated departments (those that do not send packets to Purchasing) on a yearly basis and prepare an audit report to be presented to the appropriate budget director.
  • Promote use of the p-card for purchasing where the vendor will allow use. Continue to take proactive steps to encourage p-card use.
  • Assist the Director of Purchasing and Payment Services in the semi-annual reconciliation of the VISA card program (looking for appropriate paperwork for all cardholders, maintenance of a cardholder list, e-mail notifications, and entry of data into VISA table for use by General Ledger).
  1. Capital Inventory - 20%
  • Coordinate and administer the Capital Inventory Program for UWSP. Exercise a significant degree of independence and latitude for decision making. The program has over 900 pieces of equipment across 80 departments and is valued over $10 million dollars.
  • Analyze requisitions, vendor invoices, purchase orders, & other documents and/or consult with faculty, departments, or vendors to obtain information on new capital equipment purchases using knowledge of Federal, State, & University policies & procedures to determine if equipment purchased meets the definition of capital equipment.
  • Contact departments for receipt and location of equipment to physically tag item & record data from equipment to enter into the Capital Equipment Inventory Management System database.
  • Create and maintain the Inventory file to include the purchase order, copy of the original invoice, the SFS payment screen, and a digital picture. Maintain in Tag number order.
  • Identify funding data using SFS to properly reflect funding sources, class codes, and payment amounts for each equipment item.
  • Use complex computing data analysis tools (Wisdom, Excel Nvision Reports) to extract & analyze property control data for year end reconciliation. Prepare and provide financial statement information and SFS reconciliation of Capital Equipment to UW-Stevens Point Controller for annual reporting to Madison.
  • Provide necessary information and communicate policies about Capital Inventory to Internal Audit, General Ledger, Surplus Stores manager, & all departments requesting information as stated in Financial Administration Policy F33.
  • Remove Surplus Inventory from the Capital Equipment Inventory Management System database and maintain documentation as stated in Financial Administration Policy F33.
  • Extract commodity code reports of moveable equipment for Risk Management to update values for annual inventory/insurance reporting.
  • Work closely with AIS Technical Support to ensure the credibility of the data pulled and test the revisions for accuracy.
  • Review all requisitions that arrive in Purchasing for possible use of the p-card. Alert responsible department to use their p-card.

C.SFS Vendor File - 10%

  • Determine when UWSP is doing business with a new vendor or a new vendor location. Establish the appropriate record. Maintain sites as new information becomes known.
  • Enter all non-employees from Payment Services as well as new vendors
  • Obtain all the necessary information (W-9) to enable Payment Services to provide the required data for tax reporting to Federal & State agencies.
  • Review the vendor file periodically to identify duplicate vendors, incorrect usage of abbreviations, and other errors to maintain the integrity of the vendor file. Advise Purchasing and Payment Service’s staff of problems.
  • Inactivate vendors after extensive research including contacting the company and checking W-9’s.
  • Act as a resource to other Purchasing and Payment Service staff in order to maintain the integrity of the vendor file.
  • Review and update Vendor File Manual as necessary to keep current.

D.General Duties – 10%

  • Develop and maintain a shared Excel workbook for logging of purchase order numbers
  • Serve as a backup to other staff for purchase order entry during busy periods and vacations.
  • Provide software support for Word and graphics to Purchasing Staff and Accounting staff as needed.
  • Assist with the maintenance of the Purchasing Web page and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Assist other Purchasing staff with desktop support for workbooks and other programs.
  • Monitor Purchasing shared drive files to keep current.
  • Assist General Ledger with updating the Chart of Accounts annually
  • Create flow charts outlining procedures for the Process Team
  • Develop new forms for Purchasing Department
  • Maintain all shared spreadsheets posted to the S drive for Purchasing
  • Other duties as assigned.