At E&I Cooperative Services, we are transforming how universities and schools buy the goods and services they need to operate and thrive. By leveraging the power of cooperative purchasing, we help our 6,000+ member educational institutions save time, contain costs, and redirect critical resources to their core mission of education and research. For over 90 years, we’ve built strong relationships, a trusted brand, and financial stability. But today, we operate like a high-growth startup—continuously launching innovative technology, data, and service solutions to address the evolving challenges of the education sector. If you’re mission-driven, passionate about achieving extraordinary results, believe in the power of culture to drive organizational success, and want to work with amazing colleagues who share your commitment, we’d love to have you join our growing team. 

What Makes E&I Unique:

Mission-Driven Impact: At E&I, your work directly supports the success of educational institutions nationwide, from universities to K-12 schools. 

Growth Culture: We are passionate about the power of culture to create conditions for excellence. We believe in the power of linking arms and lifting each other up in pursuit of common objectives. And we invest heavily in the personal and professional development of every single member of our team. 

The Best of All Worlds: We’re ninety years old - but act like a startup. We’re a non-profit cooperative - with a high-growth enterprise mindset. We work hard – and play hard. We love success - but reward failure that comes from bold ideas and big swings. We combine tradition with innovation, passion with purpose, and ambition with heart. 

What You Will Do:

E&I has an exciting opportunity for a SOURCING CONSULTANT.  This SOURCING CONSULTANT will support our members in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.  This position will be responsible for developing, leading, and managing the consultative relationship between E&I and its members by communicating the overall value and competitive advantage of E&I as a strategic sourcing partner. Helping members understand how and where E&I can help them in support of their sourcing strategy, analyzing their spend to generate insights about where they can leverage E&I contracts to avoid cost, save time and resources, increase compliance, consolidate spend and manage more spend under contract.  This position will increase contract utilization, spend on contract, and improve the member experience by maximizing their education dollars. This will be accomplished by presenting member focused solutions utilizing data analytics, proven success in developing and deploying procurement strategies using strategic sourcing methodologies within higher education

How You Will Do It:

• Actively participate in our Deliberately Developmental Organizational (DDO) Culture, with the willingness to be open-minded, identify, and make improvement on your growth edges. Support your colleagues’ development by providing feedback, utilize development tools and practices as a team sport to further the growth, development and ultimately enhance innovation in our organization.
• Utilize procurement and strategic sourcing knowledge to assess the sophistication of a members procurement department.

• Consult with member on spend analytics, cost savings metrics, supplier consolidation, contract compliance and supply chain efficiencies, and how E&I can assist the member in the development of their procurement strategy.
• Achieve annual business plan through selling the benefits of various member product and service offerings resulting in increased volume of purchasing in existing/new accounts and expanding the number and volume of contracts utilized within an assigned territory.
• Strategically and tactically consult with targeted members on the value and how the benefits E&I’s professional procurement knowledge and member focused solutions contribute to the development of their procurement and strategic sourcing strategies.

• Create territory specific plans for engagement of members for region
• Secure meetings with key decision makers on campus specifically focused on introducing E&I’s data driven engagement model.
• Collaboratively partner with analytics team to develop a comprehensive member specific report to align the member spend to the E&I portfolio and portfolio roadmap to maximize the members education dollars.
• Clearly articulate the findings of the member specific report and ask solution-based questions to develop sales opportunities at member meetings.
• Utilize analytical reports to identify opportunities and gaps within the member’s spend and recommend E&I solutions that bring value to the member.
• Apply procurement knowledge and understanding of E&I contract portfolio, product, and service offerings to be a trusted advisor to the membership
• Continuously utilize business sales reports and tools to properly manage the assigned territory against monthly and annual sales goals.
• Prioritize and effectively plan travel schedule to manage touchpoints in assigned territory.
• Build relationships with local business partners and dealer representatives to develop strategies for individual members that increase contract utilization.
• Continuously provide feedback and ideas across multiple business units to improve the member experience and share new product or service opportunities.
• Promote and represent E&I at association conferences, on-campus supplier fairs, regional meetings as assigned.
• Enter/update/manage all activity and contacts in the CRM database on a timely/ongoing basis.
• Monitor personal business plan expenses, such as travel and office supplies, to ensure that expenditures stay within assigned budgets. Submit weekly expense reports.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelors degree and equivalent work experience required.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Higher Education Procurement required
• Sales or Consulting to Higher Education procurement professionals preferred
• Understanding of procurement and strategic sourcing in higher education required
• Ability to discuss the strategic sourcing process
• Successful interaction and engagement with high level decision makers
• Ability to interpret and utilize data in the strategic sourcing process
• Skilled at building professional relationships that create an environment to influence decision makers
• Proficient in the use of business analysis tools to evaluate present and future performance to identify areas of opportunity
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and presentation skills a must
• Strong executive presence with the ability to maintain confident and composed yet humble
• Highly organized, self-starter, disciplined to work on own out of home-office
• Strong computer skills in the Microsoft Office suite of programs, specifically Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Regional travel required, approximately 25%.

Benefits:

E&I offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package which include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & AD&D Insurance, LTD, STD, FSA, 401(k) plus an employer contribution amount of 7.5%. In addition, E&I offer work life balance benefits such as flexible work schedule, vacation, sick, personal days, half day summer Fridays and other company sponsored benefits.

Call To Action:

"If you’re ready to bring your skills or values to a mission that matters and create meaningful impact together, we’d love to hear from you. 

Use the "Apply Now" button on our careers page and submit your resume and a cover letter specifying your salary expectations.  All submissions will be handled with the highest level of confidentiality. 

E&I is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal opportunities for employment and advancement without regard to an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law.