Procurement Operations Leader, Buy Desk

GAQ127R93

The Procurement Operations Leader, Buy Desk is responsible for owning the end-to-end purchase requisition and purchase order lifecycle - ensuring every transaction is accurately set up, fully documented, properly authorized, and compliant with procurement policy. This role serves as a critical operational bridge between business requestors, strategic sourcing, accounts payable, and suppliers, while driving process standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across the procure-to-pay workflow.

Operating with a high degree of ownership and attention to detail, this individual will build scalable, repeatable operating standards for the Buy Desk function - ensuring the organization can transact efficiently, compliantly, and at speed.

The impact you will have:

Purchase Requisition Review & Compliance

• Review incoming purchase requisitions to ensure accurate set-up in alignment with the associated scope of work or order form, including:

• Product or service description
• Quantity and unit pricing
• Total amount and budget alignment
• Service start and end dates
• Payment terms and conditions

• Validate that all required supporting documentation is attached to or referenced within the purchase requisition (e.g., statements of work, order forms, quotes, executed contracts).
• Ensure purchase requisitions are routed through and approved by all designated authorized individuals in accordance with the organization's delegation of authority matrix.
• Identify and resolve requisition discrepancies or missing information before progressing to PO issuance.
• Serve as the first line of review for policy compliance, spend thresholds, and approval requirements.

Purchase Order Management

• Own end-to-end PO lifecycle from creation and approval routing through receipt confirmation and closure.
• Manage a high-volume daily transaction queue with accuracy, consistency, and speed.
• Resolve PO discrepancies, invoice mismatches, and delivery exceptions in coordination with Accounts Payable and suppliers.

Strategic Sourcing Support

• Partner with the strategic sourcing team to support post-contract execution activities, including:

• Accurate metadata management into the contract management system upon contract execution
• Uploading fully executed documents to the contract repository in a timely and organized manner
• Ensuring contract records are complete, accurate, and audit-ready

• Maintain and update supplier records, onboard new vendors through the standard intake process, and ensure approved supplier lists remain current.

Process Improvement & Automation

• Identify manual or repetitive tasks within the Buy Desk workflow and champion automation and streamlining initiatives.
• Support configuration and adoption of procurement technology platforms (e-procurement, intake tools, catalog management).
• Build and maintain SOPs, workflow guides, and buying channel configurations to enable consistent, scalable execution.
• Drive continuous improvement across the procure-to-pay cycle using data-driven insights.

Reporting & Data Integrity

• Track and report on key Buy Desk metrics: transaction volume, requisition cycle times, PO compliance rates, and approval turnaround.
• Flag policy exceptions and support audit readiness through disciplined data hygiene practices.
• Contribute procurement operations data to leadership reporting and cross-functional dashboards.

What we look for:

Required

• 5+ years of experience in procurement operations, purchasing, or procure-to-pay functions.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing, processing, and managing high-volume purchase requisitions and purchase orders.
• Strong understanding of PO lifecycle, approval workflows, and delegation of authority frameworks.
• Experience validating supporting procurement documentation such as statements of work, order forms, contracts, and quotes.
• Hands-on proficiency with ERP or e-procurement platforms (Coupa, Ariba, SAP, Oracle, or similar).
• Exceptional attention to detail with a process-oriented, high-ownership mindset.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field.

Preferred

• Experience supporting strategic sourcing teams with contract metadata management and repository administration.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems.
• Background in AP workflows, invoice exception handling, or three-way match processes.
• Exposure to process improvement methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma.
• Experience building or maintaining procurement SOPs and training materials.
• CPSM, CPM, or supply chain certification a plus.

What success looks like in Year One

• Buy Desk intake and review process is fully documented, standardized, and operating consistently at scale.
• Requisition-to-PO cycle times are measurably reduced and tracked via a regular reporting cadence.
• Zero compliance gaps in requisition approval or supporting documentation at audit review.
• Contract repository is current and accurate, with all executed agreements properly logged and uploaded.
• Automation opportunities identified and at least one manual workflow streamlined or eliminated.

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide - including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 - rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.