Internship in Rhode Island State Government

                                                                     State Procurement Office

                                                         Onboarding Procurement Strategy Intern

The Rhode Island Division of Purchases is a Division of the Department of Administration.  It is the centralized procurement agency for the State of Rhode Island.  Our staff of 33 includes 13 buyers.  The state annually procures over $1Billion of goods & services, construction projects, fleet vehicles, information technology, and other small to large scale procurements on behalf of state agencies and education.  We are an energetic team motivated to meet state initiatives and implement an eProcurement system while also managing daily procurement activities.  Our location is situated beside the State House, on the Capitol Hill Complex in Providence, with onsite parking available during business hours.  The office is within walking distance of Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, the Providence Financial District, and ferry service between Newport and Providence.

The Division of Purchases is seeking a motivated procurement intern who will create a strategic buyer onboarding toolkit that will align new buying staff processes and milestones for best procurement practices.  The toolkit will set benchmarks for the first three months of introductory buyer activities including required processes, customer service and learning opportunities.  Resources should substantiate the State’s required procurement practices, regulations and policies, along with external procurement resources for workshops, learning opportunities and procurement expertise such as NASPO Procurement U.  The intern will shadow and interview the division’s seasoned and new buying staff to ascertain common struggles and customer service needs to ensure development of adequate strategies for best new buyer processes and outcomes.  The intern will host status meetings with the division’s leadership team and will provide toolkit drafts for review and sign off.

Duties

·       Creating an onboarding toolkit for new buyers that will benchmark specified activities for initial three months of employment

·       Collaboration and meeting with Purchasing leadership team to ensure the onboarding toolkit aligns with procurement strategies and new buyer needs

·       Researching policies and regulations to understand Rhode Island’s centralized procurement processes

·       Researching external procurement experts, customer service and learning opportunities

·       Shadowing buyer while performing procurement functions and client interactions, and interviewing buying staff to identify trouble areas

Required Skills and Knowledge

·       Ability to identify problems and break down complex concepts and processes into logical components

·       Ability to consistently interact professionally at all associate levels

·       Ability to communicate professionally with all team members and encourage team cooperation without sacrificing independent thoughts and contributions

·       Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize projects and tasks into personal weekly and monthly plans

·       Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, PowerPoint and Excel

Additional Information

·       Hourly wage:  $21.00/hour

·       Hours/week:  40 Hours Weekly, Monday through Friday, 8 business hours each day, plus ½ hour for lunch.

·       Housing Stipend:  Up to $3,000