Procurement Intern (year-round)

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Job Summary

This Procurement Intern role is an in-person position at LIGO Livingston Observatory. This is a year-round, paid internship opportunity, not limited to summer only.

The intern will have the opportunity to learn valuable workplace skills in procurement at a National Science Foundation funded facility. Our friendly team of procurement experts will train the intern and there is abundant opportunity to expand responsibilities and gain career experience. The hours are flexible and we expect the intern to work approximately 10 hours (or more) per week, with more hours available during summer and school breaks.

LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory's mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach.

For more information, please visit the Laboratory website at www.ligo.caltech.edu

Essential Job Duties

• Assist the LIGO Purchasing Agents in a variety of daily tasks related to procurement.
• Document procurement packages to comply with Caltech Procurement Policy.
• Monitor, amend, and closeout standard purchase orders.
• Advise and provide procurement assistance to assigned LIGO groups, throughout the purchasing process.
• Assist in drafting competitive and non-competitive procurement justifications to include conducting initial market research for cost/price analyses.
• Assist in the solicitation process to include use of templates to draft new "Request for Proposal" documents, drafting bid lists, compiling data from bids received, scheduling supplier/contractor interviews, coordinating activities for bid evaluation committees, and participating in on-site bidder meetings.
• Interpret and communicate procurement policy practices to LIGO staff.
• Research invoice vs. purchase order discrepancies; this may include reaching out to suppliers.
• Research lingering commitments issues related to purchase orders.
• Assist in LIGO Procurement record retention using the LIGO Document Control Center (DCC) and conduct internal auditing of procurement documentation.
• Flexible on-site work hours, Monday-Friday between 8:00am - 5:00pm.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an Undergraduate program in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management or similar major that requires significant levels of critical/analytical thinking (example: Marketing, Information Systems, General Business).
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
• High work capacity with the ability to manage several projects simultaneously.
• Experience with MS Office Tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, etc.), Adobe, Zoom.
• Ability to work on-site at the LIGO Livingston Observatory for at least 10 hours/week during the semester, additional hours/week during breaks.
• Ability to work autonomously.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment.
• Experience with database tools.
• Ability to work with all types of personalities across different work functions within organization.

Required Documents

• Resume.
• Cover letter describing your interest in advancing your knowledge of procurement and supply chain management, working at LIGO, and your relevant experience and education. (Please note: this is a required document and applications submitted without a cover letter will be considered incomplete.)