Director of Supply Chain & Administrative Operations

Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities.

We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Our company is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S.

Are you looking for a fantastic career at Essential? We have a great opportunity for an Director of Supply Chain & Administrative Operations.

As a premier infrastructure company, Essential Utilities offers a wide array of exciting and challenging career opportunities that support our mission to provide natural resources for life. We seek a talented, skilled and diverse workforce that values teamwork as well as a steadfast commitment to our customers and to the environment. Our two utilities, Aqua and Peoples, provide water, wastewater and natural gas services that families and businesses rely on in their everyday lives.

The Director of Supply Chain & Administrative Operations is a strategic leadership role reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer which oversees all aspects of supply chain, materials management, accounts payable, facilities and physical security functions. This includes direct oversight of all strategic planning, supplier management, strategic sourcing, category management, inventory management, spend analytics, demand planning, materials management, invoice processing, vendor management, facilities governance and oversight of physical security strategy. This position particularly with a focus on AP (Accounts Payable) and Facilities, oversees the entire supply chain process, including purchasing, inventory, and logistics, ensuring efficient operations and cost-effectiveness, while also managing the AP function and facilities-related activities.

Essential Duties Overall

- Develop, implement and maintain strategic plans for purchasing, procurement, inventory, materials management, accounts payable, facilities, and physical security.

- Partner with company stakeholders across the organization to design, implement and execute standard processes for purchasing, procurement, inventory management, invoice processing, facilities management and physical security.

- Manage a non-union and small union workforce. Responsible for team organizational design, performance management, employee development and succession planning, all in accordance with applicable HR policies and procedures.

- Instill an energized work environment, fostering an atmosphere that enables employee trust, collaboration and engagement.

- Inspire confidence and motivate others to perform at their best. Develop and coach staff while effectively addressing performance issues.

- Prepare and manage capital and operating budgets for each area of responsibility, handling variance reporting and forecasting throughout the year.

- Build, monitor and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to senior management and organization.

- Assist with other tasks or projects as assigned.

Supply Chain/Inventory/Materials Management

- Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of managers and staff across multiple locations and lines of business.

- Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with key suppliers and vendors.

- Cultivate and manage supply vendor relationships to ensure cost-effective and reliable supply.

- Oversee inventory data and processes, ensuring efficient and accurate tracking of materials.

- Develop and implement strategy to capture supply discounts to ensure maximum profitability.

- Collaboratively develop sourcing strategies, both long and short term, to support Supply Chain initiatives.

- Monitor and analyze supply chain performance, identifying areas for improvement.

- Instill collaboration across entire procure-to-pay value stream and implement efficiencies in procurement, goods receipt and invoice processing where possible.

- Maintain compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.

Accounts Payable

- Manage the full cycle accounts payable process of invoices and payments, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.

- Develop accurate and timely reporting for both internal and external customers.

- Oversee and manage all outgoing payments.

- Prepare and oversee the preparation of financial reports, ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.

- Oversee vendor maintenance and compliance functions to ease invoice and payment processes

- Conduct thorough account analysis and required compliance reporting to identify trends, variances, and opportunities for improvement.

- Ensure adherence to corporate accounting policies and procedures while maintaining high ethical standards.

- Oversee corporate credit card portfolio including new cards, card maintenance, payments, accruals and reporting.

- Oversee annual 1099 tax reporting processes.

Facilities/Security

- Build and maintain select company facilities, ensuring they are safe and operational and meet business needs.

- Implement and manage physical security standards and recommendations to protect company physical assets and personnel.

- Lead and manage the Southeastern Pennsylvania & Pittsburgh area team of facilities staff who oversee the daily management of the real estate portfolio, ensuring the highest standards are upheld as it pertains to HVAC, security, general and preventative maintenance.

- Develop and execute strategic long term asset planning as it relates to capital improvements, and preventative maintenance.

- Review operating and capital budget reports for all properties, creating action plans to improve operating costs and efficiencies while planning ahead for any major capital improvement projects.

- Partner with key stakeholders on new property development and redevelopment activities for the portfolio.

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.

- Minimum of 10 years of experience in operations management, with a focus on purchasing, procurement, inventory, and materials management; experience of management of accounts payable, facilities, and physical security is preferred.

- Excellent general business acumen and understanding of procurement/sourcing and materials management practices.

- A strong knowledge of accounts payables, accounting, financial analysis, logistics, business law (specifically contract law), vendor management, inventory/materials management, utility operations (construction, engineering & maintenance) is preferred.

- A general knowledge of utility operations including water and/or gas operations is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

- Excellent written and verbal communications skills; communicate effectively (clearly, concisely, and professionally) with internal customers.

- Strong customer service skills

- Ability to work well under pressure.

- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

- A team player able to work effectively in a team fostered multi-tasking environment.

- Experience with SAP is preferred.

- Experience with facility management and security systems is a plus.

- Proven leadership skills with experience managing diverse teams.

Working Conditions/Physical Demands

- Perform sedentary work- exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

- See, hear, talk, and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity.

- Operate standard office equipment.

- Working conditions may include travel to work sites of Essential Utilities and/or other constituents (if applicable).

- Travel Requirements up to 30% (for overnight travel is required).

Essential Utilities, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Equal employment opportunity is provided to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, including medical conditions related to lactation), physical or mental disability, covered-veteran status, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.

Essential Utilities is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a condition that may prevent you from applying for a job online or need to request an accommodation during the interview process, please call (1-877-271-9012).

To Maintain The Integrity Of The Recruitment Process And To Avoid Real Or Perceived Conflicts Of Interest Due To Employment And/or Assignment Of Family Members And Personal Referrals, Specific Guidelines Apply To The Hiring And Assignment Of These Individuals Including, But Not Limited To

- Family members cannot result in a supervisor/subordinate reporting relationship

- Family members cannot work in the same department.