Jim McAuley

Dynamic IT Procurement Operations Manager at Merck, excelling in proactive issue resolution and stakeholder communication. Achieved significant operational efficiency by managing over $45 million in critical purchase orders, while fostering collaboration across teams. Renowned for leadership capabilities and vendor negotiation skills, driving continuous improvement initiatives in procurement processes.

• Successfully navigated complex procurement challenges, fostering strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to drive operational efficiency and compliance.
• Recognized as a key resource for procurement-related inquiries, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement within the IT PM community.

• Resource Management, Effectively managed daily activities of external resources, fostering collaboration within the IT PO & IT Blanket PO CoE team to promote project success and team satisfaction.
• Team Engagement, Conducted biweekly one-on-one sessions with team members, providing updates on Merck procedures and policies, while addressing ongoing responsibilities and challenges to establish a supportive atmosphere.
• Purchase Order Oversight, Supervised the IT Business Management Purchase Orders (POs) lifecycle, including creation, accruals, invoicing, and issue resolution, ensuring compliance with organizational policies.
• Proactive Issue Resolution, Addressed procurement challenges by expediting PO requests, managing invoices, and resolving supplier-related issues, which led to maintaining operational efficiency and mitigating potential disruptions.
• Collaborative Meetings, Actively participated in weekly Joint Hardware Software Renewal Operations and Global Team Meetings, contributing valuable insights to enhance collaboration across Procurement and other Centers of Excellence.
• Single Point of Escalation, Served as the escalation point for procurement tool-related issues (Ariba/Fieldglass) within the PM community, facilitating issue resolution and supporting compliance with Policy 6.
• Retroactive PO Process Management, Maintained communication with IT and Procurement/Vendor Operations to formalize and effectively manage the Retroactive PO process, serving as a resource for policy adherence.
• Financial Impact, Led efforts to resolve issues impacting high-visibility critical POs, influencing a total value of over $45 million in 2024 and avoiding over $3 million in supplier penalties through proactive management.
• Procurement Tool Support, Collaborated with global procurement teams to track and resolve issues with Ariba and Fieldglass, ensuring timely communication of challenges to stakeholders.
• Continuous Improvement Initiatives, Engaged in weekly IT Technology Procurement Office Hours to stay abreast of procurement tool issues, providing support to users and enhancing the end-user experience.