John T. Vain II
Summary
Procurement Specialist with extensive experience in supply chain optimization and vendor management. Demonstrated success in achieving cost reductions and enhancing vendor performance through strategic sourcing initiatives and budget oversight.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
MRO Procurement Specialist
Northern Illinois University
10.2020 - Current
- Manage the MRO purchasing lifecycle for Physical Plant, Materials Distribution Center, Facilities Management and Heating Plant, ensuring timely availability of essential materials.
- Process P-Card transactions and reconciliations for Material Distribution Center and Physical Plant, maintaining accurate financial records and compliance.
- Manage supplier relationships for 90+ vendors that support 15 trades disciplines on campus while fostering relationships with suppliers to control costs and minimize lead time expectations.
- Process vendor requisitions prior to fiscal year conversion and managed new vendor onboarding, streamlining procurement operations.
- Oversight of budgetary control metrics regarding the Materials Distribution Center (MDC) in support of Physical Plant operations.
- Manage projects within the Physical Plant regarding space utilization for MDC and Central Stores inventory.
- Collaborate with the Architecture & Engineering Department to determine appropriate work order consolidations into projects to comply with university budget savings.
- Represent Materials Management and Physical Plant as primary procurement liaison with suppliers and the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative (IPHEC) to determine appropriate bid awards.
- Provide relevant report updates necessary to keep compliant with the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) as it pertains to minority-owned businesses within the state of Illinois and mitigate potential purchasing department violations.
Category Buyer (Expedite Division)
Performance Health, Inc
06.2017 - 10.2020
- Managed time-sensitive procurement operations for multiple sports medicine product categories.
- Reviewed vendor order confirmations for accuracy before system entry to mitigate processing delays.
- Reviewed daily open order reports to manage past-due purchase orders and reduce back orders at the warehouses.
- Managed the POD process to ensure inventory was received correctly by the 3PL warehouses.
- Primary liaison for customer service, inside sales and vendors for all product availability inquiry concerns including stock items and direct-to-customer drop shipments.
- Collaborated with Product Management and Data Management teams to maintain master vendor catalog for SKU setup, deletion, and maintenance based on customer demand.
- Developed SOP guidelines for response expectations on all external field inquiries.
Logistics Analyst
Tate & Lyle Custom Ingredients, Inc
08.2015 - 12.2016
- Negotiated freight rates during contract bid process, optimizing carrier pricing strategies.
- Sourced carriers and analyzed scorecards for onboarding into company's transportation network, enhancing selection process.
- Monitored inventory levels and coordinated stock movements between warehouses, ensuring compliance with safety stock recommendations.
- Scheduled shipments for all outbound and inbound products and materials including full truckload and less-than-truckload.
- Oversaw the reverse logistics process for handling damaged products.
Air Expedite Specialist
RR Donnelley Logistics, Inc
05.2012 - 08.2015
- Planned all air expedite, surface expedite, white glove service and high value shipments.
- Negotiated spot market rates, effectively controlling freight costs.
- Sourced and on-boarded over 20 expedite carriers to enhance carrier base and leverage capacity.
- Reviewed and modified expedite procedures, achieving over 98% pickup and delivery efficiency.
- Worked with the carrier development team to confirm vendor contract compliance with DOT regulations.
Logistics Account Manager
Archer Daniels Midland, Inc
07.2005 - 02.2012
- Managed a monthly average of 500 outbound customer shipments and $600K in 3rd party revenue.
- Managed ADM’s inbound van, refrigerated, specialized and heavy-haul transportation network.
- Oversaw ADM’s private fleet backhaul program.
- Reviewed carrier score cards and made on-boarding recommendations based on service levels.
- Processed customs contracts for bulk steel shipments crossing into international markets for fabrication.
Transportation Analyst/Project Management
Del Monte Foods, Inc
09.2003 - 05.2005
- Assigned key projects involving the transportation P&L for the transfer of all finished products and raw materials between warehouse conversions in the Southeast distribution network.
- Responsible for outbound shipment planning for the Midwest distribution network and satellite locations.
- Managed the annual rate bid contracts; truckload and less-than-truckload.
- Scheduled all USDA approved loads from 5 locations in the Midwest.
- Contributed to the Midwest Distribution Safety Council.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Northern Illinois University
01-2003
Skills
- Procurement strategy
- Vendor management
- Contract negotiation
- Strategic sourcing
- Budget control
- Cost analysis
- Inventory management
- Supplier relationship management
- Project management
- Oracle/WebTMA
- Microsoft Office applications
- P-card management
- Diversity compliance
- Category management
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
MRO Procurement Specialist
Northern Illinois University
10.2020 - Current
Category Buyer (Expedite Division)
Performance Health, Inc
06.2017 - 10.2020
Logistics Analyst
Tate & Lyle Custom Ingredients, Inc
08.2015 - 12.2016
Air Expedite Specialist
RR Donnelley Logistics, Inc
05.2012 - 08.2015
Logistics Account Manager
Archer Daniels Midland, Inc
07.2005 - 02.2012
Transportation Analyst/Project Management
Del Monte Foods, Inc
09.2003 - 05.2005
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Northern Illinois University