User Support Specialist

Position Overview

The Chief Procurement Officer for General Services (CPO-GS) is seeking a detail-oriented, thorough, and organized problem-solver to join our help desk team. In this User Support Specialist position, you will be responsible for providing technical assistance and support to vendors and employees with software and registration issues in the Illinois Procurement Gateway (IPG) and BidBuy.   You will work with procurement staff, representatives from other state agencies, and vendors to answer questions, resolve issues and provide information about BidBuy, the IPG and other systems used by the CPO-GS, including the CPO-GS website, and the Small Business Set-Aside Program (SBSP) and Pathway to Procurement Facebook pages (collectively called “procurement systems”.)

The CPO-GS ensures that more than $7 billion in procurements under its jurisdiction are fair, transparent, accountable and in the best interest of the State.  The CPO-GS is under the umbrella of the Executive Ethics Commission (EEC), a nine-member commission that promotes transparency, fairness, and integrity by facilitating compliance and enforcement of the State Officials and Employee Ethics Act. The EEC appoints the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), subject to Senate confirmation, and provides staff and other support in furtherance of the independent procurement role of the CPO. The staff members of the CPO-GS are dedicated public servants focused on providing exceptional service and valuable results to the agencies and people we serve.

Job Responsibilities

• Provides daily customer support for procurement systems by answering telephones, directing calls, taking messages, responding to inquiries, and resolving problems primarily related to registration and use of BidBuy.
• As additional Procurement Systems become available or system functionality expands, actively pursues the additional knowledge necessary in order to become a successful support resource for users.
• Confers with vendors, procurement staff, agency representatives, and other users (collectively “customers”) by phone, email, or in-person to provide information about services, policies,  and procedures for registration and use of BidBuy.
• Applies general knowledge of BidBuy system rules and requirements.  Communicates with customers in a professional and courteous manner to provide timely notice of issue and to explain or clarify processes, procedures, or rules.  Users a customer-friendly approach and adaps and responds appropriately to different personality types.
• Provides trouble-shooting techniques to help with questions and resolve issues that users and customers experience.
• Applies established procedures and standards to maintain and update vendor registration for BidBuy.
• Keeps an accurate and current record of required customer interactions.
• Refers unresolved issues to the appropriate contact at BidBuy.  Reviews and maintains a pending system to ensure that follow-up is completed and that appropriate changes are made to resolve users’ problems.
• Promotes overall team efficiency by sharing knowledge/experience with the other Procurement System Team members.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Required Education and Experience

• Requires knowledge, skill, and development equivalent to two years of college and one year of office experience, or completion of high school and three years of office experience, or three years of independent business experience
• Requires knowledge of administrative and office procedures such as word processing, managing files and records, and use of office technology including printer, scanner, fax, and copier
• Requires working knowledge of the use of computer and desktop software, including Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Suite
• Knowledge of operation of multi-line phone system.

Equal Opportunity and Commitment to Diversity

The Executive Ethics Commission provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

The Executive Ethics Commission is committed to the fair and equal employment of individuals with disabilities under the ADA. It is the Executive Ethics Commission’s policy to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the company. The Executive Ethics Commission prohibits any harassment of, or discriminatory treatment of, employees or applicants based on a disability or because an employee has requested a reasonable accommodation.

The Executive Ethics Commission is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the agency and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. This commitment is embodied in agency policy and organizational culture.

Additional Information

NOTE: This is a non-code position. This position is not subject to collective bargaining.