PLC Spotlight on Tim Maguire

Tim Maguire is Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Supply Chain Management. He has been in his current role about a year and seven months.  Prior to this role he held multiple positions at Genentech (A large Bio Pharma Company in the SF Bay Area) for a combined period of 12 years with a short engagement with UCOP between those periods.  At UCOP, he led the systemwide sourcing teams for the Life Sciences Category. 

What made you get into Procurement or Supply Chain Management as a career?

After leaving the Navy I landed a Sr. Buyer role with a small pharmaceutical company in the Bay Area.  I fell in love with Procurement and never looked back.

What do you like most about being a part of the Procurement team at your campus?

I love the engagement with the Students, Faculty and Staff to deliver value on every dollar spent for campus.  I also love the camaraderie we have across the Supply Chain Team here at Davis, we have come together as a single team made up of multiple disciplines.

Describe a moment that made you proud to be a part of the PLC or is there an interesting story you can share about being on the PLC?

Every year the PLC reviews nominations for the UC Procurement Starlight Awards. I always marvel at the level of dedication, engagement and the amount of value created by each of the Procurement and Supply Chain teams across the System.  I take pride in being a part of that recognition and in a small part saying thanks for a job well done!

What do you see as the biggest challenge for UC Procurement right now and what do we need to do collectively as a group to overcome this hurdle?

I believe the biggest challenge facing UC Procurement right now is managing change. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve the overall efficiency of UC Procurement and we all have limited capacity to dedicate resources to participate in these programs. It is incumbent upon the PLC and the UCOP Leadership to balance and prioritize these initiatives to ensure we are focused on the ones that will create the biggest return. 

What do you think is one of the misconceptions of the PLC?

I think the biggest misconception is that the PLC is made up of representatives from the 10 campuses and that these leaders are only looking out for the best interest of their individual campus.  I have found the PLC to be a very collaborative team, who is passionate about delivering value and creating efficiency for the System and their own campuses. 

Where do you get inspiration? What makes you excited and motivated in your work/life?

The thing about working within Procurement & Supply Chain Management is that you get to see the results of your work.  You feel a part of the projects you are involved in and know the value you’re adding by being a part of the process.  Supporting life changing research, advancement of science and technology and ensuring the youth of our society have access to institutions like the UC motivates me. Also having a daughter attending UC Santa Barbara make me want to work to reduce tuition however we can. (Personal Motivation) 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My family has a small vacation home at Lake Almanor, located in North East California by Mount Lassen.  It’s so quiet and peaceful, a great lake for fishing, and I love to play golf at the local courses.  It’s so dark there at night- you can actually see satellites fly across the sky.  That’s my happy spot. 

Name something on your bucket list.

One of the things I hope to do soon is to cruise the Panama Canal. It’s such an amazing engineering marvel and I would love to experience it.