Senior Associate - Procurement Services

The Sr. Associate, Sourcing and Category Management (Professional Services) is a member of a client dedicated procurement service delivery team responsible for co-leading (together with client) Professional Services category planning and strategy development, benchmarking, collecting market intelligence, managing stakeholders, and developing project pipelines. He or she will lead the clients defined strategic sourcing execution process, including building cost models, designing and launching of RFIs/RFPs, evaluating bids, planning and executing negotiation strategies, and making award recommendations. Additionally, this role may be responsible for leading a team of 1-2 members. A successful candidate will drive year-over-year savings while ensuring quality and service level requirements are met.This role frequently interacts with senior members of the clients organization, so he or she must have excellent communication skills and be comfortable leading and participating in discussions across levels and cultures.In addition, he or she is also responsible for creating a positive work environment and fostering cross-functional and cross-regional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities / Job Duties Developing medium to long-term category strategies for a variety of Professional Services sub-categories Developing and executing sourcing strategies through the use of the clients strategic sourcing process Identifying cost savings through negotiations, event driven activities, and alternate sourcing strategies to achieve assigned cost saving goals Leading commercial negotiations and drafting contracts Managing overall supplier relationships, including supplier performance, capability development, risk mitigation, cost savings, and quality improvements If applicable, managing the teams objective setting, performance, career growth, training, and competency development Acting as the escalation point for the source to contract (S2C) team, communicating and resolving operational issues, and escalating to the Regional Delivery Lead as necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Hands-on knowledge of Professional Services sub-categories (including third party consultants, HR services, travel, fleet, financial services, etc.) Awareness of Professional Services industry, key suppliers, major trends, cost drivers and negotiation levers Deep understanding of strategic sourcing methods and approaches and an ability to apply various concepts to category-level activities at the client Ability to determine the appropriate procurement strategy for assigned categories and business requirements Ability to draft simple to complex contractual agreements Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to provide custom solutions to address the clients challenges Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously Strong leadership skills, including ability to motivate and manage people Proficiency using Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint

Required Education and Experience Bachelors Degree, MBA preferred 5-6 years of work experience strategic sourcing and category management. 3+ years of experience with Professional Services and related sub-categories. Additional informationBusiness Fundamentals: Excellent written and verbal communication skills Demonstrated teamwork and team leadership capabilities Client Services Capabilities: Strong customer service orientation including demonstrated issue resolution and relationship management skills Ability to learn and master client specific processes, terminology, political environment, systems and unique requirements by various business groups Solid decision-making ability using available facts in sensitive client situations Contract negotiation and drafting