Professional Services Interim Sourcing lead

THE ROLE:

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field preferred
• Minimum of 10 years strategic sourcing experience for Professional Services spend is a must
• Core experience in HR, Legal, and Marketing categories is a must, with Consulting experience desirable
• Proven track record of delivering P&L saving projects
• Top level commercial negotiation skills with ability to influence cross-functionally
• Prior in-depth experience negotiating with large and difficult Professional Service providers
• Experience of and ability to develop and implement category strategy plans for Professional Services sourcing
• Proven self-starter who can work independently and within a team while effectively juggling multiple priorities
• Understanding of best-in-class procurement, risk, Information Security, and payable processes
• Personal resilience to work within an extremely fast-paced, ambiguous environment
• Strong strategic thinker and problem solver with attention to detail
• Established written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage challenging stakeholders diplomatically

The person who secures this role will:

• Support and motivate a small team of individuals with varying levels of Category Strategy and Sourcing knowledge and experience
• Support, train, and develop key talent where applicable
• Drive annual savings and productivity improvements: via Strategic RFPs, Demand, and process management
• Coordinate, prepare, and manage RFx/competitive bids to optimize cost and service
• Perform direct negotiations and manage sometimes large and complex agreements
• Establish cross-functional teams for major projects and change initiatives
• Negotiate pricing using the five levers that incentivize a supplier
• Heavily contribute to P&L and Cost Avoid savings for the team
• Support/lead the development and implementation of multi-year Category Strategy plans which align with Business Unit (BU) / functional stakeholders
• Find saving opportunities via stakeholder engagement and data analysis
• Develop and manage a positive relationship with difficult stakeholders
• Support the use of preferred supplies, pricing / rate-cards, discounts, and buying channels
• Solution requests and issues timely, and perform daily problem solving
• Assess adherence to plans / guidelines and help address leakage or knowledge gaps
• Ensure client satisfaction with service, cycle time, and strategic value-add
• Performs all duties in accordance with prescribed regulatory compliance guidelines
• Quickly learn the companies end to end process, and work within the guidelines to gain savings and deliver results