Jobs and Careers

Procurement Manager/ Procurement Project Manager

United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 25 Nov 2025

💰 $180,257/yr($104,795/yr – $180,257/yr)

About the role

Location: Austin, United States of America

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Position Summary

Austin, Hybrid

We are seeking a Procurement Manager/ Procurement Project Manager (PPM) to join the Thales Identity and Biometrics Solutions organization in Austin, Texas.

As the key liaison between business stakeholders and the Global Procurement team (including Global Category Managers, Category Managers, and Category Buyers), the PPM will ensure early procurement involvement.

The PPM will serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders on projects, bids, process and product improvements, and cost-reduction initiatives.

In this role, the PPM will advocate for the Procurement organization, driving the delivery of optimal solutions that balance competitiveness, quality, and on-time delivery, while aligning with the procurement strategy led by Global Category Managers.

Additionally, the PPM will be expected to bring innovative ideas, contributing to business line profitability and competitiveness by providing value-added procurement support

Key Areas of Responsibility

Develop and promote Thales procurement competitiveness both internally and externally, ensuring solutions meet customer needs and align with business objectives.
Collaborate & influence key business stakeholders to develop procurement strategies and work packages that align with bids/projects/products requirements, customer contractual obligations, and Thales Group procurement policies & strategies.
Lead and manage the procurement team.
Monitor team performance regularly, provide guidance and support to ensure continuous improvement, and drive the effective execution of procurement processes to meet project goals and business objectives.
Ensure the procurement strategy considers market offers, innovations, and breakthroughs, and integrates the Make/Buy analysis, legal/regulatory requirements (e.g., export control, environmental, and social regulations), and prime contract flow-downs.
Challenge acquisition needs and promote design-to-cost analysis during the definition phase to optimize costs and enhance solution competitiveness.
Ensure early involvement on projects to drive cost optimization (against budget), on-time delivery, and quality optimization with the right supplier panel and consequently ensure execution happens accordingly.
Validate the availability of market offers and identify opportunities for leveraging innovations to influence product design.
Develop acquisition plans that optimize the cost of purchased goods & services in collaboration with Global Category Managers/Category Buyers.
While tracking procurement costs and project Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), develop and implement a savings opportunities plan (competitiveness plan) to reduce costs and improve procurement efficiency throughout the project.
Ensure compliance with relevant governance, including delegation of authority, acquisition log, purchasing summary sheets, procurement vetting, and gate reviews.
Identify procurement and supplier opportunities and risks and develop and implement risk mitigation strategies.
Monitor progress through the procurement dashboard and liaise with operational teams and Category Buyers to ensure effective execution of procurement activities.
Ensure the proper adoption of Global Category Manager strategies by stakeholders, with clear communication of procurement objectives and progress.
Monitor and report on procurement work package performance, escalating issues as needed.
Conduct post-mortem analysis (lessons learned) with procurement teams, PMO, and engineering to evaluate the performance of procurement work packages in the project.