Senior Sourcing Manager

Overview of Position

The Senior Sourcing Manager is responsible for all phases of strategic sourcing for a specific set of initiatives/deals/agreements within assigned team. This role requires the skills necessary to understand the vendor landscape, drive cost saving opportunities, , creatively negotiates, generates contracts to assure seamless availability of all products to support the company objectives and employs the best practices of the sourcing industry at all times.

What will be my duties and responsibilities in this job? 

• Responsible for negotiating best possible cost service guarantee and develop “win-win” strategies that achieve sustainable relationships with suppliers for assigned initiatives/agreements

• Evaluate supplier core competencies and competitive positioning using industry cost models

• Implement supplier agreements/contracts working with cross-functional stakeholders and suppliers to reach agreement on contract terms and conditions

• Research and anticipate shifts in the negotiating power of suppliers within assigned categories

• Understand industry trends and evolving technology to help team proactively identify issues to minimize risk, protect continuity of services, and utilize emerging opportunities

• Provide input to vendor selection and build ongoing vendor relationships

• Maintain and develop supplier relationships (trade shows, supplier meetings, conferences, etc.)

• Understand and support short-term and long-range planning and budget development of the company to support strategic business goals

• Support established vendor governance program with key suppliers including metrics, performance goals and improvement initiatives

• Adhere to Sourcing policies and standard processes while ensuring compliance within the department

• Seek to continuously improve productivity and efficiency of processes throughout the Sourcing organization

• Support forecasts for future renewals, demand needs, and expansion of services in a timely fashion for assigned category(s) based upon vendor lead-time

• Understand the cost drivers in assigned category/market, and challenge traditional thinking by presenting new information

• Manage and mentor direct reports encouraging professional growth & development

• Oversee staffing/recruiting/training /coaching of direct reports including performance reviews

Financial Responsibility

• Support Global Sourcing teams annual operating budget, savings targets, and strategic initiatives

• Monitor value leakage within key supplier agreements

• Solid understanding of financial planning process to ensure initiatives result in savings and savings are extracted from FP&A process across multiple cost centers, functions, and entities

• Should have solid understanding of financial planning process to ensure initiatives result in savings and savings are extracted from FP&A process across multiple cost centers, functions, and entities

What are the requirements needed for this position? 

• Bachelor’s degree required 

• At least 6 years’ experience in either the Sourcing or Procurement industry

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience category and contract management for outsourcing services or procurement commodity purchases

• Preferred in people leadership experience in Sourcing orProcurement

• Cross functional experience at the interfaces of IT/technology/operations/finance/sales/marketing/legal/HR/Real estate & facilities, and the lines of business

• Address escalations/disputes between cross-functional stakeholders and suppliers and/or engage leadership as appropriate

• Commitment to supplier diversity

• Ability to manage projects and accountable to ensure successful delivery (on time, within budget, meeting agreed upon success criteria)

• Good knowledge of the legal terminology and language related to third-party agreements and contracts

• Application of sourcing and supplier industry concepts for assigned scope of responsibility

• Advanced skills and working knowledge of MS Office and MS Excel

• Must have strong presentation and communication skills

• Ability to interact with the mid-levels of executive leadership within Assurant and the supplier

• Must ensure compliance at all times with company business policies and procedures

• Monitor supplier performance, outsourcing portfolio, and opportunity catalog across an assigned scope of supplier services and outs