Principal, Procurement Lead

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares is searching for a highly motivated, detail-oriented team player to join the Ares Corporate Finance & Accounting team based in the Los Angeles.

In this role, you will provide overall direction and management for activities including but not limited to category management, sourcing, supplier relationship management and purchasing.

Key Responsibilities

• Provides overall direction to the Sourcing and Procurement Organization including efforts to reduce costs, mitigate risks, improve spend compliance and establish best practices
• Monitors and measure Sourcing and Procurement Organization effectiveness against established performance metrics
• Develops a highly qualified and effective Sourcing and Procurement Organization
• Facilitates change management with colleagues and key stakeholders throughout the system
• Monitors and enforces compliance to existing processes and policies and develops new policies and procedures in the areas of category management, sourcing, supplier relationship management and purchasing
• Approves high dollar contracts and purchase orders
• Identifies large-scale business opportunities and improvement initiatives that support system strategic objectives while maximizing profitability
• Drive use of procurement practices and standardization of procurement processes while minimizing supply risk
• Originates new concepts and innovative approaches for the organization; develops skills of supporting team and provides performance review reporting
• Influences large strategic sourcing and purchasing decisions
• Prepares and recommends operating and personnel budgets for approval. Monitors spending for adherence to budget, recommends variances as necessary.
• Establish KPI/Metrics and reporting

QUALIFICATIONS:

• B.S./B.A. degree in Business (or other related degree programs), MBA preferred
• 7+ years of Strategic Sourcing/Procurement experience, Performance Measurement, Contract Negotiation, Project Management, Category Management, Business Analytics, Change Management
• Strong knowledge of category management, strategic sourcing, and supplier relationship management processes
• Proven track record in delivery of complex, cross-functional sourcing and procurement initiatives on time and on budget
• Demonstrated success in leveraging company-wide spend by ensuring the implementation of global/international agreements
• Knowledge and experience with best practice processes, tools, and procurement/spend systems data and analysis
• Strong organizational, planning and problem-solving skills – multi-task oriented with strong attention to detail
• Strong people management, development and coaching experience
• Excellent interpersonal skills to facilitate change management with colleagues and key stakeholders (perceptive and adaptable)
• Excellent verbal and written communication and negotiating skills
• Must be able to interface at all levels of the organization and with suppliers to solve problems when facing evolving demands
• Knowledge and experience of strategic sourcing processes, organization, technology required. Nationally recognized professional certification preferred (Certified Purchasing Manager or Certified Professional Contract Manager).
• Experience being on a project team implementing new technology and/or enterprise level process change a plus.

Reporting Relationships

Managing Director, Procurement & Payables

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$165,000 - $185,000

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and S