Head of Technology Procurement

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.  

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

The Head of Technology Strategic Sourcing & Procurement is responsible for leading the development and execution of the organization’s technology procurement strategy. This role ensures that the company optimizes costs, mitigates risks, and strengthens supplier relationships while aligning with business and IT objectives. The leader will oversee the sourcing of software, hardware, cloud services, and emerging technologies to drive innovation and efficiency in the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
• Develop and implement a global technology procurement strategy, ensuring alignment with business and IT objectives.
• Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives for software, cloud, hardware, telecom, and IT services.
• Optimize supplier portfolios and negotiate high-value, complex contracts with key technology vendors (e.g., Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, SAP, IBM, Google Cloud).
• Drive cost savings, risk mitigation, and value creation through effective contract structuring and supplier negotiations.
• Collaborate with IT, finance, and legal teams to align sourcing strategies with technology roadmaps and compliance requirements.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management
• Build and maintain strong executive relationships with strategic technology suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Assist in vendor performance reviews, ensuring SLAs, KPIs, and business outcomes are met.
• Partner with CIO, CTO, and IT leaders to anticipate technology needs and drive innovation through supplier engagements.
• Work with Third Party Risk Management to develop governance frameworks for technology third-party risk management, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance.

Financial & Risk Management
• Drive cost optimization initiatives across technology spend, leveraging TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and ROI analysis.
• Ensure contracts comply with regulatory, cybersecurity, and data privacy standards (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2, NIST, ISO 27001).
• Establish and enforce policies for IT procurement governance, cost control, and risk mitigation.
• Monitor market trends and supplier landscapes to identify cost-saving and innovation opportunities.

Operational Excellence & Digital Procurement Transformation
• Implement procurement automation and digital tools (e.g., Coupa, ServiceNow) to streamline sourcing and vendor management.
• Develop category management playbooks, standardizing best practices across global procurement category teams.
• Lead a high-performing team of IT procurement professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

Qualifications & Skills
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, IT, or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years of technology procurement, strategic sourcing, or vendor management experience in a global enterprise.
• Deep knowledge of IT procurement, cloud economics, software licensing models, and outsourcing agreements.
• Strong negotiation skills and experience managing multi-million-dollar contracts.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments across IT, finance, legal, and executive leadership.
• Expertise in procurement analytics, cost modeling, and financial planning for technology investments.

Salary Range:

$137,400 - 240,400 USD

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Working with Us: 

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within t