Senior Indirect Sourcing Category Manager

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with personalization and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office with some flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate on the industry’s best cybersecurity solutions together!

Job Description

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks is looking for a skilled Senior Sourcing Category Manager to join the
organization. The position requires a well-rounded individual who has demonstrated the
ability to deliver results in a global, dynamic, and fast-paced environment. The Senior Sourcing Manager will be passionate about all aspects of Sourcing with specific experience and focus on indirect sourcing categories.

Your Impact

This position will work cross-functionally and assist in managing the relationships of
multiple supply sources, including contracting, delivery, quality, cost performance, and
the overall relationship between Palo Alto Networks and the supply sources. Objectives
include development of solutions to optimize demand, costs & supply chain and to
drive performance based on KPI’s and SLA’s.

Key objectives for this position include:

• Cultivate relationships with the client team and key stakeholders by listening, partnering, and educating teams on Sourcing strategies to optimize the bottom line.
• Developing sourcing strategies, lead contract negotiations, write scopes of work, review and process contract redlines, supplier onboarding review and advise.
• Help develop and execute the Strategic Sourcing function by leading or facilitating supplier selection, Request for Proposals (RFP)s and negotiation processes to deliver agreements that include excellent long-term pricing models, measurable service level/performance criteria, effective remedies for non-performance, etc.
• This is a key business partner role to help drive the business forward and increase the managed spend within the assigned categories.
• Continually identify and implement new opportunities for cost savings and avoidance, and proactively track the progress. 
• Overall Supplier relationship management in partnership with internal business clients
• Advisor to developing the Sourcing function by taking on some projects for the team as a whole.
• Propose and drive opportunities for optimal cost savings through analysis of current spend vs. external category/commodity analysis and benchmarking.
• Mentor team members. Ensure they are set up for success and can achieve and/or exceed required expectations and drive career development plans.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers to establish advantageous purchasing, commercial terms, and payment requirements.
• Effectively communicate Sourcing values and responsibilities, consistently interpreting the difference between what stakeholders ask for, what they need, what contracts/buying arrangement may already exist to serve those needs and/or provide direction as to how best competitively source what is needed.
• Propose and drive opportunities for optimal cost savings through analysis of current spend and external category analysis and benchmarking.
• Evaluate supplier risk; manage supplier onboarding and ongoing data management.
• Consistently draw from past experiences and ongoing benchmarking to optimize processes.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• Minimum of 12 years within Sourcing and Procurement related activities Including remote support for various global locations.
• Experience supporting engineering and/or research and development or facilities organizations a strong plus
• General