Vice President Sourcing and Procurement

At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative and growing. We invest in our people. We care and make a positive difference.

What’s the role?

Reporting to the VP, Financial Management the VP, Sourcing and Procurement has six direct reports and leads a team of around 45. Below outlines more of what you’d do:

• Develop and implement immediate and long-range strategic procurement policies designed to improve the value of our third party relationships including reducing the cost of goods and services, consolidating the supplier base, growing internal controls, and reducing vendor risk.
• Manage, advise and engage in the sourcing and contracting processes for all spend categories enterprise wide including evaluating, negotiating, and entering into contracts and renewing relationships with vendors of goods and services.
• Identify, evaluate and implement procurement industry trends to advance company procurement excellence.
• Strengthen partnerships with business units across the company to provide valuable consultation. Ensure key business partners understand the strategic and tactical direction for procurement efforts allowing for integration with company and department strategies.
• Develop a strong strategic advisor/partner relationship with the digital/technology function to manage their unique and complex vendor relationships maximizing value and reducing risk.
• Accountable for a full range of people leader responsibilities including communication, mentoring, staff development, performance management, salary administration and staffing decisions.

Bring Your Best! What this role needs:

• You have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or equivalent. Having a MBA is a plus.
• You’d bring 10 years+ of progressively responsible procurement related experience including experience in Information Technology procurement and the full procure to pay process
• You’ve demonstrated success in developing and implementing strategy, governance and structure in a rapidly changing environment.
• You have exceptional negotiation skills and the ability to cultivate and maintain strong internal and external relationships at all levels.
• You have extraordinary leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, including experience leading significant changes.
• You can organize, analyze, interpret and communicate financial information for strategic and tactical purchasing functions.
• You have knowledge of contract development legal issues, strong project management skills and a strong customer service focus.
• You’d partner effectively with leaders across the enterprise to evaluate vendor performance, needs assessment, spend optimization and risk management.

Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our client’s interests at the center of all we do. Get started now!

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Req ID: 27213
Position Type: Regular Full Time
Education Experience: Bachelor’s Required
Employment Experience: 9+ years
Licenses/Certifications:

FLSA Status: Exempt
Posting Date: 11/25/2019