Position SummaryThe Senior Procurement Director, IT/Professional Services is a leadership role responsible for developing and executing global procurement strategy across the IT and Professional Services categories, spanning EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. This role owns approximately $150MM in annual spend and partners closely with IT leadership, business stakeholders, Finance, Legal, and regional business stakeholders to drive cost optimization, supplier performance, contract compliance, and risk mitigation across a diverse, multi-region supplier base.
Reporting directly to the Chief Procurement Officer, this individual will serve as the primary strategic advisor on all IT and Professional Services sourcing and category management matters, ensuring global consistency while accommodating regional nuances in vendor landscape, regulatory requirements, and business needs.
Key ResponsibilitiesCategory Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and own the global IT and Professional Services category strategies, aligning sourcing initiatives with enterprise technology roadmaps and business objectives.
- Build multi-year category plans covering IT (hardware, software/SaaS, cloud, telecom) and Professional Services (consulting, staffing/contingent labor, marketing, and other outsourced business services).
- Serve as the executive-level liaison between Procurement and global IT leadership (CDIO/CTO organization), embedding procurement early in technology planning cycles.
Global Sourcing & Supplier Management
- Lead and oversee end-to-end sourcing activities (RFx, negotiations, contracting) for strategic IT and Professional Services suppliers across EMEA, APAC, and Americas.
- Manage a portfolio of tier-1 global and regional IT and Professional Services vendors, driving supplier consolidation, standardization, and performance management (SLAs, QBRs, scorecards).
- Negotiate complex, high-value contracts including enterprise software licensing, cloud service agreements, hardware master agreements, and outsourced IT services.
- Identify and mitigate supply risk, including geopolitical, financial, and cybersecurity/vendor risk considerations specific to IT suppliers.
- Govern statement-of-work quality, rate card compliance, and utilization/performance tracking across consulting, staffing, and other Professional Services engagements.
Financial & Commercial Management
- Own savings targets and value delivery across the IT and Professional Services spend portfolio; report savings, cost avoidance, and cost containment.
- Partner with Finance on IT and Professional Services budget planning, spend forecasting, and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis.
- Drive should-cost modeling and benchmarking to ensure competitive pricing across regions.
Stakeholder Engagement & Governance
- Act as a trusted advisor to regional IT, business unit, and functional leaders on procurement best practices and vendor strategy across both the IT and Professional Services categories.
- Establish and maintain category governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with corporate policy, procurement standards, and regulatory requirements (e.g., data privacy, export controls, local labor/vendor laws) across all three regions.
- Present category performance, market trends, and strategic recommendations to senior executive stakeholders and the CPO.
Team & Cross-Functional Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of category managers/buyers (direct and/or matrixed) across EMEA, APAC, and Americas.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Legal, Security, Finance, and regional Procurement teams to ensure aligned execution.
- Champion procurement technology and process improvements (e.g., source-to-pay tools, contract lifecycle management, SOW/contingent-labor management systems) relevant to both the IT and Professional Services categories.
Qualifications- 15+ years of progressive procurement experience across IT (hardware, software, cloud, telecom) and Professional Services (consulting, staffing, or outsourced business services) categories.
- Minimum 10 years in a senior-level category management role spanning IT and/or Professional Services.
- Demonstrated experience managing a global spend portfolio of $150MM+ across IT and Professional Services, ideally spanning EMEA, APAC, and Americas.
- Proven track record negotiating complex IT and Professional Services contracts, including enterprise software/SaaS agreements, cloud service contracts, and consulting/staffing master service agreements and SOWs.
- Strong understanding of global regulatory and compliance considerations affecting IT procurement (data privacy/GDPR, export control, local contracting law).
- Experience leading or mentoring geographically distributed teams.
- Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Information Technology, or related field required.
Preferred Skills - Deep familiarity with major IT supplier ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft, AWS/Azure/GCP, Oracle, SAP) and Professional Services provider landscapes (e.g., management consulting, staffing/MSP, marketing agencies).
- Strong financial acumen, including TCO modeling, benchmarking, and business case development.
- Executive presence with the ability to influence C-suite and senior IT stakeholders.
- Experience operating within a matrixed, multinational organizational structure.
- Exceptional negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills across cultures and time zones.
- Ability to travel internationally as needed.
This role is primarily office-based or home office-based, requiring extended periods of sitting, computer use, occasional walking or light lifting, and may involve brief visits to manufacturing areas; reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed.
