Job DescriptionYour RoleThis role supports Ascendiun and technology related sourcing activities within the Ascendiun Family of Companies, as appropriate. The IT Sourcing Team is a part of Global Business Services team supporting the acquisition of technology products and services across the enterprise. The Sourcing Specialist Principal will report to the Senior Director of IT Sourcing. In this role, you will use your business acumen, negotiation expertise, and knowledge of technology sourcing, contracting and negotiations skills to support our family of companies by engaging with a diverse range of suppliers and internal stakeholders.
ResponsibilitiesYour WorkIn this role, you will:
- Become a trusted partner and serve as a strategic sourcing advisor to technology and business leaders, translating enterprise objectives into clear sourcing strategies, negotiation plans, and executable contracting approaches.
- Influence demand, supplier selection, and spend decisions to deliver cost savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and value creation through supplier rationalization, market leverage, and economies of scale.
- Analyze supply markets, commercial models, technology trends, and supplier capabilities to identify best-fit sources that balance price, capability, resiliency, compliance, innovation, and long-term enterprise value.
- Lead structured supplier selection and qualification processes, including RFx events, auctions, proposal evaluations, scoring models, negotiation rounds, and award recommendations supported by clear governance and documentation.
- Advance supplier diversity and inclusion by proactively identifying, promoting, and supporting engagement with small, disadvantaged, minority-owned, and other diverse suppliers where aligned with business needs.
- Coordinate supplier due diligence, onboarding, risk review, and compliance activities with cross-functional partners to ensure sourcing decisions meet business, regulatory, privacy, security, and operational requirements.
- Lead end-to-end negotiations for complex technology transactions across cloud, software, data, professional services, managed services, outsourcing, telecom, and related technology categories.
- Develop and execute negotiation strategies using BATNAs, should-cost analysis, total-cost-of-ownership models, benchmarking, competitive leverage, and scenario planning to achieve best-value outcomes across price, risk, service levels, flexibility, and innovation.
- Structure and negotiate scalable commercial models, including outcome-based pricing, consumption-based commitments, elastic capacity, milestone-based delivery, indexed rate cards, reserved capacity, renewal protections, and cloud optimization constructs.
- Enable cloud, digital, AI, and technology transformation initiatives by negotiating timely, commercially sound software, data, services, and technology agreements that support business continuity and speed to value.
- Partner with Legal, Privacy, Security, Finance, Risk, Compliance, IT, and business stakeholders to resolve contract issues involving intellectual property, data protection, cybersecurity, regulatory obligations, audit rights, service levels, indemnities, limitations of liability, and business continuity.
- Guide stakeholders from intake through signature by clarifying requirements, building complete sourcing packages, developing well-defined statements of work, securing required approvals, and maintaining audit-ready documentation.
- Improve efficiency, consistency, and control by using standard templates, clause positions, playbooks, disciplined redlining, clear escalation paths, and proactive blocker resolution to reduce cycle time and contracting risk.
QualificationsYour Knowledge and Experience- Requires a Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, technology, legal studies, or a related field or High School Diploma/GED and 4 years of additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree
- Requires at least 10 years of prior relevant experience in strategic sourcing/contracting
- Requires a mastery level knowledge of Sourcing/Supplier Relationship Management area obtained through advanced education combined with experience. May have deep knowledge of project management.
- Five or more years of direct experience negotiating technology agreements, including SaaS, cloud, data services, cybersecurity, managed services, outsourcing, professional services, telecom, and healthcare technology arrangements, with ownership of multi-million-dollar transactions strongly preferred.
- Requires ability to work in a fast-track environment, with multi-tasking skills
- Requires excellent writing and communication skills which are reflected in translating requirements into well drafted contracts
- Ability to communicate and collaborate with fellow Blue Shield employees at all levels
- Knowledge of technology trends, particularly as they relate to SaaS agreements
- Desire to continuously learn as technology evolves
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence, advise, and collaborate across all levels of the Ascendiun Family of Companies, including senior leaders, business owners, technologists, legal partners, and control functions
HybridThis role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.
About the TeamAbout Blue Shield of California and the Ascendiun Family of CompaniesAs of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies.
At Ascendiun, we believe in a brighter future for healthcare. As the parent to a family of four innovative healthcare companies, we're reimagining what's possible. Ascendiun is guided by the goal of transforming a dysfunctional American health care system into one worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable for everyone.
To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.
Our Values:- Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.
- Human. We strive to listen and communicate effectively, and showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
- Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.
Our Workplace Model: We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility:
- For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week.
- Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.
- For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.
The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews.
Physical Requirements:Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.
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