Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, technology, legal studies, or related field, or equivalent experience
10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing/contracting
Mastery level knowledge of Sourcing/Supplier Relationship Management
5+ years negotiating technology agreements, including SaaS and cloud
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
Excellent writing and communication skills for contract drafting
Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills
Responsibilities
Serve as a strategic sourcing advisor to technology and business leaders
Influence supplier selection and spending decisions for cost savings and value creation
Analyze supply markets and technology trends to identify optimal sources
Lead structured supplier selection processes, including RFx events and negotiations
Promote supplier diversity by engaging with diverse suppliers
Coordinate due diligence and compliance activities with cross-functional teams
Negotiate complex technology transactions across various categories
Benefits
Hybrid work model with in-office collaboration
Opportunity for continuous learning as technology evolves
Engagement with diverse suppliers and stakeholders
Support for technology transformation initiatives
Access to a collaborative work environment
Full Job Description
Job Description
Your Role
This 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.
Responsibilities
Your Work
In 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.
Qualifications
Your 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
Hybrid
This 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.
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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About Blue Shield Of California
Blue Shield of California is a not-for-profit health plan provider that has been providing Californians with access to high-quality healthcare for over 80 years. The company offers a range of health insurance products and services to individuals, families, and employers. Blue Shield of California is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of its members and the communities it serves. The company is also committed to sustainability and has implemented a number of initiatives to reduce its environmental impact.
