Strategic Sourcing Specialist

Are you looking to make an impactful difference in your work, yourself, and your community? Why settle for just a job when you can land a career? At ICW Group, we are hiring team members who are ready to use their skills, curiosity, and drive to be part of our  journey as we strive to transform the insurance  carrier space. We're proud to be in business for over 50 years, and its change agents like yourself that will help us continue to deliver our mission to create the best insurance experience possible.

Headquartered in San Diego with regional offices located throughout the United States, ICW Group has been named for ten consecutive years as a Top 50 performing P&C organization offering the stability of a large, profitable and growing company combined with a focus on all things people. It's our team members who make us an employer of choice and the vibrant company we are today. We strive to make both our  internal and external communities better everyday! Learn more about why you want to be here!

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The purpose of the Strategic Sourcing Specialist is to provide full-service enterprise strategic sourcing and vendor management services as well as drive operational efficiency with the strategic sourcing process by implementing tools and procedures to streamline the strategic sourcing process and support strategic enterprise initiatives. This position will manage relationships with team members and ensure the best value is achieved through the strategic sourcing process. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Executes on organizational goals and strategic plans for the PVMS Department.

• Leads the execution of initiatives for the PVMS department that support the strategic sourcing goals of the organization.

• Manages the ongoing planning and monitoring of department projects focused on efficiency, innovation, risk reduction and cost savings.

• Plans and executes strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and vendor management activities and operations in compliance with corporate policies, applicable law, and effective cost management principles.

• Fosters collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders involved in procurement programs.

Fosters effective procurement infrastructure and leads continuous improvement to ensure alignment with company initiatives.

• Develops an understanding of the needs of assigned business stakeholders to generate creative solutions and persuasive arguments that deliver effective and timely procurement results.

• Assists in the development and maintenance of policies, procedures, tools, and guidelines for the company.

• Trains and conveys value of RFx sourcing, and contract negotiation to team members and stakeholders to ensure standards for purchasing are met.

• Understands developing trends in the market through analysis and recommends continuous improvement processes/tools based to achieve targeted metrics for strategic sourcing, contract negotiation and vendor management success.

Leverages data to engage and educate vendors and internal customers in the policies, tools, processes, and benefits of effective procurement partnerships.

• Prepares market analysis or data related to procurement, contracts, and vendor management as necessary. Designs and manages complex data sets and contract negotiation strategies.

• Performs complex procurement efforts and research necessary to implement cost savings initiatives for assigned commodities via development of category strategies reflecting market conditions.

• Uses logic and considerable independent judgment to analyze information and evaluate solutions, conclusions or approaches to execute negotiation strategies and tactics that will enhance company’s negotiation position and outcomes.

• Develops reporting metrics tracking and management, creates presentations of information and statistics on procurement operations.

Manages procurement vendor communications and relationships.

• Manages relationships with current and prospective vendors, and other external constituencies involved in strategic sourcing efforts.

• Performs outreach to identify and foster potential relationships with diversity vendors.

• Demonstrates versatility in a constantly evolving environment.

• Serves as trusted advisor; uses influence to generate favorable positions and strategies for contract negotiations.

• Provides recommendations to leaders on vendors, best practices, negotiations, and other aspects of procurement based on assigned categories.

• Facilitates alignment and effective communication with internal and external stakeholders to drive optimal outcomes for the company.

Mentors new team members within the PVMS Department.

• Provides strategic sourcing and contract negotiation mentorship and guidance to team members. 

• Contributes to the performance management of the team directing discrete tasks.

• Acts as a resource for team members to answer questions and provide guidance related to complex problems.

• Ensures data quality, adherence to IT and compliance policies, and other risk-related metrics for self and guides other members of the team on these items.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This role does not have supervisory responsibilities but may mentor and train junior team members.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree required in Business, Economics, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Minimum 7 years of related experience in procurement, contracting and strategic sourcing processes for several commodity areas required.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a role with complex vendor contract negotiations required.

• Experience managing the full life cycle of commodity procurement with sophisticated negotiating techniques.

• Experience in contracts negotiation across a variety of commodity categories.

• Insurance industry experience preferred.

• Experience with analytics and reporting, including proficiency with Coupa or similar procurement and sourcing platforms, to support sourcing, reporting, contracting, and procurement activities.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in complex SaaS technology or cloud procurement.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Certifications in procurement and supply management preferred, i.e., Senior Professional in Supply Management (SPSM), Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Certified Procurement Professional (CPP), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM).

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Strong knowledge of strategic sourcing and procurement principles and techniques.

• Experience effectively consulting with others, facilitating, and presenting technical information and demonstrated ability to influence others.

• Demonstrated experience with sophisticated negotiating techniques and developing solutions to issues in a timely manner.

• Demonstrated ability to leverage and continuously improve analytics, reporting, and procurement processes using Coupa or comparable tools in support of strategic sourcing and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Able to effectively facilitate meetings and create presentations.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Must be able to read, write and speak English effectively.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including MS Power BI, Word, Visio, Excel, Project, and PowerPoint.

• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers or vendors. 

• Ability to accept new ideas and embrace change.

• Demonstrated organizational and time management skills.

• Must be capable of coordinating and organizing input from various channels, perform negotiation, resolve conflicts, and build consensus at all levels of the organization.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams and presenting to various audiences.

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common procurement related technical journals, financial reports, and/or legal documents. 

• Ability to hypothesize on root cause of inefficiencies and then test out probable solutions against those hypotheses.

• Expertise in drafting, negotiating and managing contracts for IT and information Security categories. 

• Understanding software licensing and the various software procurement models.

• Working knowledge of service level agreements and other key metrics of software agreements.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

Office environment – no specific or unusual physical or environmental demands and employees are regularly required to sit, walk, stand, talk, and hear. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

This position operates in an office environment and requires the frequent use of a computer, telephone, copier, and other standard office equipment.

We are currently not offering employment sponsorship for this opportunity

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The current range for this position is

This range is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses.  If hired at ICW Group, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors unique to each candidate, including experience, education and the location of the role and considers employees performing substantially similar work.

WHY JOIN ICW GROUP? 

• Challenging work and the ability to make a difference 

• You will have a voice and feel a sense of belonging 

• We offer a competitive benefits package, with generous medical, dental, and vision plans as well as 401K retirement plans and company match 

• Bonus potential for all positions 

• Paid Time Off

• Paid holidays throughout the calendar year 

• Want to continue learning? We’ll support you 100% 

ICW Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. ICW Group will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

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