Procurement & Strategic Vendor Management (SVM) Manager

Dentons US LLP; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k

Profit sharing

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Discretionary bonuses

Job summary

Dentons US LLP seeks a Procurement & Strategic Vendor Management (SVM) Manager to lead procurement strategies, manage vendor lifecycles, and negotiate contracts across the Firm. Chicago preferred, with consideration for strong candidates elsewhere. Reports to the Senior Director, Financial Programs.

You will drive cost savings, manage supplier relationships, and optimize purchasing processes while ensuring policy compliance and stakeholder alignment across the Firm.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance operations, or related field.
• Experience in a law firm, professional services organization, or similar matrixed environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, lead and execute procurement strategies.
• Lead negotiation of master service agreements, statements of work, licensing agreements, and purchasing contracts.
• Manage vendor life cycle from onboarding to off-boarding and renewals.
• Identify opportunities to streamline procurement workflows and improve purchasing efficiency.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Excel

Access

AI tools

Job description

Dentons US LLP is currently recruiting for a Procurement & Strategic Vendor Management (SVM) Manager. Chicago is the preferred location; however, strong candidates in other locations will also be considered. This position works with all vendors to ensure that proper set up and purchasing policies are implemented throughout the Firm; to negotiate favorable contracts for the Firm on all key vendor relationships; manage the Firm's relationships with internal and external resources as it relates to the vendor set up and maintenance process, and partner with our vendors to ensure good relations from a financial and operational perspective. This position reports to the Senior Director, Financial Programs.

Responsibilities

Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

• Develop, lead and execute procurement strategies
• Provide broad direction and delegate objectives for multiple SVM and procurement disciplines
• Perform all procurement and contracting activities including pre-qualification, negotiation and preparation of contracts working with assigned lead team
• Assist in managing transitional career and learning opportunities for SVM and Procurement team
• Drive best purchasing practices across Dentons US departments while leveraging best business processes to achieve measurable invoice routing
• Analyze firmwide spending data to identify consolidation opportunities, cost savings, standardization opportunities, and supplier risk
• Develop and report procurement KPIs, including cost savings, cost avoidance, contract compliance, supplier performance, procurement cycle time, and risk mitigation metrics
• Direct end-to-end RFI and RFP assessment processes, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to define requirements, evaluate proposals, and establish vendor rankings

Contract Lifecycle Management

• Lead negotiation of master service agreements, statements of work, licensing agreements, and purchasing contracts
• Manage vendor life cycle: on-boarding through off-boarding
• Identify opportunities beyond current scope of work to improve process flow
• Drive seamless purchasing process and efficiencies through process
• Develop key relationships with business stakeholders and strategic supply partners to strengthen the Firm’s standing
• Manage all key contracts tracked in the Contract Management System for renewals to ensure there are no lapsed contracts and renewals are negotiated to obtain best price and services
• Develop, manage and execute all key vendor relationships and contracts, negotiate favorable pricing
• Oversee supplier onboarding, performance monitoring, contract compliance, and renewal management.
• Analyze vendor activity, research "Best in Class" vendors to provide needed sourcing and recommend key vendor relationships
• Conduct business review meetings with key stakeholders to assess risk, review future strategies and identify potential savings and improvements
• Provide quarterly reviews for management on purchasing savings, risk assessments
• Collaborate with global procurement team members when Dentons US is included in global contracts and/or other requests for proposals

Process Improvement & Technology

• Identify opportunities to streamline procurement workflows and improve purchasing efficiency
• Implement and manage procurement technologies, contract repositories, supplier databases, and reporting tools
• Develop dashboards and reporting capabilities providing visibility into spending patterns, supplier performance, and savings results
• Maintain real time awareness of vendor performance, deadline management for supplier and contract renewal opportunities, and maintain and enhance the Firm’s vendor experience wherever possible
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the procurement lifecycle
• Other duties as needed to fully meet the requirements of the role

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 8+ years progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance operations, or a related field, including experience negotiating complex service and technology agreements
• Experience within a law firm, professional services organization, or other matrixed enterprise environment strongly preferred
• Proficiency in all discipline areas: Accounts Payable, Finance, Vendor Relations
• Fluency in complex issue resolution and decision making skills, including effective interactions with Firm counsel relating to protecting the Firm’s position in negotiations and other vendor compliance issues
• Negotiations and influencing skills
• Excellent communication, relationship building and interpersonal skills
• Proficient in excel, knowledge of Access
• Knowledge of and proficiency with appropriate AI tools to enhance efficiency and performance

Dentons US LLP offers a competitive salary and benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, profit sharing, short-term/long-term disability, life insurance, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, paid holidays and discretionary bonuses.

Dentons US LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Disability/Vet. Pursuant to local ordinances, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

If you need any assistance seeking a job opportunity at Dentons US, LLP, or if you need reasonable accommodation with the application process, please call our Talent Acquisition Lead at [phone] or contact us at [e-mail].