Purchasing & Procurement Associate Director

Wolters Kluwer; Riverwoods (IL); On-site; USD 133,000 - 238,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Health benefits

401(k)

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Wolters Kluwer seeks an Associate Director - Strategic Sourcing to lead complex sourcing projects, manage supplier relationships, and drive strategic initiatives across the organization. You will guide teams, prioritize workloads, and escalate challenges while delivering measurable improvements in efficiency and business outcomes.

The role emphasizes technology-enabled procurement transformation, stakeholder collaboration, and robust reporting to inform decisions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier management, or related disciplines.
• Proven leadership in managing sourcing teams or procurement functions.
• Strong commercial, negotiation, supplier management and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience navigating global, matrixed organizations and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience leading process improvement, operating model transformation, or change initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver complex sourcing projects, supplier negotiations, and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Support sourcing managers and professionals in successful delivery of activities and stakeholder engagements.
• Manage workload allocation, prioritization, and operational delivery across the sourcing team.
• Act as escalation point for sourcing, supplier, stakeholder, and delivery challenges.
• Lead, coach, and develop sourcing professionals to build capability and career development.
• Monitor sourcing performance, turnaround times, and resource utilization to improve service delivery.
• Lead process improvement and transformation initiatives to enhance efficiency and stakeholder experience.
• Support adoption of sourcing tools, procurement technology, and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders and provide sourcing expertise and commercial guidance.
• Develop reporting, insights and recommendations for operational and strategic decisions.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Leadership

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Analytics

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, or related

Tools

Procurement software

Job description

Position Summary

The Associate Director - Strategic Sourcing is responsible for leading complex sourcing projects, supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, and strategic sourcing initiatives across the organization.

In addition to directly managing and delivering sourcing projects, the role provides leadership and operational support across the Strategic Sourcing function, helping sourcing teams successfully deliver projects through effective prioritization, resource allocation, workload balancing, escalation management, capability development, and continuous improvement.

The position also drives sourcing transformation, process improvement, and the adoption of technology-enabled solutions to improve efficiency, scalability, and business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver complex sourcing projects, supplier negotiations, and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Support sourcing managers and sourcing professionals in the successful delivery of sourcing activities and stakeholder engagements.
• Manage workload allocation, prioritization, and operational delivery across the sourcing team.
• Act as an escalation point for sourcing, supplier, stakeholder, and delivery challenges.
• Lead, coach, and develop sourcing professionals to build capability and support career development.
• Monitor sourcing performance, turnaround times, and resource utilization to support effective service delivery.
• Lead process improvement and transformation initiatives that improve sourcing effectiveness, efficiency, and stakeholder experience.
• Support the implementation and adoption of sourcing tools, procurement technology, and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders and provide sourcing expertise and commercial guidance.
• Develop reporting, insights, and recommendations to support operational and strategic decision-making.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier management, or related disciplines.
• Leadership experience managing sourcing teams or procurement functions.
• Technology-based commodity experience - software sourcing, a strong plus
• Experience working within global and matrixed organizations - must have experience navigating complex teams, bringing in cross-functional stakeholders to complete projects.
• Experience managing sourcing operations, workload planning, prioritization, and service delivery performance.
• Strong commercial, negotiation, supplier management, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience leading process improvement, operating model, transformation, or organizational change initiatives.
• Strong analytical, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by most people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities and requirements.

Our Interview Practices

To maintain a fair and genuine hiring process, we kindly ask that all candidates participate in interviews without the assistance of AI tools or external prompts. Our interview process is designed to assess your individual skills, experiences, and communication style. We value authenticity and want to ensure we're getting to know you—not a digital assistant. To help maintain this integrity, we ask to remove virtual backgrounds and include in-person interviews in our hiring process. Please note that use of AI-generated responses or third-party support during interviews will be grounds for disqualification from the recruitment process.

Applicants may be required to appear onsite at a Wolters Kluwer office as part of the recruitment process.

Compensation:

$133,400.00 - $238,400.00 USD

This role is eligible for Bonus.

Compensation range listed is based on primary location of the position. Actual base salary offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skills, experience and actual hiring location. Your recruiter can share more information about the specific offer for the job location during the hiring process.

Additional Information :

Wolters Kluwer offers a wide variety of competitive benefits and programs to help meet your needs and balance your work and personal life, including but not limited to: Medical, Dental, & Vision Plans, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Commuter Benefits, Tuition Assistance Plan, Vacation and Sick Time, and Paid Parental Leave. Full details of our benefits are available upon request.