Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist

Aptiora; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Aptiora is seeking an experienced procurement leader to drive strategy for Professional Services categories, including consulting, marketing, legal, and communications. You will own end-to-end procurement, lead RFP/RFQ processes, and develop category management plans across multiple services domains.

Join a high-impact team responsible for cost optimization, supplier benchmarking, and strategic partnerships.

Qualifications

• Strong strategic sourcing and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and contracts.
• Experience with RFPs, RFQs, market research, and supplier benchmarking.
• Proven track record of cost optimization and savings achievement.
• Ability to conduct market research and competitive analysis.

Responsibilities

• Manage Procurement & Sourcing activities for Professional Services categories including Consulting, Marketing (events, media, services), Legal, Communications and other external services.
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize costs and service quality.
• Own the end-to-end Procurement lifecycle from needs assessment to contract execution.
• Lead and manage the complete RFP/RFQ process from development through vendor evaluation and selection.
• Develop and implement category management strategies across Professional Services.
• Conduct comprehensive market research, competitive analysis, and supplier benchmarking.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives and track savings realization.
• Analyze spending patterns and identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements.
• Manage contract lifecycle including renewals, amendments, and terminations.
• Manage vendor relationships and negotiations for Professional Services providers.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Vendor management

RFP/RFQ process

Contract management

Category management

Cost optimization

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Finance, Business or related field

Job description

Manage Procurement & Sourcing activities for Professional Services categories including Consulting, Marketing (events, media, services), Legal, Communications and other external services Develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize costs and service quality

Manage engineering team

Leadership scope High

AI / domain intensity Medium

What you would do

• Manage Procurement & Sourcing activities for Professional Services categories including Consulting, Marketing (events, media, services), Legal, Communications and other external services
• Develop and execute strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize costs and service quality
• Own the end-to-end Procurement lifecycle from needs assessment to contract execution
• Lead and manage the complete RFP/RFQ process from development through vendor evaluation and selection
• Develop and implement category management strategies across Professional Services
• Conduct comprehensive market research, competitive analysis, and supplier benchmarking
• Drive cost optimization initiatives and track savings realization
• Analyze spending patterns and identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements
• Manage contract lifecycle including renewals, amendments, and terminations
• Manage vendor relationships and negotiations for Professional Services providers

Why this role matters

• Work on a core product area for the next era of AI.
• Bridge product ambition with research and infrastructure reality.

What the employer asks for

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Finance, Business or related field
• years of progressive procurement experience
• Proven experience leading Procurement for Professional Services categories
• Strong Strategic Sourcing and negotiation skills
• Experience managing vendor relationships and contracts
• Demonstrated experience in category management and strategic sourcing methodologies
• Strong risk assessment and mitigation skills for supplier selection
• Ability to conduct market research, benchmarking, RFPs, and competitive analysis
• Experience with supplier evaluation, selection, and performance management
• Proven track record of cost optimization and savings achievement

Where the uncertainty is

• Exact team size, reporting line, and near‑term mandate are not fully visible from the public posting.
• Compensation, equity, or leveling details are not explicit yet.
• Working model and location flexibility still need verification.
• The balance between research, product, and infrastructure responsibilities may still be broad.

Evidence this role rewards

• Hands‑on comfort with modern AI or multimodal product stacks.
• Leadership experience in fast‑moving or high‑ownership teams.

Why Aptiora keeps this on the radar

Aptiora is not asking whether the role sounds impressive. It asks whether the posting contains enough scope, evidence, leverage, and unresolved questions to deserve your attention. This public page organizes the opportunity; personalized fit begins inside My Aptiora.

• The role shows strong leverage rather than generic volume hiring.
• The posting contains enough substantive detail to justify deeper analysis inside Aptiora.
• Public evidence is still not the same as your personal fit or decision quality.
• Location and working model may be decisive filters before you invest too much energy.

What to verify before acting

• Team mission, size, and what success looks like in the first months.
• Reporting structure, level expectations, and decision authority.
• Whether the real scope is product, research, infrastructure, or a blend.
• Working model, compensation, equity, and interview process.

Conditions noted: Contract Terms: This is a 12-month fixed‑term contract position with the potential for conversion to a permanent role based on business needs and performance. · Please note that conversion to a permanent position is not automatic and will be subject to a separate evaluation process and mutual agreement between the candidate and Cohere.

Stay inside Aptiora. Review the opportunity in your workspace, compare it against your direction, and decide with evidence before you spend energy on outreach or applications.

Get deeper company intelligence, fit analysis, and application strategy inside Aptiora.

Use Aptiora to turn this posting into a clearer plan: what matters, what is uncertain, what to ask, and whether the role deserves your attention at all.