Strategic Sourcing Manager

Workato; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager to join their dynamic Procurement Organization. In this pivotal role, you will leverage your expertise to drive strategic sourcing initiatives across various spend categories, including HR and IT. Your strong negotiation skills and analytical mindset will be essential in managing supplier relationships and executing sourcing strategies that align with the company's goals. This forward-thinking company fosters a flexible and innovative culture, offering a vibrant work environment where you can thrive and make a significant impact. If you're eager to contribute to a high-growth organization and excel in a fast-paced setting, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Flexible Work Environment

Health Benefits

Equity Options

Professional Development

Work-Life Balance Initiatives

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in strategic sourcing with strong negotiation and analytical skills.
• Proficient in procurement software and relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive strategic sourcing initiatives across various categories.
• Manage supplier relationships and lead contract negotiations.
• Identify process efficiencies to support company growth.

Skills

Strategic Sourcing

Negotiation Skills

Analytical Skills

Relationship Building

Influencing Skills

Attention to Detail

Problem Solving

Education

Master’s Degree in Business

Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain

Tools

Coupa

Netsuite

ERP Systems

Contract Management Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Workato transforms technology complexity into business opportunity. As the leader in enterprise orchestration, Workato helps businesses globally streamline operations by connecting data, processes, applications, and experiences. Its AI-powered platform enables teams to navigate complex workflows in real-time, driving efficiency and agility.

Trusted by a community of 400,000 global customers, Workato empowers organizations of every size to unlock new value and lead in today’s fast-changing world. Learn how Workato helps businesses of all sizes achieve more at workato.com.

Ultimately, Workato believes in fostering a flexible, trust-oriented culture that empowers everyone to take full ownership of their roles. We are driven by innovation and looking for team players who want to actively build our company.

But, we also believe in balancing productivity with self-care. That’s why we offer all of our employees a vibrant and dynamic work environment along with a multitude of benefits they can enjoy inside and outside of their work lives.

If this sounds right up your alley, please submit an application. We look forward to getting to know you!

Responsibilities

This is a great time to join Workato’s Procurement Organization. The Strategic Sourcing Manager will serve as the category expert within the Procurement Team and will be responsible for creating and driving strategic sourcing and demand management initiatives across all Workato’s spend categories, with special focus on HR, Marketing, Events, Facilities and IT. This role has company-wide responsibilities for identifying, quantifying, prioritizing, and executing sourcing strategies that align with the organization’s strategic direction and cost savings targets.

In this role, you will also be responsible to:

1. Develop and maintain business relationships with internal customers and suppliers.
2. Execute all aspects of strategic sourcing and procurement within the organization, including opportunity assessment, negotiations, RFx, supplier relationships, and risk management.
3. Create and implement sourcing and demand management strategies across Workato’s spend categories.
4. Manage the development of RFx materials, detailed analysis of proposals and vendor capabilities, negotiations, and supplier selection.
5. Leverage key metrics to identify problem areas and adopt current and emerging business models with an entrepreneurial mindset and creative, out-of-the-box approach to driving best practices.
6. Build and manage relationships with priority business executives to support the implementation of business strategies through advanced procurement initiatives and team alignment.
7. Facilitate the entire sourcing process and closely collaborate with business unit heads to select and award business to suppliers.
8. Act as procurement subject matter expert in consulting with the business to identify, develop, and deploy best practice procurement, category management, and supplier management.
9. Support the functions long-term strategic planning efforts for sourcing and supplier management.
10. Lead the development and negotiation of contracts with new suppliers and/or the renegotiation of existing contracts.
11. Continuously look for process efficiencies that allow the Sourcing team to scale to support company growth.
12. Build policies, templates, workflows, and processes around all sourcing and procurement activities.
13. Support the Procurement Leadership by providing timely and accurate assistance on relevant topics and initiatives as required.
14. Detail orientation with an ability to think strategically and make recommendations.

Requirements

Qualifications / Experience / Technical Skills

Master’s/Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Accounting, and/or Mathematics.

3 to 5 years of experience in a strategic sourcing role with expertise in influencing business strategy and vendor relations.

Advanced analytical ability, including cost modeling, TCO analysis, and spend/savings analysis in support of decision-making and reporting purposes.

Superior negotiation skills developed through significant corporate sourcing hands-on experience.

Excellent analytical, verbal, and written skills with a high attention to detail.

Excellent internal relationship-building skills – your ability to partner with other parts of the organization will be critical to your success.

Strong influencing skills that can be used to build partnerships with internal resources.

A ‘can do’ attitude to work that needs to get done as part of a high-growth company. Driven individual with analytical approach and high degree of personal organization and a strong passion to succeed in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Soft Skills / Personal Characteristics

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Experience with procurement software (including systems such as Coupa, Netsuite & CLM platforms), approval workflows, purchasing policy development, and contracts.

Prior experience managing diverse stakeholder interests and expectations.

Knowledgeable in working with tools including Word, Excel, ERP systems, and contract management tools.

Experience in negotiating enterprise software deals and drafting managed services contracts.

Experience formulating methods to develop and analyze various category portfolios, including market price benchmarking and total cost analysis.

For California applicants, the pay for this role begins at $120,000 plus variable, benefits, perks, and equity.

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