Vice President of Procurement

United Utility; Spring (TX); On-site; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

HSA

FSA

401(k) match

Paid time off

Holidays

Disability insurance

Job summary

United Utility is seeking a Vice President of Procurement to lead supplier strategy, standardize spend practices across all operating units, and drive cost reductions while strengthening supplier relationships. The role collaborates with Finance, Legal, Operations, and executive leadership to optimize procurement across transmission, distribution, and substation projects.

The position requires 10+ years in procurement/strategic sourcing within utility or infrastructure contexts, a Bachelor’s

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 10+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, subcontractor/vendor management in utility/services.
• Experience developing procurement strategies across multiple business units.
• Experience negotiating master service agreements and pricing schedules.
• Proven ability to consolidate spend and deliver cost savings.
• Strong Excel, analytical, and reporting skills.
• Professional certifications such as CIPS, CPM, or PMP are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a coordinated procurement strategy across United Utility Services and units.
• Aggregate and analyze spend to identify suppliers, fragmentation, and savings opportunities.
• Lead sourcing strategies for materials and high-spend services.
• Negotiate master service agreements and favorable payment terms.
• Partner with Finance, Treasury, Legal, and Operations to align terms with customer payments.
• Maintain contract templates, pricing schedules, and documented exceptions.
• Identify and onboard qualified vendors across operating companies.
• Monitor supplier performance, pricing, capacity, and compliance.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder mgmt

Excel

Analytical skills

Contract management

Education

Bachelor’s degree (supply chain management, Engineering, Business Administration)

Job description

About Us

United Utility is a pioneering force in the electric utility industry, providing comprehensive and innovative solutions that support power infrastructure investments across the United States. As the parent company to industry-leading utility service contractors specializing in transmission, distribution, substation, and grid-hardening projects, we help drive progress across the power sector.

With headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Houston, Texas, United Utility is committed to operational excellence, sustainable growth, and delivering solutions that strengthen our nation’s power infrastructure.

The salary range for this position is $200,000 - $220,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options where applicable; 401(k) with company match; paid time off; company-paid holidays; and short and long-term disability.

About the Role

The Vice President of Procurement will lead subcontractor and vendor strategy across United Utility Services and its operating business units. This role will focus on standardizing procurement practices throughout the bid and project execution lifecycle, improving commercial terms, reducing costs, strengthening supplier relationships, and supporting reliable project execution.

The Vice President of Procurement will leverage consolidated organizational spend to negotiate competitive pricing, volume discounts, preferred delivery terms, and strategic supplier agreements. The role will also work closely with Finance, Treasury, Legal, Operations, and business-unit leadership to align vendor and subcontractor payment terms with applicable customer payment terms and improve working capital.

Key procurement categories include major materials, equipment, and subcontracted services supporting transmission, distribution, and substation projects, as well as hydroexcavation, tree trimming, concrete and cement restoration, traffic control, safety supplies, and other recurring field services and materials.

Enterprise Procurement Strategy

• Develop and execute a coordinated procurement strategy across United Utility Services and its operating business units.
• Aggregate and analyze organizational spend to identify common suppliers, fragmented purchasing, cost-saving opportunities, and preferred supplier arrangements.
• Lead sourcing strategies for transmission, distribution, and substation materials and high-spend subcontracted services.
• Partner with business-unit leaders to balance enterprise purchasing leverage with local market requirements and project delivery needs.

Commercial Terms & Working Capital

• Negotiate vendor and subcontractor master service agreements, including commercially appropriate payment terms aligned with applicable customer payment requirements.
• Evaluate customer payment cycles, retainage, billing requirements, milestone payments, and applicable pay-when-paid or pay-if-paid provisions when structuring subcontractor agreements, in coordination with Legal.
• Negotiate enterprise pricing, volume discounts, rebates, rate cards, preferred terms, and service-level commitments.
• Partner with Finance, Treasury, Legal, and Operations to evaluate cash-flow impacts and commercial terms.
• Maintain approved contract templates, pricing schedules, and documented exceptions to standard terms.
• Identify, evaluate, onboard, and maintain qualified vendors and subcontractors that meet operational, commercial, safety, and compliance requirements.
• Establish preferred vendor and subcontractor programs and negotiate master service agreements.
• Monitor supplier pricing, capacity, responsiveness, quality, safety performance, and compliance with contractual requirements.
• Partner with business-unit leadership to resolve invoice discrepancies, change orders, performance issues, and service deficiencies.
• Develop alternative supplier options for critical services to reduce concentration, availability, and geographic coverage risks.

Business Unit Coordination & Execution

• Partner with operating-company leadership, project managers, and field teams to understand vendor and subcontractor needs, local market conditions, and customer requirements.
• Drive consistent procurement practices, including supplier engagement, purchase orders, pricing verification, and invoice approval workflows.
• Coordinate with Accounts Payable and Operations to validate subcontractor invoices, agreed-upon rates, supporting documentation, and payment milestones.
• Identify opportunities to leverage qualified vendors and subcontractors across operating companies while supporting project schedules and field requirements.
• Escalate critical supplier performance, capacity, and commercial issues and coordinate appropriate corrective actions.

Compliance & Controls

• Oversee vendor and subcontractor prequalification processes and required documentation, including agreements, insurance certificates, licenses, safety qualifications, and pricing schedules.
• Support compliance with company procurement policies, approval authorities, contractual requirements, and applicable laws governing subcontractor payments.

Performance Reporting & Cost Savings

• Track consolidated spend, negotiated and realized savings, discounts, payment-term alignment, supplier concentration, and vendor/subcontractor performance.
• Develop recurring reporting for senior leadership highlighting savings opportunities, implementation progress, exceptions, supplier performance, and key risks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, subcontractor management, vendor management, or supply chain, preferably within utility services, construction, or infrastructure contracting.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing procurement strategies across multiple business units or operating companies.
• Experience negotiating master service agreements, project-specific agreements, subcontractor payment terms, pricing schedules, rate structures, and volume-based discounts.
• Demonstrated success consolidating decentralized spend and delivering measurable cost savings across field services, materials, and subcontracted services.
• Strong negotiation, commercial, and contract-management skills.
• Knowledge of field-service subcontracting, including hydroexcavation and related utility-construction services.
• Familiarity with procurement, accounts payable, and spend-analytics systems.
• Strong Excel, analytical, and reporting skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to work effectively across Operations, Finance, Legal, and executive leadership.
• Strong analytical judgment and decision-making capabilities.
• Professional certifications such as CIPS, CPM, or PMP are a plus.

Application Deadline

Application Deadline:

This posting will remain open for a minimum of five (5) calendar days. The Company reserves the right to extend or close the posting based on business needs and applicable policy requirements.

Applicants may be asked:
“Are you currently employed by the Company?”
For standard external opportunities, this question is used for applicant classification, reporting, and workforce analytics purposes only.

We do not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from third-party recruiters or staffing firms. Resumes submitted without a signed, written agreement with the Company and outside the approved HR/Recruiter process will not be reviewed or considered, and the Company will not be responsible for any associated fees.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process, please contact
Email: [e-mail]

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.