Vice President, Procurement

Forward Air Corporation; Coppell (TX); Presencial; USD 250.000 - 350.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Forward Air Corporation seeks a dynamic Vice President, Procurement to lead the global procurement function and Corporate Real Estate. You will set strategy, drive cost optimization, manage supplier performance, and align procurement with growth objectives.

The role requires transforming sourcing practices, governance, and technology use while collaborating with senior leaders to deliver measurable value. You will oversee direct and indirect spend, negotiate complex contracts, and champion

Formación

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; MBA preferred.
• CPSM, CIPS, CPM, CPIM, CSCP, CCIM, SIOR or similar certifications preferred.
• 10+ years in progressive procurement leadership within a global, multi-site organization; transportation, logistics, brokerage, warehousing experience preferred.
• Proven success leading enterprise procurement and large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Expertise in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract lifecycle management, spend management, category management, and supplier governance.
• Experience negotiating and managing agreements across transportation, logistics, technology, facilities, fleet, professional services, and operational spend categories.
• Experience leading or partnering with Corporate Real Estate functions, including lease management and site selection.
• Strong understanding of real estate financial analysis, occupancy planning, capital project budgeting, facilities management, and portfolio optimization.
• Strong understanding of procurement technologies and digital procurement platforms (Oracle/Coupa/SAP Ariba).
• Advanced business, financial, and commercial acumen with ability to evaluate complex contracts and supplier relationships.
• Exceptional leadership and executive stakeholder management skills with influence across the organization.
• Strong analytical capabilities with data, dashboards, and market intelligence.
• Cross-functional partnerships with Finance, Operations, HR, Legal, and executive leadership.
• Discretion and confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
• Technical: Windows, O365, Teams/Zoom/Webex.
• On-site work with travel requirement.

Responsabilidades

• Develop and execute a modern, data-driven global procurement strategy aligned with financial and growth objectives.
• Lead enterprise-wide sourcing across all spend categories, including transportation, tech, facilities, and services.
• Drive supplier consolidation and total cost of ownership analyses to optimize expenditures.
• Establish a best-in-class SRM program focused on performance and partnerships.
• Negotiate high-value contracts and real estate transactions that support objectives and mitigate risk.
• Develop category management strategies for transportation, facilities, and operations.
• Develop and enforce procurement policies, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Establish metrics, dashboards, and KPIs to monitor savings and performance.
• Identify and mitigate procurement and real estate risks via due diligence and contingency planning.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align procurement with regulatory requirements and governance.
• Partner with executive leadership on mergers, acquisitions, integrations, and synergies.
• Champion sustainability and ethical sourcing across vendor relationships and property investments.
• Lead and develop a high-performing procurement and corporate real estate organization.
• Serve as trusted advisor on procurement strategy, market trends, and value creation.
• Provide oversight for Corporate Real Estate: leasing, site selection, portfolio planning, and governance.
• Lead negotiations for leases, acquisitions, and related real estate agreements.
• Oversee facility spend and occupancy costs to maximize ROI.

Conocimientos

Leadership

Strategic Sourcing

Contract Negotiation

Procurement Transformation

Supplier Governance

Data Analytics

Cross-functional Leadership

Risk Management

Executive Communication

Educación

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Finance, Real Estate or related field

MBA preferred

Herramientas

Oracle Procurement

Coupa

SAP Ariba

Descripción del empleo

Job Description

The

The Vice President, Procurement is responsible for developing and executing the organization's global procurement function and procurement transformation initiatives. They oversee all direct and indirect categories while driving cost optimization, supplier performance, risk mitigation, and long-term value creation across the enterprise. Reporting to the CFO, they partner closely with executive leadership, Finance, Operations, IT, Legal, HR, and business stakeholders to ensure procurement and real estate strategies align with organizational objectives and support sustainable growth. They continuously improve sourcing practices, supplier governance, contract management standards, and procurement processes and infrastructure.

This leader also leads the Corporate Real Estate function, including lease administration, property acquisitions and dispositions, facility portfolio optimization, landlord and property management relationships, and long-term real estate planning aligned with business objectives. They will bring strategic vision, financial acumen, operational expertise, and strong relationship management skills to deliver measurable outcomes across a complex, global organization.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a modern, data-driven global procurement strategy aligned with enterprise financial, operational, and growth objectives.
• Lead enterprise-wide sourcing and procurement activities across all direct and indirect spend categories, including transportation services, logistics partners, technology, professional services, facilities, fleet-related expenditures, corporate services, and other critical business functions.
• Drive supplier consolidation, strategic sourcing initiatives, and total cost of ownership analyses to optimize expenditures and improve enterprise value.
• Establish and maintain a best-in-class Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program focused on supplier performance, innovation, service excellence, and partnership development.
• Negotiate complex, high-value contracts, commercial agreements, transportation service agreements, technology subscriptions, strategic vendor partnerships, and real estate transactions that support business objectives and mitigate organizational risk.
• Develop and execute category management strategies that support evolving transportation, brokerage, warehousing, distribution, technology, facilities, and operational requirements.
• Develop, implement, and enforce procurement policies, procedures, controls, and governance frameworks that ensure compliance, consistency, and operational efficiency.
• Establish procurement metrics, scorecards, dashboards, and key performance indicators to monitor savings, supplier performance, compliance, service levels, occupancy costs, and operational effectiveness.
• Identify and mitigate supplier, operational, financial, geopolitical, cybersecurity, real estate, and compliance risks through proactive sourcing strategies, due diligence processes, and contingency planning.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure procurement and real estate activities support regulatory requirements, internal controls, customer commitments, and corporate governance standards.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on mergers, acquisitions, integrations, and other strategic initiatives by evaluating supplier contracts, facility requirements, identifying synergies, and aligning procurement and real estate practices.
• Champion sustainability, supplier diversity, ethical sourcing, and responsible stewardship across all vendor relationships, procurement activities, and property investments.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing procurement and corporate real estate organization, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and innovation.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on procurement strategy, supplier dynamics, market trends, facility investments, and opportunities for business value creation.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Corporate Real Estate function, including facility leasing, purchasing, property management, site selection, portfolio planning, workplace services, and real estate governance.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive corporate real estate strategy that aligns with organizational growth objectives, operational requirements, workforce needs, and financial targets.
• Lead negotiations for facility leases, renewals, acquisitions, dispositions, easements, and related real estate agreements to ensure favorable commercial terms and effective risk mitigation.
• Oversee facility-related spend, occupancy costs, capital improvement projects, and real estate operating expenses to maximize return on investment and cost efficiency across the property portfolio.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Management, Real Estate, Operations, or a related field required; Master's degree (MBA or related advanced degree) preferred.
• Certification/Licensure: CPSM, CIPS, CPM, CPIM, CSCP, CCIM, SIOR, or other relevant procurement, supply chain, or real estate certifications preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive procurement leadership experience, including senior leadership responsibility within a large-scale, global, multi-site organization; transportation, logistics, brokerage, supply chain, distribution, warehousing, or related industry experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success leading enterprise procurement organizations and driving large-scale procurement transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract lifecycle management, spend management, category management, and supplier governance.
• Experience negotiating and managing agreements across transportation, logistics, technology, facilities, fleet, professional services, and operational spend categories.
• Experience leading or partnering closely with Corporate Real Estate functions, including lease management, site selection, facility operations, portfolio optimization, and commercial real estate negotiations.
• Strong understanding of real estate financial analysis, occupancy planning, capital project budgeting, facilities management, and portfolio optimization best practices.
• Strong understanding of procurement technologies and digital procurement platforms, including tools such as Oracle Procurement, Coupa, SAP Ariba, or similar solutions.
• Advanced business, financial, and commercial acumen with the ability to evaluate complex contracts, supplier relationships, facility investments, and sourcing strategies.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and executive stakeholder management skills with a demonstrated ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical capabilities and experience leveraging data, metrics, dashboards, and market intelligence to drive decision-making and organizational performance.
• Demonstrated experience building cross-functional partnerships with Finance, Operations, Technology, Human Resources, Legal, and executive leadership teams.
• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)
• Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.