VP Procurement - Technology and Digital

Northwestern Mutual – Corporate Careers; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 176,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual – Corporate Careers in Milwaukee seeks a Vice President of Finance for Technology and Digital Procurement to lead enterprise-wide sourcing, vendor strategy, and negotiations, aligning procurement with IT roadmaps and business outcomes.

The role partners with CIO/CDO and senior technology leaders to shape multi-year category strategies, governance, risk, and value realization, overseeing supplier lifecycle, governance, and performance.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in technology procurement, sourcing, or vendor management.
• Proven experience partnering with CIOs/CDOs and senior IT leaders at an enterprise level.
• Deep understanding of modern technology ecosystems, cloud platforms, AI, and digital transformation.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Experience operating in complex and matrixed organizations.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, banking, and/or investment firms preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary procurement strategic partner for the CIO, CDO, and senior technology executives.
• Partner with IT leaders to translate technology strategy and roadmaps into multi-year category strategies, sourcing plans, and vendor ecosystem decisions.
• Build and sustain executive-level trust through proactive engagement, governance, and clear articulation of value, risk, and tradeoffs.
• Shape technology demand and investment decisions by leading early engagement with IT teams to clarify outcomes, timelines, and budget assumptions.
• Establish and run quarterly business reviews, pipeline reviews, and steering committees with CIO/CDO to drive decisions.
• Define shared success metrics and provide executive-ready reporting on progress and realized value.
• Broker alignment across IT, Finance, Legal, Risk, Privacy, and Information Security for executable deals.
• Own escalation paths and conflict resolution for sourcing decisions and supplier issues.
• Bring external market intelligence to CIO/CDO leaders (pricing benchmarks, contract terms, vendors) to accelerate innovation.
• Lead change management for new procurement operating models, standards, and policies within technology teams.
• Establish and manage SLAs, OKRs, and KPIs driving EE&T value.

Skills

Experience partnering with CIOs/CDOs

Strategic sourcing leadership

Executive stakeholder management

Negotiation and contracting

Job description

Summary

The Vice President of Finance for Technology and Digital Procurement leads enterprise-wide sourcing, vendor strategy, and commercial negotiations across technology domains, with a strong emphasis on building and sustaining strategic relationships with CIO/CDO and senior technology leaders. This role acts as a trusted partner to IT leadership, aligning procurement strategy with technology roadmaps, innovation goals, and business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic CIO/CDO Partnership

• Serve as the primary procurement strategic partner and day-to-day relationship leader for the CIO, CDO, and senior technology executives.
• Partner with IT leaders to translate technology strategy and roadmaps into multi-year category strategies, sourcing plans, and vendor ecosystem decisions.
• Build and sustain executive-level trust through proactive engagement, transparent governance, and clear articulation of value, risk, and tradeoffs.
• Shape technology demand and investment decisions by leading early engagement and intake with IT teams-clarifying business outcomes, requirements, timelines, and budget assumptions before sourcing begins.
• Establish and run joint operating rhythms with CIO/CDO organizations (quarterly business reviews, pipeline reviews, and steering committees) to drive decisions, remove blockers, and maintain alignment.
• Define shared success metrics with IT (cost, time-to-contract, risk posture, service performance, innovation outcomes) and provide executive-ready reporting on progress and realized value.
• Broker alignment across IT, Finance, Legal, Risk, Privacy, and Information Security to ensure deals are executable and balanced across value, compliance, and operational constraints.
• Own executive escalation paths and conflict resolution for sourcing decisions, supplier performance issues, and commercial disputes-ensuring fast, well-governed outcomes.
• Bring external market intelligence to CIO/CDO leaders (pricing benchmarks, contract terms, emerging vendors, platform shifts) and curate executive-level vendor engagement to accelerate innovation and modernization.
• Lead change management for new procurement operating models, standards, and policies within technology teams through stakeholder communications, training, and adoption measurement.
• Establish and manage business facing service level agreements, OKRs, and KPIs that drive success for EE&T.

Technology Procurement Leadership

• Set the enterprise technology procurement vision and multi-year strategy across software, cloud, infrastructure, SaaS, data, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies-aligned to CIO/CDO priorities and business outcomes.
• Own technology commercial governance and portfolio outcomes, including executive prioritization, financial stewardship (budget impact, TCO), and risk posture across major programs and strategic suppliers.
• Lead (and when appropriate, personally conduct) the most complex, high-value negotiations and approvals-setting deal strategy, ensuring contract structures and commercial models (subscription, consumption-based, enterprise agreements) protect the enterprise and enable speed, innovation, and scalability.

Supplier Lifecycle Management

• Define and lead the enterprise technology supplier lifecycle strategy including segmentation, preferred partner models, and build/buy/partner recommendations.
• Establish executive governance with strategic suppliers through joint business planning and QBRs-driving roadmap alignment, performance commitments, innovation agendas, and supplier issue resolution.
• Optimize enterprise value while managing concentration, operational, and third-party risk-ensuring resilience, contractual protections, and exit/transition readiness across critical vendors.
• Architect a healthy vendor ecosystem by maintaining competitive tension, commercial optionality, and a clear rationalization roadmap (standardization, consolidation, and strategic diversification where needed).

Governance & Value Realization

• Establish procurement governance aligned with EE&T operating models and agile delivery.
• Track and communicate total value delivered (cost savings, risk reduction, innovation enablement).
• Ensure compliance with legal, security, and regulatory requirements.

Leadership & Influence

• Lead and develop a high-performing technology procurement team.
• Influence senior stakeholders across IT, finance, legal, and business units.
• Act as a change leader modernizing procurement practices and operating models.

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years of experience in technology procurement, sourcing, or vendor management.
• Proven experience partnering with CIOs/CDOs and senior IT leaders at an enterprise level.
• Deep understanding of modern technology ecosystems, cloud platforms, AI, and digital transformation.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Experience operating in complex and matrixed organizations.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, banking, and/or investment firms preferred.

Compensation Range:

Pay Range - Start:

$176,000.00

Pay Range - End:

$264,000.00

This role is eligible for additional short-term and long-term incentive compensation.

We believe in fairness and transparency. It's why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed but if you're living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable.

Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.