Director of Procurement

Department: Finance

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Chicago

Compensation: $170,000 - $200,000 / year

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Drive high-value, complex contract negotiations and vendor selection for SaaS, Telecom, Market Data, Capital Expenditures (CapEx), and Operating Expenses (OpEx) to secure optimal commercial terms, pricing, and service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Develop and execute multi-year procurement roadmaps aligned with corporate growth, budget constraints, and operational objectives.
• Identify redundancies across the tech stack and vendor ecosystem; lead strategic rationalization and consolidation initiatives to minimize tail spend and maximize enterprise leverage.

• Oversee comprehensive risk assessment, financial stability checks, and compliance reviews for all third-party vendors and strategic partners.
• Play a pivotal leadership role in M&A due diligence, vendor audits, and post-merger integration of supply chains, contracts, and software systems.
• Establish robust KPI frameworks and regular review cadence with key suppliers to ensure accountability and high performance.

• Standardize Statement of Work (SOW) creation, ensuring clear deliverables, milestones, Acceptance Criteria, and SLA enforcement across all departmental contractor engagements.
• Implement structured vendor onboarding, performance benchmarking, and offboarding protocols to manage contractor tenure limits and mitigate co-employment risk.
• Oversee the end-to-end Purchase Requisition (PR) to Purchase Order (PO) workflow for legal, IT, and specialized non-employee labor, establishing strict spend thresholds, approval matrices, and PO variance checks to eliminate rogue spending.
• Lead high-stakes commercial negotiations for contractor rate cards, volume discounts, master services agreements (MSAs), and SOW pricing models (time-and-materials vs. fixed fee).
• Audit contract renewal and extension pipelines 60–90 days prior to expiration to negotiate favorable terms, evaluate performance, or re-bid non-performing accounts.

• Partner closely with the Corporate Controller and FP&A team to ensure the complete financial lifecycle of all expenses is seamlessly captured, tracked, and reconciled from purchase requisition to general ledger posting.
• Collaborate on budget planning, rolling forecasts, and variance analysis, providing deep visibility into upcoming commitments, renewals, and milestone-based payments.
• Streamline the invoice-to-pay and accrual processes by aligning procurement milestones with accounting month-end closes and financial reporting requirements.

• Design, implement, and enforce robust procurement governance policies that adhere to global regulatory requirements, industry standards, and internal corporate controls.
• Partner closely with Information Security, Legal, and Privacy teams to evaluate third-party risk, conducting rigorous security assessments for all vendors handling company or customer data.
• Ensure all vendor agreements strictly align with major data protection frameworks (such as GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and SOC 2 Type II standards) regarding data collection, processing, storage, and cross-border transfer.
• Oversee the mandatory integration of robust Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) and strict data-destruction/offboarding clauses into every contract managed via Ironclad.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation and compliance checkpoints across all vendor contracts to ensure seamless internal and external audit readiness.

• Act as the internal champion and process owner for procurement platforms, utilizing Coupa (procure-to-pay), NetSuite (ERP), and Ironclad (contract lifecycle management) to streamline operations and ensure data integrity.
• Design, build, and present executive-level dashboards and reporting metrics tracking spend visibility, cost-avoidance, realized savings, and budget variance.
• Implement data-driven procurement methodologies to pinpoint cost-saving opportunities and forecast future cash flow needs accurately.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience: Minimum of 8–10+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, and vendor management experience within high-growth tech, finance, or corporate environments.
• Negotiation Mastery: Demonstrated deep expertise in negotiating complex enterprise agreements for SaaS, global Telecom infrastructure, financial Market Data, CapEx, and OpEx.
• M&A & Consolidation: Proven track record of managing end-to-end M&A procurement integration and large-scale vendor consolidation projects.
• Tech Stack Proficiency: Advanced hands-on experience utilizing modern procurement and ERP platforms, specifically Coupa, NetSuite, and Ironclad.
• Governance & Privacy Knowledge: Strong understanding of third-party risk management, data security frameworks, and privacy regulations (GDPR, SOC 2 ,ISO).

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field (MBA or Master’s degree is a plus).
• Certifications: Professional designations such as Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).
• ESG Integration: Experience implementing sustainable and ethical sourcing frameworks (ABAC, anti-modern slavery, and ESG criteria) throughout the supply chain.
• Executive Presence: Exceptional financial acumen, advanced contract law understanding, and a proven ability to influence C-suite stakeholders.
  
  

Benefits

• Health & Financial Security:
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Pre-tax transit and parking benefits
• Time Off & Flexibility:
  • Enjoy the best of both worlds: the energy and collaboration of in-person work, combined with the convenience and focus of remote days. This is a hybrid position requiring three days of in-office collaboration per week, with the flexibility to work remotely for the remaining two days. Our hybrid model is designed to balance individual flexibility with the benefits of in-person collaboration, enhanced team cohesion, spontaneous innovation, hands-on mentorship opportunities and strengthens our company culture.
  • 22 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year, with the option to roll over unused days.
  • One dedicated day per year for volunteering.
  • Two professional development days per year to allow uninterrupted professional development.
  • An additional PTO day added during milestone anniversary years.
  • Robust paid holiday schedule with early dismissal.
  • Generous parental leave for all parents (including adoptive parents).
• Work-Life Support & Resources:
  • Budget for tech accessories, including monitors, headphones, keyboards, and other office equipment.
  • Backup child and pet care, as well as tutoring services.
  • Milestone anniversary bonuses.
• Wellness & Lifestyle Perks:
  • Stipend and subsidy contributions toward personally-owned cell phones
  • Contributions for gym memberships and health/wellness initiatives.
  • Discounted healthcare premiums.
  • Healthy meal delivery program subsidies.