JOB SUMMARY – CoreTrust is the market leading Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), strategically aligned with private equity portfolios and large independent companies. Working alongside 3,000 member companies, we compliment their sourcing bandwidth and improve their supply chain efforts with our national contracts.
Recently acquired by Blackstone Private Equity, CoreTrust is growing. We are building a dynamic sourcing/contracting team that is at the essence of value generation for our member companies.
This position will be responsible for negotiating industry leading national agreements for the group purchasing organization with information technology related categories to include IT products, IT product distribution, IT service providers, IT software providers, and future IT category expansion.
Objective is to ensure best in class industry pricing and contractual terms and conditions.
Position's key area of focus will be sourcing initiatives that are primarily categories with medium to high spend, complexity, risk and sensitivity. Position may have some responsibility for other types of categories for the purposes of development and workload allocation.
Individual is a seasoned negotiator with in-depth knowledge and experience in contract negotiations and understanding of contract terms and conditions. Individual must be able to use best practices and knowledge of internal or external business issues to improve contract portfolio. Individual exercises judgment in selecting and/or adapting methods for obtaining solutions - taking a new perspective on using existing solutions to solve for complex problems.
Individual demonstrates project leadership for back office team members (finance, contract administration, etc.).
DUTIES (included but not limited to):
Project Management:
Ability to independently plan and execute project timelines for assigned categories and category expansion efforts with minimal oversight.
Must have:
• Demonstrated level of organizational ability and attention to detail
• Ability to translate objectives into project planning priorities, create and manage work plans and timelines for multiple projects and priorities, and finalize negotiations in the time-frame designated for the project
• Ability to be highly efficient and productive, demonstrating high volume of contracts/categories handled without sacrificing on quality.
Category Knowledge:
•Understanding or aptitude to learn the product categories assigned and category expansion opportunities, as well as how end-users interface with the products and relevancy to our customers.
Understanding or demonstrated ability to learn in-depth aspects of portfolio:
• Product features and benefits
• Product comparisons between supplier offerings
• Operational impact to provider
• Future product pipe-line and impact on market
• Understanding of cost drivers (direct and indirect)
• Interpretation and use of market dynamics to include commodity and relevant indices
• End-user groups and sensitivities they have towards the products
Supplier Knowledge:
Individual must know and be able to use knowledge about supplier to develop strategies, create leverage, mitigate risks, anticipate direction of the market and potential supplier direction.
Includes, but not limited to:
• Interpret of Supplier SEC filings, annual reports, or analyst reports
• Discuss future product pipelines with suppliers
• Review current or future technology, including representation of CoreTrust at supplier site-visits
• Investigate new supplier entrants to market
• Understand the multi-business unit supplier and how they will leverage their capabilities
Strategy Development, Validation, and Risk Mitigation:
Develops the contract strategy, formulates a clear vision and articulates steps to achieve the negotiation objectives.
The individual must work closely with internal stakeholders to develop a strategy that aligns with customer needs/requirements, and meets objectives of the group purchasing organization. Strategies must contemplate a variety of complex considerations. Individual must develop a strategy that manages and hedges risk to achieve the desired outcome. The individual must be adept at reading situations and adapting strategies or negotiations as necessary throughout the sourcing process.
Sourcing Process:
• Thorough understanding and accountability for the sourcing process for their assigned portfolio. Including market research, bid preparation, RFI, Strategy Development & Validation, RFP, Contract Negotiations, and contract launch.
• Individual's sourcing presentations must be well prepared, concise, and articulated clearly. Individual must consistently deliver a dynamic presentation that captures the audience's attention and delivered with enthusiasm/passion. \
Supplier and Customer Relationship Management:
• Oversee supplier relationship during the sourcing process. Participate in supplier business reviews and review new products/technologies as they arise in assigned categories.
• Build strong relationships with senior level supplier contacts.
Internal Customer:
• Build strong relationships through frequent interaction (all levels, including executive) to include sales and solution leaders.
External Customer:
• Serve as the contractual subject matter expert in support sales and their customer engagements.
Communications:
• Communications are primarily focused on effective and efficient communications with internal stakeholders and suppliers, but includes frequent communication to external customers.
Major communications include:
• Facilitate conversations with internal functional teams during project kick-off to gather feedback, opinions, and alignment of resource needs to meet contracting initiative timelines.
• Communication of bid process, negotiation status, agreement on terms, financial proposal concerns and other matters with supplier and internal team.
• Engaging customers through one-on-one conversations to articulate business strategy and resolve customer specific issues/concerns with contracting strategy or outcome.
Collaboration:
•Collaboration required with functional team throughout sourcing process:
• With legal staff on development and finalization of contract
• With financial analysts on assessing supplier proposals
• With contract analysts on product/price loading of awarded agreements
• With portfolio specialists and communications on contract launch/implementation
• With account management in their customer-facing duties related to the portfolio
• With customers and their supply chain/executive leadership
Financial & Operational Goals:
• Meet/exceed financial & operational goals in the annual contracting plan with existing and future categories.
Policies & Procedures:
• Maintain timely achievement of all assigned sourcing initiatives ensuring activities adhere to all established policies and procedures and standards of business conduct.
Customer Service:
• Resolve supplier and/or customer issues, as escalated.
• Maintain strong customer relationships and build trust and respect by consistently meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Customers are internal and external.
Change Management:
• Act as a champion for business process change, organizational change, and cultural change. May include leading process improvement or training initiatives.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
• Must have strong analytical skills with the ability to create or interpret potentially complex financial models
• Keen awareness to market and supplier dynamics, with the ability to leverage them for optimal outcomes.
• Maintain grace under pressure while displaying a high level of professionalism
• Align internal and external resources to achieve objectives
• Work effectively as part of a team
• Comprehend, and interpret complex instructions, proposals, and contract language
• Identify problems independently and demonstrate creativity in developing alternative solutions and recommendations
• Quickly comprehend the desired end-result, goal or objective as communicated by executive management and take action to accomplish
• Solid knowledge of all MS Office Products, proficient in the use of Excel, Word and Powerpoint.
• Excellent oral, written communication skills, and presentation skills. Polished presentation skills are required as the position will interface with supplier and customer executives.
EDUCATION
• Accredited College Bachelor's Degree preferred (Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Finance)
• Formal negotiation training is a plus.
EXPERIENCE
• 7+ years of relevant work experience preferred. Ideal candidate will have experience in strategic sourcing and negotiating a variety of contracts in the area of information technology categories. Candidate must have demonstrated success in managing equivalent or similar responsibilities.
• Strategic sourcing
• Contract negotiation
• Contract management
• Supply chain operations
CERTIFICATE / LICENSE
• Not required, but certifications (CPSM, industry specific, etc) a plus.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS – Requires prolonged sitting, some bending, stooping and stretching. Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, photocopier, telephone, calculator and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare and communicate appropriate reports. Requires lifting papers or boxes up to 5 pounds occasionally. Work is performed in an office environment. Staff must remain flexible and available to provide staffing assistance for any/all disaster or emergency situations.
