Apply to Purchasing Lead, Strategic Sourcing
Location: Detroit, MI (Hybrid, in office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
Experience: Mid-senior, 5+ years
Education: Bachelor's degree
Relocation assistance: No
Visa sponsorship: No
About the Role
Our client, a growing digital marketing company in the automotive retail space, is looking for a Purchasing Lead to own and grow its strategic sourcing function. You will run end-to-end sourcing for software, services and products, with a focus on digital marketing and advertising, technology, and general business spend. You will shape the strategy and policies that get the company high quality, favorable commercial terms, cost avoidance and lower risk while helping the business grow.
You will handle due diligence, contract management and supplier management, and work with the Security and Privacy teams on supplier assessments, including reviews of a supplier's capability, capacity and track record. You will bring strong financial analysis, especially Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), explain price drivers and total cost to business owners, Finance and the sourcing team, and document the savings you deliver. You will partner closely with Legal to finalize contracts and present concise sourcing strategies, supplier recommendations, financial analyses, negotiations and risks to VP level leaders and above.
What You'll Do
- Grow the sourcing function, educate the business and drive adoption of the program at every level
- Develop, analyze and update sourcing policies and procedures, and help business units engage the sourcing team within company guidelines
- Improve sourcing strategy for sourcing events so decisions focus on quality while reducing contract risk
- Create benchmarks for competitive rates and department performance, and take corrective action when targets are missed
- Track market conditions and adjust sourcing strategy as they change
- Use AI-based tools to improve the speed, accuracy and quality of your work
- Manage assigned indirect spend categories and deliver annual cost savings, both reduction and avoidance
- Negotiate contracts with selected suppliers for favorable commercial terms and conditions
- Evaluate and recommend suppliers in line with business owner and company objectives
- Use a contract management tool to track and respond to assigned contract matters
- Lead competitive bid events and make sourcing awards
- Negotiate and issue company contract agreements and purchase order terms and conditions
- Track invoices over the life of approved POs for Finance as needed
- Review and approve single-source forms for purchases above your threshold
- Support supplier risk assessments for new or changing third parties, covering financial, legal, security and data use review
- Build and improve training content based on team policies and processes
What You Bring
- 5+ years in strategic sourcing for marketing and IT spend, such as advertising, media, market research and analytics, PR, digital, web design, promotional materials, consulting services, staff augmentation, or software and related services
- 5+ years of contract negotiation
- 4+ years forming strategies and driving initiatives
- 4+ years in digital media, advertising and marketing industries
- 4+ years in information technology, especially software, consulting and staff augmentation
- Experience with ERP systems for purchasing or sourcing
- Experience building or implementing a sourcing methodology is strongly preferred
- Fluency with AI-enabled tools and a practical sense of their limits
- Solid understanding of contract terms and conditions and their impact on the business
- Credibility with executive level stakeholders
- A track record of end-to-end sourcing results
- Experience with contract management systems, ERP systems and sourcing workflow tools (e.g. Gatekeeper, NetSuite)
- Strong problem solving, multitasking and attention to detail, with a close-the-loop mindset
- A customer service mindset, good judgment, high ethics and a professional presence
- Works well independently and on a team, with a can-do attitude
- Strong organization, flexibility and time management in a fast-paced, deadline-driven setting
- Excellent written, verbal and listening skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Education
- Bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field
- MBA or Finance degree a plus
Our client values diversity and encourages you to apply even if your background doesn't match every item above. Candidates who don't meet every qualification may be considered based on their overall experience and depth of job-related skills.