Dec 10, 2021
IT Procurement Manager is responsible for the continuous process of actualizing IT assets to drive organizational goals and efficiencies. The IT Procurement Manager contributes to building a healthy and extendable infrastructure of physical, software, and network components and establishes procurement processes that align with organizational objectives. The IT Procurement Manager ensures intentional IT spending, that it results in the receipt of high value services and products.
The IT Procurement Manager is well-versed in all stages of IT procurement, from need identification through product receipt (including ordering, invoicing and payment, contract management, etc.). The IT Procurement Manager understands the significance of the 3 P’s (people, process, and paperwork), and undertakes direct, indirect, and services procurement. The Incumbent is critical to establishing the internal IT procurement process flow at TuSimple, ensuring all within the organization have visibility and understanding of the process.
This individual acts as a liaison between suppliers and the internal IT and Business groups, and is responsible for developing and maintaining strong relationships across the board. The IT Procurement Manager undertakes calculated and bold contract negotiations, relentlessly ensuring that the suppliers meet or exceed the contracted services, regularly assessing performance against Service Level Agreements (SLA’s), and coordinating supplier activity to meet current and future needs. The IT Procurement Manager fosters supplier relationships in a fluctuating environment that could include increasing and/or decreasing scopes of services, implementing strategies to benchmark and transition services between suppliers, as necessary.
Critical thinking, being self-motivated, and communicating effectively are paramount to the success of the IT Procurement Manager. The incumbent is a trusted partner and advisor to team members and internal customers, providing practical and timely procurement and contractual guidance so that the appropriate IT assets are made available in a timely manner, while identifying and mitigating risk.
• Undertakes day-to-day, full-cycle, IT procurement activities for TuSimple’s Software, Hardware, SaaS, Services, Cloud, and Telecom related categories, partnering with Accounting & Finances’ Procurement team to ensure alignment with policies and procedures.
• Performs requirements determination, supplier research, value analysis, raising purchase requests, reviewal phase, conversion to purchase order, contract administration, monitoring/evaluation of received orders, three-way matching, payment fulfilment, and record keeping.
• Leads the IT Sourcing Process, including preparing RFI/RFPs by working closely with the stakeholders to understand their needs, translating that into the RFI/RFP template, asking the relevant questions, and managing the RFI/RFP process.
• Researches and advises stakeholders on supplier options, deal structuring and other deal aspects, including deal duration, selection criteria, and supplier KPIs.
• Creates evaluation sheets, evaluates the supplier responses, and performs qualitative and quantitative analysis to drive to consensus on vendor selection.
• Analyzes bid quotations for responsiveness to Requests for Proposals, evaluating factors such as commercial terms and conditions, price, delivery, financial status, technical capability, quality control, and geographical location of offices and/or shipping points.
• Prepares purchase orders that define price, specifications, and terms and conditions of the product or service being procured. Includes any additional obligations as appropriate and subsequently obtains approval from requisitioning department.
• Obtains purchased items by forwarding orders to suppliers; monitors and expedites orders as needed.
• Verifies receipt of items by comparing items received to items ordered; resolves shipments in error and Return Authorizations (RA’s) with suppliers.
• Authorizes payment for purchases by updating internal systems and relevant documentation; assigns purchased items to appropriate spend category to track costs.
• Ensures integrity of procurement and contract information by electronically updating, sorting, and filing records and documents.
• Builds and maintains stakeholder relationships across all levels of the organization; educates clients on procurement and contracting processes and partners with Legal and other members of the Procurement team to execute on procurement and contract management activities.
• Helps establish the Procurement Process flow to increase visibility and efficiency for team members and internal clients.
• Builds a network of reliable and quality IT suppliers and vendors; forges close supplier relationships with specific vendors and IT service providers in a bid to earn warranties and/or discounts.
• Leads contract negotiations for Software, Hardware, SaaS, Services, Cloud & Telecom related contracts (i.e. Master Software/Hardware Agreements, End User License Agreements, Cloud Agreements, etc.); develops custom negotiation strategies and executes contracts with optimal terms.
• Distributes necessary contract templates to suppliers and/or vendors as needed or required; red-lines contracts to facilitate negotiations.
• Contributes to contract development, implementation, and revision in conjunction with management.
• Maintains responsibility for all relevant documentation execution including contract Statement of Work (SOW) signature, supplier certifications (e.g. insurance & ISO documents)
• Collaborates with IT Operations team members to verify and validate license compliance.
• Creates analytical models and tools to enable data-driven decision making (e.g., make vs. buy, spend forecasting models etc.)
• Conducts ongoing reviews and assessments of supply and demand, schedules, supplier quality, delivery and financial performance.
• Ensures that the suppliers meet or exceed the contracted services and measures performance against Service Level Agreements (SLA’s); tracks promise dates from suppliers and ensures their dates will meet internal need dates.
• Consults with internal customers to resolve supplier performance issues.
• Analyzes spend data in pertinent categories and support category strategy development; analyze and document cost savings versus historical spend.
• Stays abreast of evolving best practices in both Procurement/Buying and Contract Management; parlays that knowledge into the TuSimple environment.
• Automates procedures and processes (as applicable) to streamline activities.
• Mentors and provides guidance to less experienced team members.
• 5 years experience in technology procurement and contract administration/management.
• 2 years of experience purchasing Software & Cloud Services.
• Experience buying technology related services and keen ability to negotiate and execute contracts for SaaS, EULA’s, and other IT related assets.
• Strong understanding of application platforms (on-premise, cloud, and hybrid), software licensing, IT networks and infrastructure, data center technology, end user, mobile, and web technology and terms.
• Well-versed in all stages of IT procurement
• Experience with new purchases, renewals, and conducting RFx’s as well as familiarity with SLA’s, outsourcing agreements and negotiating commercial and other terms.
• Understanding of the significance of the 3 P’s (People, Process, and Paperwork), and how that relates to Direct, Indirect, and Services procurement.
• Advanced purchasing and contract management knowledge; adept in strategic sourcing, vendor management, and procurement best practices.
• Demonstrated experience with vendor management; has acted as a primary point of contact between IT suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Experience building and maintaining effective working relationships with suppliers and networking with the broader supplier community.
• Knowledge of, or experience with, Spend Analytics, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Modelling, Sensitivity Analysis, Leverage Management, Change Management, Risk Management, Conflict Resolution, Project Management, and Stakeholder Management.
• Versed in different agreements and pricing structures paired with strong financial acumen.
• Familiarity with financial management of contracts including understanding business cases, understanding contract cost structures, support and maintenance costs structures, and negotiating savings/reductions in costs for contracts. Is able to analyze costs and financial risks relating to contracts.
• Ability to analyze large volumes of complex data and distill it down to provide timely insights and actionable intelligence.
• Strong negotiation skills; ability to analyze and influence business terms and conditions with vendors to ensure minimum risk related to company purchases.
• Ability to read and understand legal contract terms.
• Proficient in ERP’s, CRM systems, Excel/google sheets, and Contract Management tools and systems.
• Expertise in the IT supplier market: major suppliers, trends, threats, terms, etc.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; experience writing tenders and above average problem-solving skills.
• Critical thinker; able to evaluate and distill multiple streams of information , formulate and ask important questions, then make informed recommendations.
• Strong client focus, as demonstrated by a flexible and enthusiastic approach to work assignments and new learning opportunities.
• Understands the importance of "big picture" thinking and planning. Able to apply business acumen to focus on key success factors for the organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills; capable of building relationships with a wide range of internal customers with varying degrees of technical knowledge and skill sets.
• Highly persuasive; can build rapport and influence outcomes that have financial impacts.
• Superior understanding for the necessity and value of accuracy and attention to detail; ability to process information with high levels of accuracy.
• Ability to clearly and succinctly communicate verbally and in writing, translating technical jargon to correspond with the audience's knowledge and understanding.
• Proven ability to collaborate and effectively communicate as part of a team, while effectively managing and prioritizing multiple requests and complex projects simultaneously.
• Proven ability to work in a matrix organization, tech start-up experience preferred. Ability to proactively and effectively collaborate cross-functionally.
• Established history of taking a thoughtful action-oriented approach for meeting the demands of multiple internal customers and operational needs.
• Self-starter with a proven ability to work independently, under firm deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• 100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for you and your family
• Work visa sponsorship available
• Relocation assistance available
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner served every day
• Full kitchens on every floor with unlimited snacks, drinks, special treats, fruits, meals, and more
• Stock options / equity
• Gym membership reimbursement
• Monthly team building budget
• Learning/education budget
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Employer-paid long and short disability
TuSimple is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company does not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above-listed items.