Consultant, Procurement Category Management | Technology

Nationwide Mutual Insurance•Columbus, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Procuring goods and services necessary to successfully run and grow our business is critical. Whether working to enable the processes that support buying decisions or finding the best supplier, price or contract terms, we bring expertise, skill and talent to the task. If you are collaborative, a top-level communicator, highly ethical and have the ability to manage key relationships by providing outstanding service, we want to know more about you! As a Consultant, you'll be responsible for the procurement and acquisition of goods and services for Nationwide that deliver near and long term sourcing value. We'll count on you to enhance processes and drive efficiency. You'll have opportunities to advise business units on the acquisition of complex, specialized and highly technical products and services, including SAAS software licenses, offshore outsourcing, Marketing, Employee Benefits and more.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in supply chain, procurement, business, finance, accounting, management information systems, economics or related fields preferred.
Typically, eight or more years of experience in all aspects of supply chain management including relationship management; or equivalent professional experience in other closely related industries.
Specialized knowledge of principles, practices and procedures of supply chain management or other related industry.
In-depth knowledge of the legal environment to analyze impact of major/complex initiatives on the company.
In-depth understanding of the enterprise structure and business objectives.
Knowledgeable in financial controls, insurance business concepts, systems and data processing concepts, and financial planning/analysis.
Excellent verbal, and written communication skills and math skills required to negotiate with suppliers.
Ability to develop and maintain strong supplier relationships.
Ability to conceptually think of new projects and lead project teams towards a common objective.
Ability to influence with limited authority.
Ability to train others on most complex and technical procurement policies, practices, and processes.
Proficiency in common office software like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Procurement, purchasing, or project management designations, as applicable.

Responsibilities

Manage new sourcing requests, current contract pipelines for multimillion dollar categories and vendor agreements.
Develop data analytics and suggest revisions to Procurement policy and procedures.
Conduct advanced, continuous industry research and benchmark analysis within a defined spend category.
Establish a category strategy for a highly technical domain, monitor purchasing trends and identify top suppliers and innovations within the category.
Manage Business Unit and Procurement relationship by building forecasts of demand, service levels requirements, Total Cost of Ownership models, contractual and other risk requirements.
Identify cost reduction opportunities, and develop recommendations.
Facilitate moderately complex to complex competitive bid activity, including requests for proposal (RFP), quote (RFQ) or information (RFI).
Negotiate the terms of the contract, including conditions, clauses, and service level agreements.
Document achieved savings for Finance approval.
Assess supplier risk prior to contract and collaborate with applicable risk partners for additional specialized assessments or necessary contract provisions.
Analyze and align Category goals and objectives to maximize usage of Diverse Suppliers and best practices in Sustainability.
Mentor and train new associates on Procurement policy, processes and help them develop Sourcing Skills.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.