Consultant, Procurement

Nationwide•Columbus, OH

4d•$97,000 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Nationwide’s Consultant, Procurement supports procurement and acquisition of goods and services that provide near- and long-term sourcing value. The role enhances processes and drives efficiency, and advises business units on acquiring complex, specialized, and highly technical products and services, including SaaS software licenses, offshore outsourcing, marketing, and employee benefits. This position supports the Corporate Technology and Workspace Solutions Organization by developing category strategies for software and other technology while maintaining low total cost of ownership and high quality and service. The Consultant manages complex, primarily indirect categories of spend; leads category and supplier segmentation and strategy development; and facilitates alignment among Technology, Business, and Finance. The role works with partners across the organization to manage sourcing requests, contract pipelines, vendor agreements, competitive bids, negotiations, supplier risks, performance, and cost savings. It also develops recommendations and executive summaries, contributes to procurement policy and process improvements, and mentors associates on procurement practices. The position follows Nationwide’s SuccessFlex model: three remote workdays and two in-office days per week, with an expectation of working on-site in the Columbus, Ohio office for team collaboration. It is an exempt role in a normal office environment; occasional extended and non-standard hours may be needed based on business and information needs. Employer-sponsored work authorization is not available for this role, and Nationwide does not participate in the STEM OPT extension program.

Requirements

Typically eight or more years of experience in all aspects of supply chain management, including relationship management, or equivalent professional experience in closely related industries.
Specialized knowledge of supply-chain-management principles, practices, and procedures or a related industry.
In-depth knowledge of the legal environment and the impact of major or complex initiatives on the company.
In-depth understanding of enterprise structure and business objectives.
Knowledge of financial controls, insurance business concepts, systems and data processing concepts, and financial planning and analysis.
Excellent verbal and written communication and math skills for supplier negotiations.
Ability to develop and maintain strong supplier relationships.
Ability to conceive new projects and lead project teams toward a common objective.
Ability to influence with limited authority.
Ability to train others on complex and technical procurement policies, practices, and processes.
Proficiency with common office software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Regularly and consistently demonstrate Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree in supply chain, procurement, business, finance, accounting, management information systems, economics, or a related field.
Procurement, purchasing, or project management designations, as applicable.

Responsibilities

Develop category strategies that maximize customer value through continuous improvement.
Create and implement communication plans for contracting events and categories.
Develop and execute leverage management strategies for negotiations.
Develop and implement cost-based reduction strategies to achieve annual savings targets.
Execute annual cost-savings, cash-improvement, and action plans supporting corporate and business objectives.
Monitor appropriate KPIs to measure and improve category strategy elements and supplier performance.
Support supplier partnerships through alternative supplier identification, market analysis, risk mitigation, performance management, and category innovation.
Generate end-to-end category innovation ideas that meet timelines, include critical terms and conditions, minimize risk, leverage marketplace shifts, and maximize value.
Benchmark historical performance and forecast future price movements, communicating adjustments to plans as needed.
Identify and execute procurement strategies such as payment-term improvements, supply-base consolidation, and channel optimization.
Create and present executive summaries to senior Technology and Business leaders, highlighting trends, issues, and opportunities.
Develop pipeline reporting and PowerPoint presentations, and facilitate internal contract governance meetings.
Partner with Business Partners, Finance, Technology, and Procurement colleagues to manage sourcing requests, contract pipelines for multimillion-dollar categories, and vendor agreements.
Work with reporting teams to develop data analytics and recommend revisions to procurement policies and procedures.
Conduct ongoing industry research and benchmark analysis; establish category strategies for highly technical domains, monitor purchasing trends, and identify leading suppliers and innovations.
Build demand forecasts, service-level requirements, total-cost-of-ownership models, and contractual and other risk requirements with business partners; identify savings opportunities and develop recommendations.
Act as a project manager with business partners, Finance, and Technology as needed.
Facilitate moderately complex to complex RFP, RFQ, and RFI activities; negotiate contract terms, conditions, clauses, and service-level agreements; document savings for Finance approval.
Assess supplier risk before contracting and coordinate additional assessments and contract provisions with relevant risk partners.
Align category goals and objectives to encourage use of approved suppliers and sustainability best practices.
Mentor and train new associates on procurement policy and processes and help develop their sourcing skills.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
Paid time off: newly hired associates receive a minimum of 18 days per full calendar year, prorated quarterly based on hire date
Nine paid holidays
Eight hours of Lifetime paid time off
Eight hours of Unity Day paid time off
401(k) with company match
Company-paid pension plan
Business casual attire