Director, Indirect Procurement

AAR Corp•Wood Dale, IL

3d•$145,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Indirect Procurement oversees the sourcing of all non-production goods and services, such as Technology, HR services, Marketing, Consulting, Real estate leases, Indirect plant supplies, Facilities, Corporate travel, etc. comprising of ~ $100M annual spend. This strategic leader optimizes enterprise-wide spend, reduces costs, mitigates contractual risks, and manages complex supplier and internal business stakeholder relationships. The ideal candidate is a strategic sourcing leader with prior hands-on sourcing and contracts experience in most of the above-mentioned indirect categories. This position will have a couple of category specialists reporting into it and therefore prior people management experience will be important. The candidate must be comfortable with procurement technology such as Coupa, Infor SCM, SAP Ariba, etc. and analysis tools such as MS Excel, and BI tools such as Domo, Power BI or Tableau, to support supplier strategy and sourcing decisions in a fast-paced environment. This position is based at our Corporate Headquarters in Wood Dale, IL, with a planned relocation to the Merchandise Mart (Chicago) in early 2027.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business, Engineering, Data Analytics or related fields.
10+ years of progressive strategic sourcing or procurement experience, with significant exposure to indirect categories. Prior hands-on sourcing experience is required (RFPs, supplier negotiations, supplier selection).
Expert proficiency in commercial negotiations, contract redlining, data-driven analytics, and cross-functional leadership.
Experience using spend management software (Coupa, SAP Ariba, Zycus).
Experience using BI tools (Domo, Power BI, Tableau)
Proficiency with computer-based applications, such as Microsoft Office suite products.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in supply chain management or an MBA preferred.
Experience in Indirect categories of Procurement a plus.
Professional certification (CPSM, CSCP, CIPS) a plus.

Responsibilities

Define and execute enterprise-wide sourcing strategies for indirect categories to maximize value and drive measurable year-over-year cost savings
Lead RFPs, supplier negotiations, and award recommendations, ensuring alignment with cost targets, quality requirements and contractual terms.
Evaluate sourcing options using a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) framework to support informed supplier selection decisions.
Lead high-value RFP (Request for Proposal) initiatives and strategic negotiations to secure favorable terms, service level agreements (SLAs), and risk mitigation
Monitor supplier performance against cost, quality, delivery, and service levels
Lead supplier performance reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
Partner with senior business leaders (Finance, Legal, HR, and IT) to translate corporate objectives into actionable procurement and negotiation plans.
Work with Suppliers and internal Legal teams to lead contract reviews, pricing agreements, and service-level terms informed by Business Unit requirements.
Implement procurement technology platforms and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance spend visibility, compliance, and team efficiency
Use Microsoft Excel for raw spend data analysis, RFP response analysis, etc.
Develop and maintain BI dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, or similar) to track KPIs including cost savings, contract performance, etc.
Translate analytical insights into clear, actionable recommendations for leadership.