Director, Information Technology Procurement - Financial Operations

Emory•Atlanta, GA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of IT Procurement leads sourcing and procurement strategies for all information technology goods and services, including hardware, software, cloud solutions, telecommunications, research computing technologies, and IT-related professional services. Reporting to the Senior Director of Procurement, this role is responsible for optimizing technology spend, ensuring contract compliance, and partnering closely with IT leadership to support the university's academic and administrative technology needs. The Director may manage a small staff and is expected to build a collaborative, strategic, and service-oriented procurement function. The role will work cross functionally with Information Technology Services (ITS), Cybersecurity, Legal, Risk Management, and key campus stakeholders to deliver value, mitigate risk, and support innovation across the university.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Technology, Finance, or a related field and eight years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience which includes IT procurement or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Demonstrated experience negotiating IT contracts, software licensing, cloud agreements, or telecommunications services.
Strong understanding of IT procurement issues such as cybersecurity, data privacy, SaaS licensing models, and lifecycle management.
Experience managing or mentoring individuals or teams.
Excellent negotiation, communication, and analytical skills.
This role requires residency in the state of GA.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or professional certification (e.g., CPSM, CPPO, ITIL, PMP) preferred.
Experience working in higher education or a similarly complex, decentralized organization and familiarity with ERP systems, ITSM solutions, or procurement systems preferred.

Responsibilities

Develops and executes a comprehensive procurement strategy for IT hardware, software, cloud services, licensing models, maintenance/support agreements, and IT consulting.
Analyzes technology spend, vendor trends, product lifecycle considerations, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for cost reduction, consolidation, and improved service levels.
Leads sourcing events (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs) tailored to IT requirements such as interoperability, architecture alignment, security, and performance.
Leads negotiations for complex IT contracts including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), enterprise software, cloud computing, on prem and hosted solutions, hardware refresh programs, and telecommunications services.
Ensures contracts include appropriate data security, privacy, accessibility, service-level, and compliance protections (e.g., FERPA, GDPR, accessibility standards).
Partners with Legal and Cybersecurity on contract terms related to data handling, breach notification, vendor risk, and intellectual property.
Provides coaching and professional development to procurement staff supporting IT categories.
Models a culture of customer service, continuous improvement, innovation, and strategic thinking.
Promotes procurement best practices across the IT and university communities.
Serves as a trusted advisor to CIOs, IT directors, and technical teams, providing guidance on sourcing strategy, contract structure, market trends, and vendor capabilities.
Facilitates alignment between technical requirements and procurement best practices to achieve the best value for the university.
Builds strong cross campus relationships to understand academic computing, administrative technology needs, and long term infrastructure strategies.
Oversees vendor performance reviews, escalations, SLAs, and relationship governance for major IT suppliers.
Manages enterprise level agreements with major IT providers (e.g., Microsoft, Apple, Dell, AWS/Azure, ERP vendors).
Supports hardware lifecycle planning, refresh strategies, licensing renewals, and vendor rationalization initiatives.
Improves procurement processes, workflows, and systems for IT purchasing to increase efficiency and transparency.
Ensures compliance with university policies, cybersecurity standards, procurement regulations, and ethical purchasing practices.
Tracks and reports key metrics related to cost savings, contract value, vendor performance, and risk mitigation.
Performs related responsibilities as required.