Director of Procurement

Thayer Infrastructure Services (TIS) and its affiliated companies•Pataskala, OH

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Thayer Infrastructure Services (TIS) Group is creating a central procurement function for its growing platform of utility, fiber, and wireless infrastructure construction companies. Purchasing is currently decentralized across operating companies. The Director of Procurement will build the function from the ground up, creating company-wide visibility and leverage across spending on materials, equipment, subcontractors, and indirect goods and services while preserving field responsiveness and operating company autonomy. This hands-on role combines setting strategy with leading initial negotiations and partnering with operating company leaders to capture savings. The Director will establish procurement policies, approval thresholds, bidding requirements, vendor standards, and operating processes; develop spend reporting and category strategies; negotiate platform-wide agreements; oversee purchasing support and adoption; and own procurement’s contribution to EBITDA and working capital. The role also supports procurement integration for newly acquired companies. It is based in Central Ohio with a hybrid arrangement and travel to operating company locations as needed. It reports to the Chief Financial Officer.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive procurement or supply chain experience, including at least 3 years leading a procurement function or major category portfolio.
Experience in construction, utility services, industrial services, or another field-based, project-driven business, with comfort working with decentralized operations and field culture.
Demonstrated track record of building or significantly upgrading a procurement function, with quantified savings results.
Strong negotiation skills across materials, equipment, and services categories.
Working knowledge of procure-to-pay processes and systems, and ability to partner effectively with accounting on controls.
Strong analytical skills and ability to build spend baselines and business cases from imperfect data.
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, finance, engineering, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a private equity-backed or high-growth, multi-entity environment.
Experience with NetSuite and spend management platforms such as Ramp or Coupa.
Materials management or inventory oversight experience.
CPSM, CSCP, or similar certification.
M&A integration experience.

Responsibilities

Design and implement a central procurement operating model that balances platform-wide leverage with operating company autonomy and field responsiveness.
Establish procurement policies, approval thresholds, and competitive bidding requirements integrated with the existing purchase order process and spend management platform.
Develop spend visibility and reporting across operating companies using ERP and spend data; establish category baselines and identify savings priorities.
Lead sourcing and negotiations for construction materials, equipment and rentals, fuel, fleet parts and services, PPE and safety supplies, small tools and consumables, and indirect categories such as IT, facilities, and professional services.
Consolidate vendors and negotiate master agreements, rebate programs, and preferred pricing for operating companies.
Establish vendor qualification, onboarding, and performance management standards, including supplier and subcontractor insurance, safety, and compliance requirements.
Partner with operations leadership on subcontractor procurement standards and rate benchmarking.
Oversee purchasing support, including purchase order compliance, exception handling, and buyer support.
Drive field adoption of procurement processes through training, tools, and escalation paths; measure and report purchase order compliance and maverick spend.
Coordinate with accounts payable on vendor master data integrity, payment terms optimization, and three-way match discipline.
Own procurement’s contribution to EBITDA and working capital, including negotiated savings, payment terms, and rebate capture.
Establish and report a savings measurement methodology credible to Finance and operating company leadership.
Support M&A integration by extending procurement programs to newly acquired companies.
Complete a platform-wide spend baseline and category strategy within the first 120 days, deliver measurable savings in top categories, achieve target purchase order compliance, and consolidate vendors in targeted categories with master agreements in place.