Head of Procurement

WM • Houston, TX

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Waste Management (WM), a Fortune 250 company, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. We are strongly committed to a foundation of operating excellence, professionalism and financial strength. WM serves nearly 25 million customers in residential, commercial, industrial and municipal markets throughout North America through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and waste-based energy production projects. Job Summary Based at WM’s headquarters in Houston, TX and reporting to the company’s CFO, the Head of Procurement will lead the procurement organization across the entire enterprise, including all business units and regions, for all direct and indirect categories. The Head of Procurement will manage an annual spend of approximately $12 billion and lead a team of 115 employees – half are based in Houston and half are in the field. The roles are considered hybrid with a mixture of on-site with 4 days in office, and remote employees that access WM’s network of locations across the US and Canada. The Head of Procurement is the supply chain management partner for the Business Units (BUs), responsible for sourcing and procurement processes, systems, and results across the enterprise, to include strategy development and implementation, common process definition and deployment, procurement organizational development and leadership, and delivery to support the company's business model, strategies, and financial operating plans. The Head of Procurement is directly responsible for material deflation, indirect savings and supplier development and performance, including quality and lead time reliability. The ideal candidate will be an authentic, pragmatic, courageous people leader with a track record of leading large-scale procurement organizations in best-in-class operating environments. While experience within industrial services companies would be beneficial, strong leaders from other industries such as industrial manufacturing or retail will be considered. More important than specific industry experience is an ability to operate at scale, build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and lead through collaboration. Importantly, this leader will have a track record of developing future leaders. In terms of personal skills and style, the successful candidate will bring a high degree of maturity, judgment, and presence. This individual is expected to have a continuous improvement mindset with strong strategic and execution skills. The ability to collaborate across disciplines and throughout all levels of the organization in a persuasive and credible manner is a must. The new Head of Procurement will have the ability to identify organizational capabilities, areas for improvement, and potential processes, technology, or talent gaps in the function.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, finance, engineering or related field is required, with an MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive procurement experience with at least 5 years in an executive leadership role.
• Anticipates future opportunities and develops strategies to address them. Constructively challenges the conventional wisdom and leans heavily on the collaborative culture and core values of the organization when making decisions.
• Sets aggressive, yet realistic, goals to drive change in support of growth objectives. As the market continues to evolve, this individual will push the organization to explore new services.
• Demonstrates the capacity to understand the markets in which the company sources and operates, to determine new markets and to envision long-term business opportunities. This individual must be able to communicate this vision in bold and persuasive terms.
• Engages teams through enthusiasm, excitement and insight about the business. Has an eye for talent, can recruit impressive and capable individuals to the team who will bring positive change to grow the business and fit culturally. The Head of Procurement will translate business goals into specific objectives for each member of the team and will hold people accountable for agreed-upon results.
• Ability to motivate the staff to pursue common objectives with excitement about the future of the function. This person will display enthusiasm for goals and genuine belief in the company’s ability to succeed despite obstacles. The Head of Procurement will communicate on a regular and consistent basis all aspects of the vision, financial results, and business issues that are relevant. The Head of Procurement must be articulate and able to make compelling arguments to diverse audiences including the senior leaders, suppliers, and staff.
• Builds and sustains excellent relationships at multiple levels within the company and externally with relevant stakeholders.
• Demonstrates excellent negotiating skills, effectively builds coalitions, and listens intently while proactively soliciting the views of others.
• Able to accomplish goals through persuasion, networking and broad influence, leaning heavily on a transparent and authentic style.
• The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization, not only for the areas they are directly responsible for, but the enterprise as a whole.
• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization and push the boundaries within the industry.
• The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.
• The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the organization to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• A risk-taker who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.
• The ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges, and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers.
• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.
• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in their beliefs, and active drive.
• Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team.
• Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.
• Firmly believes that both sustainability and profit are in the organization’s best long-term interest.
• Integrates economic, societal, and environmental factors into a purpose-driven strategy, turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.
• Understands and incorporates viewpoints from all key stakeholders to drive decision making and share the benefits.
• Delivers breakthrough innovations and business models that create value for all stakeholders, continually challenging traditional approaches.
• Sets audacious business and sustainability goals, driving concerted action and investments, and stays the course in the face of setbacks or push-back from short-term oriented stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• experience within industrial services companies would be beneficial, strong leaders from other industries such as industrial manufacturing or retail will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities, supplier efficiencies, and process improvements.
• Drive digital transformation initiatives in procurement to enhance automation, data analytics, and decision-making.
• Ensure procurement policies and procedures comply with regulatory requirements and corporate governance.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and service providers to ensure quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Develop supplier performance metrics and regularly review vendor performance.
• Negotiate contracts, terms, and pricing to optimize value and minimize risk.
• Lead initiatives to ensure supplier diversity and sustainability in procurement practices.
• Leverage supplier innovations to achieve business objectives.
• Maintain and continue to develop customer of choice for strategic suppliers.
• Oversee cost reduction initiatives while ensuring service quality and operational efficiency.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including geopolitical, financial, and operational risks.
• Implement contingency plans to ensure business continuity and supply resilience.
• Optimize procurement operations through best practices, technology adoption, and automation.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure procurement effectiveness and efficiency.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement within the procurement team and broader organization.
• Collaborate with finance, operations, legal, and business units to align procurement with company goals.
• Communicate procurement strategies and results to executive leadership and key stakeholders.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing procurement team.

Benefits

• At WM, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability.
• As well as a Stock Purchase Plan, Company match on 401K, and more!
• Our employees also receive Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Personal Days.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees