Procurement Lead

HMH

3d•$80,000 - $85,000

About The Position

The Indirect Procurement Lead works on HMH’s Indirect Procurement team, supporting sourcing, contracting, purchasing operations, supplier coordination, and process improvement across assigned categories and business functions. The role serves as a trusted point of contact for internal stakeholders and suppliers, moving requests from intake through execution while maintaining strong controls, clear communication, and a positive customer experience. The successful candidate is collaborative, solutions-oriented, and comfortable working through change. They build strong relationships, approach challenges with curiosity and sound judgment, and seek practical ways to simplify work, strengthen processes, and help the team operate effectively. The role also contributes to HMH’s broader digital transformation by supporting process and tool changes and improving procurement service delivery. The Information Technology organization emphasizes customer service, learning, technological curiosity, and using technology to address business challenges.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
3–5 years of relevant experience in procurement, sourcing, contracting, purchasing operations, supplier management, or a related business function.
Working knowledge of procurement processes, competitive sourcing, negotiations, purchase orders, contract terms, and supplier lifecycle activities.
Demonstrated experience supporting change, continuous improvement, process documentation, or implementation of new tools and ways of working.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills, with close attention to detail.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and workflows in a fast-paced environment while meeting commitments and communicating tradeoffs early.
Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor information for different audiences.
Ability to build cooperative relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and cross-functional partners at varying levels of the organization.
Collaborative and service-oriented approach, with demonstrated adaptability, personal accountability, sound judgment, and openness to feedback.
Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to learn procurement, contract management, e-signature, intake, and reporting platforms.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting indirect procurement categories such as technology, professional services, finance, sales, marketing, facilities, travel, or other corporate services.
Experience with procurement intake, source-to-pay, contract lifecycle management, e-signature, ERP, or service management platforms.
Experience developing process maps, standard operating procedures, templates, dashboards, or training materials.
Experience using or evaluating AI-enabled tools and automation solutions to improve efficiency, decision-making, stakeholder experience, and business processes.
Project management, change management, Lean, Six Sigma, or procurement certification.

Responsibilities

Manage assigned sourcing activities and supplier renewals, including requirements gathering, market research, competitive bids, proposal analysis, negotiations, recommendations, approvals, and contract execution.
Partner with business owners to clarify needs, timelines, budget ownership, and decision criteria before engaging suppliers.
Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Information Security, Technology, Accounts Payable, and other process partners to support timely and compliant outcomes.
Build productive relationships with stakeholders and suppliers through responsive service, clear expectations, and proactive status updates.
Identify commercial risks, savings opportunities, contract consolidation opportunities, and supplier diversity opportunities; escalate issues when appropriate.
Maintain accurate sourcing, contract, renewal, supplier, and project information in applicable procurement systems and trackers.
Monitor contract expirations and engage stakeholders early to support informed renewal, competitive sourcing, or exit decisions.
Help ensure procurement activities follow established policies, approval authorities, business controls, and standard procedures.
Contribute to reporting, metrics, and project updates that provide visibility into workload, risk, savings, and operational performance.
Document current-state processes, identify pain points and root causes, and recommend practical improvements that reduce manual effort, delays, and rework.
Support implementation of new processes, tools, templates, and ways of working; help stakeholders understand what is changing, why it matters, and what action is required.
Partner with teammates to standardize processes and documentation, share knowledge, and cross-train backups to reduce single points of failure.
Use data, stakeholder feedback, and lessons learned to improve procurement service delivery and the stakeholder experience.
Remain flexible as priorities evolve and contribute constructively during organizational or process change.