Manager, Procurement & Strategic Vendor Management

Dentons•Chicago, IL

2d•$120,000 - $145,000

About The Position

Dentons US LLP is recruiting a Procurement & Strategic Vendor Management Manager to oversee procurement strategies, contracts, vendor relationships, and purchasing processes throughout the Firm. The role works with vendors to implement appropriate setup and purchasing policies, negotiate favorable contracts, manage vendor setup and maintenance relationships, and support positive financial and operational vendor relations. Chicago is preferred, but candidates in other locations will be considered. The position reports to the Senior Director, Financial Programs. The Manager leads procurement and sourcing activities, including contract negotiations, supplier onboarding and performance monitoring, contract compliance and renewals, and end-to-end RFI and RFP assessments. The role analyzes firmwide spending, identifies opportunities for savings and standardization, develops procurement KPIs and reporting, and works with stakeholders and global procurement colleagues. It also improves procurement workflows and manages related technology, repositories, databases, dashboards, and reporting tools. The role requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and at least eight years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance operations, or a related field. Experience negotiating complex service and technology agreements is required; law firm, professional services, or matrixed enterprise experience is strongly preferred. The salary range is $120,000–$145,000, based on experience and local market. Dentons US LLP offers a competitive benefits package and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
At least 8 years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance operations, or a related field.
Experience negotiating complex service and technology agreements.
Proficiency in Accounts Payable, Finance, and Vendor Relations.
Complex issue resolution and decision-making skills, including effective interactions with Firm counsel regarding protecting the Firm’s position in negotiations and vendor compliance issues.
Negotiation and influencing skills.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills.
Proficiency in Excel and knowledge of Access.
Knowledge of and proficiency with appropriate AI tools to enhance efficiency and performance.

Nice To Haves

Experience within a law firm, professional services organization, or other matrixed enterprise environment is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, lead, and execute procurement strategies; provide direction and delegate objectives across procurement and SVM disciplines.
Perform procurement and contracting activities, including pre-qualification, negotiation, and contract preparation with assigned lead teams.
Help manage transitional career and learning opportunities for the SVM and Procurement team.
Promote best purchasing practices and business processes across Dentons US departments to achieve measurable invoice-routing outcomes.
Analyze firmwide spending to identify consolidation, cost-savings, standardization, and supplier-risk opportunities.
Develop and report procurement KPIs, including savings, cost avoidance, contract compliance, supplier performance, cycle time, and risk mitigation.
Direct end-to-end RFI and RFP assessments with cross-functional stakeholders, including requirements definition, proposal evaluation, and vendor ranking.
Negotiate master service agreements, statements of work, licensing agreements, and purchasing contracts.
Manage the vendor lifecycle from onboarding through offboarding.
Identify opportunities to improve process flow and drive purchasing efficiencies.
Build relationships with business stakeholders and strategic supply partners.
Manage key contracts in the Contract Management System, tracking renewals and negotiating favorable pricing and services before contracts lapse.
Develop and manage key vendor relationships and contracts, including negotiating favorable pricing.
Oversee supplier onboarding, performance monitoring, contract compliance, and renewal management.
Analyze vendor activity, research best-in-class vendors, and recommend strategic vendor relationships.
Conduct business review meetings with stakeholders to assess risk, review future strategies, and identify potential savings and improvements.
Provide quarterly management reviews on purchasing savings and risk assessments.
Collaborate with global procurement team members on global contracts and requests for proposals involving Dentons US.
Identify opportunities to streamline procurement workflows and improve purchasing efficiency.
Implement and manage procurement technologies, contract repositories, supplier databases, and reporting tools.
Develop dashboards and reporting capabilities that provide visibility into spending patterns, supplier performance, and savings results.
Monitor vendor performance and supplier and contract renewal deadlines, and enhance the Firm’s vendor experience.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the procurement lifecycle.
Perform other duties as needed to meet the requirements of the role.