Sourcing and Procurement Specialist, Advisor

Zebra Technologies Corporation•Lincolnshire, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sourcing and Procurement Professional possesses deep category expertise with an emphasis on technology and an ability to manage global projects efficiently and effectively. In this role, you will exhibit your leadership qualities and act as a change agent for the Procurement organization. Additionally, you will apply your multi-layered and deep category experience by working closely with the business stakeholders to identify, define and execute key projects that support defined business goals and objectives over a 12-36 month horizon. Finally, you will handle a limited number of complex regional and /or global projects, support the entire source to contract process, including facilitating supplier management reviews. This role requires a minimum of 3-days per week in our 3OP Lincolnshire, IL office OR downtown Chicago office, 2 days remote (US).

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required with a preference for Accounting/Finance, Business Administration, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related
Minimum 8+ years as a sourcing and procurement professional

Nice To Haves

MBA, CPSM is a plus.
Project Management acumen
Executive Presentation and demonstrated leadership ability
Proficiency in spreadsheet software (e.g. Microsoft Excel), presentation software (i.e. Microsoft PowerPoint), Oracle iProcurement, Scout, and SpendHQ (or similar programs)
Strategic Category Management : Requires a proven track record of developing and executing multi-year category strategies. The role demands deep subject matter expertise across a diverse portfolio of complex technology systems, suppliers, domains and ecosystems.
Procurement Transformation & Operational Excellence : Requires demonstrable experience participating in or leading large-scale procurement transformation initiatives, with a history of contributing to the evolution of a procurement function from an operational to a strategic focus and a project based mindset.
Strategic Sourcing & Execution : Expertise in managing and presenting a portfolio of complex, global sourcing projects simultaneously, including leading cross-functional teams and proactively managing project risks and dependencies.
Negotiation & Contract Management/Compliance: A documented history of structuring and leading complex, high-value negotiations across a diverse portfolio of critical technology agreements. Demonstrable expertise should include Software Engineering & Professional Services (SOWs), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and other Subscription Agreements, Data Subscription and Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing Agreements, exposure to and experience with emerging AI-related contract language is also essential.
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM): Proven ability to develop and manage strategic partnerships with a wide range of suppliers, from major industry leaders to niche and emerging technology providers. This includes establishing KPI management through scorecards, along with joint governance to drive innovation and mitigate risks.
Stakeholder Influence & Communication : A history of building influential relationships with senior and executive-level stakeholders (e.g., CTO, VPs of Engineering, Software and R&D Leaders), responsible for using data-driven insights to build consensus and drive technology investment decisions.
Ambiguity Management: Expertise in navigating ambiguous technical challenges and translating them into clear, actionable strategies with measurable outcomes, particularly within a rapidly changing technology landscape.
Digital Acumen & Technology Proficiency : High proficiency in using data analytics and digital systems to create compelling business cases and a focus on proactively identifying and evaluating opportunities for new and disruptive technologies.

Responsibilities

Inspires trust and confidence with executive leadership.
Engages with management team and stakeholder team members to drive strategic initiatives effectively balancing the RFx process and the TCO evaluation of suppliers against the business stakeholder’s requirements and supplier preferences.
Acts as a subject matter expert for procurement and category management
Manages complex projects, leads all deliverables, analytics, negotiations and project management details. These projects will span from a regional to global scope and will support business functions goals and/or the company’s strategic priorities. Additionally, these projects will impact single to multiple functions and involve small to medium sized project teams representing one to multiple business areas
Manages full sourcing process for complex projects– inclusive of supply market analysis, leverage spend, establishing business requirements, driving requirements, negotiating SOWs, contract terms, executing and monitoring complex contracts, conducting and monitoring supplier business reviews.
Independently collaborates with key stakeholders to develop annual category management plan that incorporates the stakeholder’s strategy, goals, challenges, constraints and objectives with a 1 to 3- year time horizon – key outputs included but not limited to spend breakdown, strategic sourcing pipeline, process improvements, supplier rationalizations, targeted supplier business reviews, sourcing levers, etc.
Maintains accountability, delivering against timelines, building relationships and becoming a trusted advisor with business stakeholders, executive management and suppliers.
Performs total cost of ownership evaluations, performs supply-market research and conducts pricing audits, and impact analysis for the pursuit of continuous cost improvements.
Works collaboratively with suppliers and stakeholders to identify and execute continuous cost improvement programs and resolve complex strategic supplier performance issues to ensure business satisfaction.
Contributes to measuring success, including savings, innovation related to process improvements, improved delivery and simplified processes
Maintains a high level of product and industry awareness to keep current on best practices, new suppliers, market trends, etc.