Sourcing Specialist, Consultant

Blue Shield of California•Oakland, CA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role supports Ascendiun and related activities within the Ascendiun Family of Companies, as appropriate. The IT Sourcing Team is a part of Global Business Services team supporting the acquisition of technology products and services across the enterprise. The Sourcing Specialist Consultant role will report to the Senior Director of IT Sourcing. In this role, you will use your business acumen, negotiation expertise, and knowledge of contracting and technology to support our family of companies by engaging with a diverse range of suppliers and internal stakeholders. Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, finance, technology, legal studies, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
Requires a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic sourcing, supplier management, technology procurement, and complex contract negotiations
Five or more years of direct experience negotiating technology agreements, including SaaS, cloud, data services, cybersecurity, managed services, outsourcing, professional services, telecom, and healthcare technology arrangements, with ownership of multi-million-dollar transactions strongly preferred
Demonstrated ability to manage a high-volume portfolio of sourcing and contracting initiatives, prioritize competing deadlines, drive accountability, and deliver results in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate business, technical, regulatory, and operational requirements into clear sourcing strategies, executive-ready recommendations, contract terms, and statements of work
Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence, advise, and collaborate across all levels of the Ascendiun Family of Companies, including senior leaders, business owners, technologists, legal partners, and control functions
Working knowledge of technology market trends and commercial constructs, particularly SaaS, cloud consumption, data platforms, AI-enabled services, cybersecurity, software licensing, and managed services models
Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and adaptability as technology, supplier markets, regulatory expectations, and commercial models evolve

Responsibilities

Be accountable for driving measurable sourcing outcomes, strengthening supplier partnerships, and enabling technology initiatives across the Ascendiun Family of Companies
Serve as a strategic sourcing advisor to technology and business leaders, translating enterprise objectives into clear sourcing strategies, negotiation plans, and executable contracting approaches
Influence demand, supplier selection, and spend decisions to deliver cost savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and value creation through supplier rationalization, market leverage, and economies of scale
Analyze supply markets, commercial models, technology trends, and supplier capabilities to identify best-fit sources that balance price, capability, resiliency, compliance, innovation, and long-term enterprise value
Lead structured supplier selection and qualification processes, including RFx events, auctions, proposal evaluations, scoring models, negotiation rounds, and award recommendations supported by clear governance and documentation
Advance supplier diversity and inclusion by proactively identifying, promoting, and supporting engagement with small, disadvantaged, minority-owned, and other diverse suppliers were aligned with business needs
Coordinate supplier due diligence, onboarding, risk review, and compliance activities with cross-functional partners to ensure sourcing decisions meet business, regulatory, privacy, security, and operational requirements
Lead end-to-end negotiations for complex technology transactions across cloud, software, data, professional services, managed services, outsourcing, telecom, and related technology categories
Develop and execute negotiation strategies using BATNAs, should-cost analysis, total-cost-of-ownership models, benchmarking, competitive leverage, and scenario planning to achieve best-value outcomes across price, risk, service levels, flexibility, and innovation
Structure and negotiate scalable commercial models, including outcome-based pricing, consumption-based commitments, elastic capacity, milestone-based delivery, indexed rate cards, reserved capacity, renewal protections, and cloud optimization constructs
Enable cloud, digital, AI, and technology transformation initiatives by negotiating timely, commercially sound software, data, services, and technology agreements that support business continuity and speed to value
Partner with Legal, Privacy, Security, Finance, Risk, Compliance, IT, and business stakeholders to resolve contract issues involving intellectual property, data protection, cybersecurity, regulatory obligations, audit rights, service levels, indemnities, limitations of liability, and business continuity
Guide stakeholders from intake through signature by clarifying requirements, building complete sourcing packages, developing well-defined statements of work, securing required approvals, and maintaining audit-ready documentation
Improve efficiency, consistency, and control by using standard templates, clause positions, playbooks, disciplined redlining, clear escalation paths, and proactive blocker resolution to reduce cycle time and contracting risk