Sr. Director, Procurement

Avalara

About The Position

Avalara is seeking a highly collaborative and technically strong Senior Director of Procurement to lead and evolve the company’s procurement function. This leader will report into senior Finance leadership while partnering closely with stakeholders across IT, Finance, Legal, and business units to ensure procurement delivers scalable, efficient, and business-aligned outcomes. This role extends beyond traditional sourcing and cost management—focusing on building strong cross-functional partnerships, improving procurement systems and processes, and driving effective SaaS and technology procurement strategies. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in SaaS procurement, advanced negotiation capabilities, and strong procurement systems knowledge with a proven ability to work alongside the business to identify and resolve process and system challenges.

Requirements

10–15+ years of progressive experience in procurement, with significant leadership experience in SaaS and technology sourcing.
Deep expertise in SaaS procurement, including licensing models, renewals, and vendor negotiations.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive enterprise-wide change.
Demonstrated success scaling procurement functions in high-growth environments by partnering cross-functionally to design and implement scalable processes, systems, and operating models that improve business engagement, efficiency, and compliance.
Proven track record of leading complex negotiations and delivering measurable business value.
Strong technical proficiency with procurement systems (e.g., Coupa, Ariba, SAP, or similar) and experience driving system/process improvements.
Experience implementing AI, automation, or advanced analytics within procurement or related function.
Demonstrated ability to partner cross-functionally to solve ambiguous problems, gather requirements, and implement scalable solutions.
Strong understanding of procurement operations, workflows, and system integrations.
Experience defining and governing procurement policies, approval frameworks, and compliance controls in partnership with Finance, Legal, and IT.
Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus.

Responsibilities

Strategic Procurement & Business Partnership
Influence and align senior leaders, Finance, IT, and Legal to align procurement strategies with organizational priorities and operational needs.
Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, proactively identifying pain points in procurement processes and working collaboratively to design and implement effective solutions.
Relentlessly identify and eliminate friction in procurement processes, improving speed, clarity, and ease of engagement.
Lead structured requirements gathering efforts with business partners to ensure procurement processes, tools, and outcomes meet real business needs.
Drive a service-oriented procurement model that enables the business while maintaining appropriate governance and controls.
Design and scale repeatable procurement playbooks that improve decision-making and execution across the business.
Define, maintain, and socialize procurement policies (intake standards, competitive bid thresholds, approval matrix, and exception handling) in partnership with Finance, Legal, IT, and key business leaders.
SaaS & Technology Procurement
Drive measureable reductions in SaaS and technology spend while improving value realization and efficiency.
Own procurement strategy for SaaS, cloud, and technology categories, including vendor selection, renewals, and consolidation opportunities.
Continuously evaluate and rationalize vendor footprint to eliminate redundancy and optimize spend.
Partner cross-functionally to evaluate technical requirements, usage patterns, and cost drivers to optimize vendor investments.
Ensure contracts and commercial structures support scalability, flexibility, and long-term value.
Leverage data and AI-driven insights to optimize licensing, utilization, and vendor strategy.
Establish an ongoing cost-optimization program across SaaS/cloud, including renewal calendar governance, license harvesting, usage-based right-sizing, and quarterly vendor rationalization reviews.”
Negotiation & Commercial Strategy
Lead complex, enterprise-level negotiations with strategic suppliers, particularly across SaaS and technology vendors.
Develop and execute negotiation strategies that balance cost savings, risk mitigation, and business flexibility.
Establish best practices for commercial structuring, pricing models, and contract governance.
Establish standardized negotiation frameworks and deal playbooks to scale impact across the organization.
Procurement Systems & Process Optimization
Own and continuously improve procurement systems (e.g., Zip) and associated workflows.
Identify gaps in procurement processes and systems that create friction for the business, and lead cross-functional efforts to resolve them.
Drive automation to reduce manual work, improve cycle times, and increase efficiency.
Translate business requirements into system enhancements, automation opportunities, and scalable process improvements.
Drive adoption of procurement tools through improved user experience, clear processes, and strong stakeholder engagement.
Translate procurement policy into system controls and workflows (intake forms, routing/approvals, required fields, and audit trails), and monitor compliance through reporting and stakeholder enablement.
Incorporate AI into procurement workflows to enhance insights, decision-making, and operational effectiveness.
Operational Excellence & Team Leadership
Own and deliver against clear, measurable outcomes including cost savings, cycle time reduction, spend under management, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing procurement team with strong capabilities in both technical sourcing and stakeholder partnership.
Actively coach and develop leaders, while addressing underperformance quickly to maintain a high-performing team.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the procurement organization.
Create a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

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