Strategic Sourcing Managing Director

CNA Insurance • Downers Grove, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Serves as a people leader responsible for identifying, designing, and implementing third-party vendor solutions that enable Claims strategy and operational excellence. Acts as a trusted advisor to Claims leadership, proactively bringing forward innovative solutions, emerging capabilities, and market insights that enhance customer outcomes, improve efficiency, and drive competitive advantage. Partners closely with business leaders across all phases of sourcing and contracting from project planning through execution ensuring alignment to strategic priorities. A key focus area includes category strategy development and execution, incorporating a deep understanding of Claims business objectives to influence supplier selection, solution design, and contractual decisions. Provides procurement and contract expertise, including data-driven insights and guidance, and partners with Procurement for all large and strategic commercial engagements. Leverages internal performance data and external market intelligence to evaluate vendor value, inform renewal strategies, and continuously optimize the supplier portfolio. Balances rigorous vendor performance management with forward-looking innovation, ensuring the organization is not only managing existing partners effectively but also introducing new capabilities that position Claims for future success. Leads stakeholder management efforts by engaging and influencing business leaders through the delivery of strategies and initiatives that create measurable value, strengthen partnerships, and advance Claims transformation objectives.

Requirements

• Ability to effectively lead, coach and develop a team.
• Ability to achieve results by taking a proactive long-term view of business goals and objectives.
• Senior level knowledge in providing direction, consultation and recommendations in the area of strategic sourcing and contracting.
• Seasoned supplier and stakeholder influence and negotiation skills, including the ability to conduct balanced negotiations in the event a third party is both a supplier and customer of CNA.
• Experience leveraging auction tools/strategies for best outcomes.
• Recognized as a collaborative leader with internal and external partners.
• Develops team consensus based on compelling data-based analyses against business requirements and organizational imperatives.
• Builds positive relationships with suppliers best positioned to provide CNA with goods and services at the lowest total cost of ownership given risk and quality requirements.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Conveys information clearly and succinctly to all levels within the organization and external audiences, including effectively communicating the sourcing team’s vision, processes and value proposition.
• Ability to develop tactical and long term strategies.
• Excellent project management, negotiation and change management skills.
• Excellent problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Results-driven.
• Recognizes commitments and organizes the team to deliver against assigned targets
• Bachelor’s Degree with Master’s preferred in Business, Operations Management, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Typically a minimum of ten years related work experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s preferred in Business, Operations Management, Computer Science, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Directs the work activities and has full management responsibility for the performance, coaching and development of a team.
• Effectively communicates and shares pertinent and timely information to employees by holding team meetings, regular 1:1 employee discussions, reinforcing leadership messages and providing shared access to company process and protocol documentation.
• Leads research, gathers market intelligence and performs benchmarking analysis to understand the supply market and cost trends and develop an annual savings target for assigned business groups and categories.
• Establishes and leads cross functional teams of key stakeholders to collaboratively define business requirements, develop strategic category plans and execute initiatives that create value and reduce risk.
• Develops and drives negotiating sourcing strategies across assigned business units and categories, resulting in selection of most appropriate strategy for the service or commodity.
• Identifies, develops and leads the execution of sourcing strategies and improvement initiatives to reduce cost, improve quality and minimize risk.
• Presents category strategy analysis and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Liaises with Law function for the negotiation of large agreements for favorable contractual terms and key business owners aligned to policies and control areas for risk mitigation.
• Partners with an outsourced Third Party provider to provide strategic sourcing and contract management services to CNA, as needed.
• Builds strategic relationships with business leaders and external suppliers/agencies to drive results and influence business decisions with a focus on becoming a ‘trusted advisor’.
• Builds a robust understanding of the business’ strategies and purchase requirements across the enterprise in assigned categories to leverage sourcing and contracting opportunities that create the most value.
• Influences business leaders to enable the Procurement team to drive successful sourcing events, inclusive of combining multiple business needs into a single enterprise sourcing event to leverage the larger spend / opportunity and, where applicable, the ability to standardize across suppliers and services.

Benefits

• CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager