Strategic Sourcing Specialist

Sun Communities•Southfield, MI

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Strategic Sourcing Specialist is the execution engine of the procurement organization, the role that turns category strategies and business requirements into competitively sourced, well-negotiated supplier partnerships and executed contracts that deliver measurable results and value. Reporting to the Manager, Sourcing, this role is responsible for the hands-on execution of sourcing events across Sun’s spend categories. The Strategic Sourcing Specialist gathers and refines requirements from Category Managers and business stakeholders, identifies and qualifies suppliers, prepares and administers request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), and request for quotation (RFQ) processes and events, evaluates bids, supports negotiation, and drafts commercial contracts through execution. Once suppliers are awarded, this role coordinates managed supplier onboarding and contributes to savings tracking and reporting that validates procurement’s value to the enterprise.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance or related field (Required)
5 years in of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain (Required)
Must have a valid driver's license
Demonstrated experience drafting and redlining commercial contracts, negotiating terms and conditions, and coordinating legal review processes.
Strong analytical skills with proven ability to build evaluation matrices, model total cost of ownership (TCO) scenarios, and present data-driven recommendations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to manage bidder communications, prepare clear RFI, RFP, and RFQ documents, and present evaluation findings to stakeholders.
Proficiency in procurement platforms (e.g., Coupa), project management tools (e.g., Wrike), and Excel; comfort working with large datasets and spend analytics.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent sourcing events at different stages of the sourcing lifecycle.
Understanding of procurement lifecycle concepts, category management principles, and supplier qualification frameworks.

Nice To Haves

Experience in real estate, property management, or portfolio-based operations environments a plus.
Preferred Certifications/Licensures:(Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS))
Preferred Certifications/Licensures:(Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM))

Responsibilities

Gather, refine, and document business requirements and scopes of work (SOWs) in collaboration with Category Managers and business stakeholders, ensuring sourcing events are grounded in clear, actionable specifications.
Identify, screen, and qualify suppliers through market research, supplier databases, and Category Manager input; evaluate bids, score responses against criteria, and recommend supplier selection.
Prepare, administer, and manage RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes end-to-end, including document preparation, issuance, bidder communications, and question-and-answer management, that align with category strategy objectives.
Own assigned sourcing events from discovery through contract execution and transition, delivering sourcing objectives, milestones, and stakeholder commitments; proactively identify and escalate risks and recommend actions to ensure timely completion.
Support negotiation strategy development and execution under the direction of the Manager, Sourcing, preparing negotiation briefs, modeling scenarios, and documenting agreed terms.
Draft, redline, and negotiate commercial contract terms; coordinate legal and risk review processes and manage contract documents through to execution within delegation of authority thresholds.
Track and validate savings for completed sourcing events; contribute to savings reporting and dashboards that demonstrate procurement value delivery against category targets.
Contribute market intelligence and benchmarking insights gathered during sourcing events to inform Category Manager strategy development and refresh cycles.
Provide input on sourcing pipeline prioritization based on event complexity, business risk prioritization, market readiness, and resource capacity; support the Manager, Sourcing in workload planning and scheduling.
Support compliance and audit activities by maintaining complete, well-organized sourcing documentation, including bid records, evaluation matrices, negotiation logs, and executed contracts.
Contribute to continuous improvement of sourcing processes, templates, and tools; share best practices and lessons learned across the procurement team.
Ensure effective post-award transition to the appropriate teams, packaging sourcing outcomes, contract details, implementation requirements, and stakeholder communications to enable smooth onboarding, system setup, and go-live.
Execute supplier diversity and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sourcing objectives, incorporating diverse supplier participation into sourcing events and tracking results against program targets.
Support supplier offboarding and transition activities by providing sourcing documentation, contract context including administering Sun's termination responsibilities, and coordination support to ensure continuity of service during supplier exits.

Benefits

Comprehensive Medical and Prescription coverage with 4 plan options
Comprehensive Dental and Vision Plans
On-Site Fitness Center
Voluntary Health and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance and Dependent Life
Short and Long-Term Disability Coverage
401(k) Plan with Sun matching contribution
Employee Assistance Program
Identity Theft Insurance
Legal Assistance Plan
Pet Insurance
Tuition Reimbursement program
Vacation RV Site Discounts
Team Member Perks & Discounts program
Up to six weeks of paid parental leave
Paid Time Off including ten holidays, vacation, personal, sick time, bereavement and pay for jury duty