Vendor Management Specialist - IT Negotiator

Caterpillar•Nashville, TN

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Vendor Management Specialist – IT Negotiator works with Cat Financial Information Technology leaders and teams on third-party IT business and technical requirements, including professional services, SaaS, software, cloud, hardware, and telecommunications. The role leads deals of varying complexity, seeking manager support as needed, and negotiates with technology vendors to minimize risk and maximize value. It provides sourcing expertise and thought leadership to internal IT and business customers and matrix partners. The position develops negotiation strategies, advises internal customers, supports supplier evaluations and RFx activities, handles supplier disputes, analyzes deal financials and spending, and works with finance, procurement, legal, and other partners. It also maintains forward-looking demand for renewals and new initiatives, administers supplier playbooks, supports contract lifecycle management and documentation, and communicates with IT service owners and senior executives. The role is based onsite five days a week, with an ideal location in Nashville, Tennessee; East Peoria, Illinois; or Irving, Texas. It may require 10% travel. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously while meeting timelines and milestones.
Ability to interpret complex contract language accurately and summarize historical contracts.
Knowledge of demand management, project management, commercial contracting, technology licensing, and negotiation principles.
Understanding of cost and price analysis techniques.
Understanding of how technology sourcing differs from other categories.
Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
Fluency in English.
Well-developed collaboration skills, including communicating across the organization and reaching consensus.
Functional leadership skills, including the ability to lead teams, suppliers, and customers to effective solutions.
Analytical, problem-solving, and project leadership skills.
Strong negotiation skills and ability to interpret, analyze, and negotiate commercial terms.
Bachelor’s degree or more than five years of equivalent experience in a relevant area of study.
Extensive experience with IT sourcing negotiations.

Responsibilities

Create detailed negotiation strategies, including leverage points, deal variables, and counteroffers.
Work with third-party advisory firms to improve market intelligence and negotiation strategies.
Advise internal customers on negotiation plans and align on strategy, timing, and process steps.
Work with IT teams on supplier RFx requirements, supplier technology evaluations, and IT category procurement.
Serve as a category subject matter expert across functions, divisions, and geographic locations.
Engage internal customers and suppliers to resolve disputes and other matters with appropriate assertiveness, tact, business acumen, and diplomacy.
Partner with finance to analyze deal financials and their impact on annual budgets.
Achieve annual savings targets and other assigned performance metrics.
Partner with finance, procurement, legal, and other matrix partners on negotiations and process improvement.
Establish and communicate forward-looking demand for contract renewals and new initiatives.
Lead negotiations and interact directly with supplier representatives.
Develop and administer a supplier playbook.
Present and communicate to IT service owners, Vice Presidents, and Senior Vice President; draft talking points for executive supplier discussions.
Support or lead liaison work with IT service owners and teams to coordinate procurement requests and contract completion targets.
Conduct regular supplier spend analysis to identify opportunities.
Use the contract lifecycle management tool to keep forecasts accurate and review and update the contract document repository.