MetLife

Position Overview

The US Procurement Partnering team is part of the Global Procurement organization. This team combines industry-standard category management and sourcing functions, focusing on collaboration with business partners to develop category strategies, source new business requirements, and manage existing costs and contracts. The Procurement Partnering team is on an exciting transformation journey, aiming to expand spend coverage through renewed relationships, streamlined processes and enhanced technologies.

The Procurement Partnering Consultant will have responsibility for supporting all indirect categories across multiple Lines of Business, with an emphasis on Professional Services (management consulting, financial services, audit, risk, etc.) and IT (SaaS, IT consulting, cloud services, etc.) The successful candidate will leverage their broad expertise to drive strategic value for their Lines of Business and achieve better purchasing outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with stakeholders to develop category management and sourcing strategies that align with the needs of the business while driving financial and operational control targets.
• Lead sourcing events, including RFx and targeted negotiations, with a focus on complex and high-value engagements.
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring alignment between procurement activities and business needs. 
• Analyze spend for supported Lines of Business, identifying opportunities for cost savings, efficiency improvements, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Stay informed of industry trends and market dynamics to leverage best practices and innovative solutions relevant to primary categories.
• Apply market intelligence and benchmarking tools to accomplish the best possible outcomes on negotiations.
• Act as point of contact for supplier-related issues and lead resolution efforts.
• Support strategic procurement initiatives, as required.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience in related fields).
• 5+ years of experience in indirect procurement, with experience in both category management and sourcing. 
• Experience being a member of a globally distributed, large-scale procurement team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; adept at using Excel and leveraging business intelligence tools such as Microsoft PowerBI.
• Strong executive communication and negotiation skills, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Familiarity with industry-standard procurement software and tools.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment and manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in both Professional Services and IT is preferred.
• Experience with procurement orchestration tools, CLMs and Ariba is preferred.