Manager Procurement-IT/Technology

The Manager of Procurement – IT/Technology will lead all negotiations for the assigned business unit or product category, develop relationships with internal stakeholders, and implement a strategic procurement discipline to maximize supplier contributions, meet plans, objectives, and budget. This role drives cost and contract negotiations, manages supplier and business‑unit escalations, provides procurement project management, and ensures purchases follow company policies and align with the strategic supply base. The ideal candidate is detail‑oriented, an effective communicator, able to execute multiple projects, solve complex problems, and partner with executive leaders to optimize outcomes. At Optimum, actions are guided by the principles “Do What’s Right,” “Drive One Optimum,” and “Make It Happen.”

Responsibilities

• Maintain deep category expertise through understanding and application of industry developments, marketplace trends, emerging technology, new techniques, leading practices, and shared experiences.
• Drive all supplier negotiations to achieve competitive pricing.
• Review and assess rate cards, quotes, statements of work, and master service agreements, quickly redlining and developing negotiation strategies to reduce price, limit liability, and optimize benefit.
• Perform cost/benefit and comparative analysis on hardware, software, and professional services.
• Negotiate and manage the contractual approval process for MSAs, MPAs, SOWs, Maintenance & Support renewals, etc.
• Manage complex bid and sourcing processes, including requests for proposals, evaluation of proposals, vendor selection, and contract award.
• Handle supplier or business‑unit escalations through contract implementations.
• Develop and maintain relationships with functional business units to gather, analyze, and convey information supporting sourcing efforts.
• Coordinate sourcing and contract‑management activities across procurement teams to deliver targeted benefits.
• Manage key supplier relationships, driving savings through innovation and resolving issues or disputes.
• Review and approve supplier contract awards and purchase orders.
• Work with functional business units to optimize spend against contracts and ensure compliance.
• Provide negotiation summaries, performance reporting, and analysis to senior leadership.
• Manage and monitor the contract‑management process within budgetary cost or cost‑savings goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (required); MBA a plus.
• 5+ years of experience in technology categories and strategic procurement – SaaS/cloud, AI, and other technology solutions.
• IT procurement experience highly preferred (software, hardware, services, and staff).
• Experience leading complex cross‑functional initiatives with senior‑leader sponsorship.
• Oracle Source‑to‑Pay experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in the network, software, and/or technology industry.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast‑paced, challenging environment.
• Proficient in MS Office, particularly Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, etc.).
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to get into the weeds.
• Ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all organizational levels.
• Outstanding interpersonal, communication, and business‑partnering skills.
• Extremely organized, detail‑oriented, and mindful of deadlines.
• Superior organizational and time‑management skills, balancing numerous diverse priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Solid understanding and experience of technology contracting – drafting, redlining, commercial‑term negotiation, and alignment of legal terms.

Pay

Pay is competitive and based on a number of job‑related factors, including skills and experience. The starting pay range at time of hire for this position is $102,816.00 – $168,912.00 per year.