Procurement Operations Manager

Responsible for providing operational, day-to-day leadership to members of the Procurement Services team. The Procurement Services team provides centralized sourcing, contract negotiation, purchasing and vendor management functions for the entire WPS enterprise for all categories, IT and non-IT goods and services. The Procurement Services team also provides contracting support as requested for revenue-generating new ventures at WPS and supports vendor-related business development functions. This role will participate in developing and establishing procurement processes, contracting best practices, and implementation of vendor management and strategic sourcing programs. Such requirements include category management for business-related products and professional services in support of company and customer requirements and in accordance with company policies and procedures, federal government laws and regulations when applicable. This is a "working manager" role where the manager will have contract negotiation and sourcing projects they are individually responsible for (see "Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Management" section). This role is key to driving critical strategic priorities at WPS in strong partnership with Finance, Legal, Compliance, Information Technology and each individual line of business.

Salary Range:

$110,000-$135,000

The base pay offered for this position may vary within the posted range based on your job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Work Location:

This role is open to remote work for this opportunity in the following approved states:
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin

In this role you will:

Operational Leadership (45%)

• Provide oversight and development for direct report(s)
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members
• Drive development of Procurement department processes and procedures to ensure continuous improvement
• Partner with Procurement team members to meet business needs and tight timelines
• Own the planning, implementation, and execution of procurement strategy for complex and high-impact projects
• Leverage influencing skills to align objectives and targets with stakeholders, including senior and executive leadership
• Implement vendor management program for evaluation of vendor performance
• Ensure compliance with WPS sourcing and contracting policies, procedures, risk management, and ethics programs
• Apply effective supplier risk assessment methodologies to ensure supplier accountability to contractual agreements
• Work collaboratively with Enterprise Risk Management and Business Continuity functions to establish and maintain a sound and compliant supply chain risk program

Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Management (20%)

• Manage supplier selection through RFQ, RFI and RFP process by establishing requirements in alignment with business leadership and enterprise strategic plans
• Capture and ensure business requirements are met in contracts by leading contract review and approval processes in close collaboration with affected business stakeholders and WPS Legal
• Develop and maintain deep category knowledge (as assigned) and regularly leverage industry experts, peers and stakeholders to identify and benchmark best practices at a subject matter expert level
• Responsible for driving competitive supply strategies to achieve lowest total cost of ownership and cost savings via industry best practices
• Track cost savings and cost avoidance

Relationship Management and Business Development (35%)

• Manage sourcing and contracting needs for new ventures at WPS in support of burgeoning partnerships and products, including researching, developing strategies, selecting suppliers, and negotiating contracts to support business growth
• With the customer "lens", participate in proposal development and contract negotiation for new ventures in close collaboration with commercial and government Business Development teams
• Ensure relationship development and management with key business stakeholders
• Establish relationships with WPS Legal, Compliance, IT Asset Management and Security teams to ensure all contractual terms and conditions comply with standards
• Ensure relationship development with and management of key suppliers
• Proactively manage internal and external customer expectations

This role could be a good fit if you:

• Practice servant leadership in your approach to working with and developing your team
• Possess the ability to motivate teams and believe customer centricity is the core of being successful in this area
• Have top-level experience in all areas of the RFP process, including market research, project management, and negotiations
• Are process improvement minded and consistently look for ways for teams to work smarter
• Have strong analytical skills
• Strong communication skills (writing and verbally), clear, concise, and influential
• Understand and can execute strategy while also focusing on details
• Have a sophisticated approach to working professionally and collaboratively with customers
• Strong business acumen and negotiation skills

You'll benefit from this experience by:

• Working for a company that champions change and is performance driven
• Collaborating across all lines of WPS business, including strong partnerships with our Legal, Finance, and Compliance teams
• Seeing the impact of your work which is highly visible to executive leadership
• Playing an integral role on key initiatives that contribute to organization-wide success
• Leading a team of talented professionals to directly impact the success of our organization
• Working in an environment that serves our Nation's military, veterans, Guard and Reserves along with their families.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent post high school and/or related work experience
• 3 years or more of related work and/or leadership experience
• 2 years or more work experience related to procurement, sourcing or contract management in Information Technology categories

Preferred Qualifications:

• 4 years or more of progressive work experience within sourcing, procurement, legal, and/or supply chain management
• Deep knowledge of various contract types (Firm Fixed Price, Cost Plus, Time and Materials)
• Experience working in Deltek/CostPoint and Microsoft SharePoint
• Experience with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
• Experience working in a government approved purchasing system (i.e. Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR))

Remote Work Requirements:

• Wired (ethernet cable) internet connection from your router to your computer
• High speed cable or fiber internet
• Minimum of 10 Mbps downstream and at least 1 Mbps upstream internet connection (can be checked at https://speedtest.net)
• Please review Remote Worker FAQs for additional information

Benefits:

• Remote and hybrid work options available
• Performance bonus and/or merit increase opportunities
• 401(k) with a 100% match for the first 3% of your salary and a 50% match for the next 2% of your salary (100% vested immediately)
• Competitive paid time off
• Health insurance, dental insurance, and telehealth services start DAY 1
• Professional and Leadership Development Programs
• Review additional benefits: (https://www.wpshealthsolutions.com/careers/fulltime_benefits.shtml)

Who We Are:

WPS Health Solutions is a leading not-for-profit health insurer and federal government contractor headquartered in Wisconsin. WPS offers health insurance plans for individuals, families, seniors, and group health plans for small to large businesses. We process claims and provide customer support for beneficiaries of the Medicare program and manage benefits for millions of active-duty and retired military personnel across the U.S. and abroad. WPS Health Solutions has been making health care easier for the people we serve for more than 75 years. Proud to be military and veteran ready.

Culture Drives Our Success:

WPS' Culture is where the great work and innovations of our people are seen, fueled, and rewarded. We accomplish this by creating an open and empowering employee experience. We recognize the benefits of employee engagement as an investment in our workforce-both current and future-to effectively seek, leverage, and include differing and unique perspectives that fuel agility and innovation on high-performing teams. This results in people bringing their authentic selves to work every day in an organization that successfully adapts to business changes and new opportunities.

We are proud of the recognition we have received from local and national organization regarding our culture and workplace: WPS Newsroom - Awards and Recognition.

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