Corporate Planning & Management – Spend Management – Technology Software

Dallas, TX

Divisional Overview

The Corporate Planning & Management (CPM) Division unifies Finance & Planning, Spend Management, Operational Risk and Resilience, and CPM Engineering teams to deliver business planning and analytics, expense management, third party risk management, and governance strategies across the firm. 

Spend Management encompasses the functions responsible for managing all aspects of the firm's spend with third parties - advising commercial agreements and driving operating efficiency. Departments include Strategic Sourcing, Procure to Pay, Integrated Travel and Expense, Infrastructure and Transformation and Sustainable Operations. 

Role Overview

Professionals in CPM have an analytical mindset, exhibit intellectual curiosity and are from diverse academic backgrounds. This role sits within the Spend Management pillar.

The Strategic Sourcing team within Spend Management is responsible for driving the execution of strategic priorities, including firm’s operational efficiency and supplier diversity targets, as it relates to the Firm’s relationships with vendors.  We partner with Engineering leadership as well as various stakeholders across the firm on all software/SaaS, hardware, storage, telecommunications, multi-media, and co-location engagements.  As a result, we are actively involved in the entirety of the vendor relationship lifecycle – from procurement to payment.  

The Strategic Sourcing professional is a highly commercial role that requires extensive internal and external interfacing with a number of constituents, implementation of best practices and sound judgement to arrive at the right outcomes for the firm.

Job responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Lead/participate in contract and commercial negotiations for technology-related products and services globally, with focus on software agreements, including both internally-hosted as well as vendor-hosted arrangements (SaaS/PaaS), while following vendor engagement model and adhering to firm’s vendor-related policies and practices.
• Collaborate with various risk management partners, such as Legal, Finance, Information Security, Compliance, and others to ensure firm's vendor management policies and procedures are adhered to.
• Create financial analysis of pending transactions, including review of vendor financial viability as well as total cost of ownership and return on investment analyses.  May involve interfacing with outside research companies to create benchmarking models and identify cost savings opportunities.
• Serve as an advisor to the business/technology groups in the areas of licensing and commercial/contractual/vendor risks, among others.
• Liaise across Engineering leadership, business and relationship managers to identify and escalate vendor/client sensitivities, commercial and relationship opportunities.
• Responsible for tracking of and reporting on strategic vendor management activities, spend and other trends of strategic vendors, understanding impact across firm/business units.

Basic Qualifications:

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with an excellent academic record 
• 1-3 years of experience in Technology commercial and contract negotiation
• Analytical capabilities and financial modeling experience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal (written and verbal) skills, strong attention to detail and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to lead across team members and drive assignments to completion
• Ability to multi-task & deliver under pressure
• Solid work ethic and high level of motivation
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

Preferred Qualifications:

• Commercial and contract negotiation experience focused on software/SaaS licensing contracts
• Prior experience with the SAP Spend Management suite of products, including Ariba
• Prior experience in the financial services industry
• Prior experience with well-known enterprise vendors
• Prior technical experience or in-depth understanding of technical concepts