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-$135,000The 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, WisconsinIn this role you will:Operational Leadership (45%)Provide oversight and development for direct report(s)Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team membersDrive development of Procurement department processes and procedures to ensure continuous improvementPartner with Procurement team members to meet business needs and tight timelinesOwn the planning, implementation, and execution of procurement strategy for complex and high-impact projectsLeverage influencing skills to align objectives and targets with stakeholders, including senior and executive leadershipImplement vendor management program for evaluation of vendor performanceEnsure compliance with WPS sourcing and contracting policies, procedures, risk management, and ethics programsApply effective supplier risk assessment methodologies to ensure supplier accountability to contractual agreementsWork collaboratively with Enterprise Risk Management and Business Continuity functions to establish and maintain a sound and compliant supply chain risk programStrategic 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 plansCapture and ensure business requirements are met in contracts by leading contract review and approval processes in close collaboration with affected business stakeholders and WPS LegalDevelop 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 levelResponsible for driving competitive supply strategies to achieve lowest total cost of ownership and cost savings via industry best practicesTrack cost savings and cost avoidanceRelationship 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, sel