Strategic Procurement Lead

Job Description Shield Technology Partners is seeking an experienced Strategic Procurement Lead to build and lead the procurement function across Shield and its portfolio of ShieldCos. Reporting into the Finance team, this role owns vendor relationships, spend management, and procurement operations end to end — from sourcing and negotiation through contract lifecycle management and renewal. The ideal candidate is a hands-on operator who can bring structure and visibility to spend across a growing multi-entity organization, consolidate purchasing power across the portfolio, and partner closely with Finance, IT, and business leaders to drive measurable savings. This is a build-the-function role: you will define the playbook, not inherit one. This position is fully remote, with approximately quarterly travel for company meetings, trainings, and team collaboration events. Key Responsibilities Core duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned: • Own and manage commercial strategy and vendor relationships across Shield and ShieldCos, serving as the primary point of contact for strategic suppliers spanning software, hardware, telecom, distribution, and services. • Drive negotiation for strategic and supplier partnerships, including but not limited to leading contract negotiations, renewals, and terminations and driving favorable pricing, terms, and service levels. • Build and maintain a centralized contract and renewal calendar with proactive lead time on upcoming renewals. • Develop and manage a portfolio-wide view of vendor spend, identifying consolidation opportunities and leveraging aggregate purchasing power across ShieldCos. • Establish procurement policies, approval workflows, and purchasing controls in partnership with Accounting and FP&A, ensuring compliance and consistency across entities. • Partner with various finance functions to build out a scalable procure-to-pay process for Shield in alignment with best practices and operational efficiency and to assist in budgeting and forecasting. • Partner with IT and business stakeholders on software and hardware purchasing, license management, and vendor due diligence, including security and data handling review for new vendors. • Support acquisitions and entity integrations by assessing acquired vendor agreements, identifying overlap, and migrating newly acquired companies onto Shield’s preferred vendor and purchasing framework. • Manage vendor performance through scorecards, business reviews, and escalation processes. • Administer and optimize procurement-related systems and workflows, including NetSuite and Ramp. • Develop KPIs and reporting on spend, savings, and vendor performance for Finance and executive leadership. • Support budgeting and forecasting cycles with vendor spend analysis and renewal projections. • Champion AI, automation, analytics, and procurement tools to drive faster decisions, reduce manual effort, and enhance visibility and digital fluencyDefine and implement process improvements that reduce cycle time, deliver efficiency gains, and ensure compliance with policies. Success in This Role The successful candidate will bring visibility and discipline to vendor spend across the entire Shield portfolio, build durable vendor partnerships that scale with our acquisition model, and deliver quantifiable savings while maintaining service quality for Shield and ShieldCo teams. Within the first year, they will have established a complete vendor inventory and renewal calendar, implemented a consistent procurement workflow, and executed consolidation wins across at least two major spend categories. Skills, Knowledge & Expertise • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent experience. • 8+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, or vendor management experience, ideally in a technology, IT services, or multi-entity environment. • Deep experience with and expertise in IT cloud, software, and technology providers • Proven track record of negotiating complex vendor agreements and delivering measurable cost savings. • Strong understanding of contract structures, licensing models (SaaS, per-seat, consumption-based), and vendor risk management. • Excellent analytical skills with advanced proficiency in Excel; comfort aggregating and analyzing spend data across multiple entities. • Strong communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional team facilitation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, from ShieldCo operators to executive leadership. • Self-directed and accountable, with the ability to manage multiple negotiations and deadlines simultaneously. • A collaborative, innovative, and enterprise-minded leadership style • Comfort operating in analytics- and automation-enabled environments. Evidence of adaptability and a continuous improvement mindset to drive process improvements. Preferred • Experience building or standing up a procurement function in a fast-paced, high-growth, or acquisitive environment. • Experience with NetSuite ERP and Ramp expense management. • Familiarity with MSP-relevant vendor ecosystems (Microsoft CSP, distribution partners such as Pax8/Ingram, RMM/PSA tooling, telecom). • Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, or multi-entity integrations.