Director, Sourcing

Savvas Learning Company is a global education company that produces award-winning learning solutions that empower educators and engage students with the highest quality content.

Recognized as an industry leader, we serve millions of K-12 learners with innovative, student-centered educational programs that turn today’s classrooms into active learning environments. By embracing technology, personalized learning, and immersive experiences delivered across multiple platforms, we design our learning solutions to be more accessible and relevant to each student.

Our comprehensive solutions for core curriculum, and supplemental and intervention programs - supported by an array of professional development services - allow teachers to use data to inform classroom practices and tailor instructions to an individual’s abilities and learning styles.

The Director, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement will lead the Strategic Sourcing team responsible for supporting the short and long terms goals of Savvas Learning Company. Responsible for both Direct and Indirect Sourcing categories, the incumbent will lead a team of sourcing specialists organized across categories. The Direct Team will work with functional team leads across Product Development (content, design, production, and platform) to ensure development plans and budgets are met and product development quality expectations are achieved through timely, strategic and successful sourcing efforts. The Indirect Team will ensure that business sourcing needs across Learning Services are understood and met with appropriate and qualified vendors.

The Director, Strategic Sourcing will be responsible for designing sourcing strategies and programs that meet the needs of the organization. Using analytics for benchmarking, leveraging sourcing and procurement trends, and employing data-centric decision-making, the Director will play a critical role in designing, implementing and continually refining strategic sourcing programs. This may include strategic partnerships, spend analytics and rate card programs, bidding and auction strategies, and project planning and vendor launch support.

The Director will work in concert with business functions to plan, budget, design and implement best in class sourcing strategies to meet business goals. The Director will work directly with Finance in support of project costing, budget management, and forecast reporting. Additionally, the Director will work hand in hand with the Savvas Legal Team to best manage the negotiations of all contracts.

Supervisory Responsibilities Include

• Managing Sourcing Specialist, Strategic Buyers, and Category Managers across product development, professional services, and enabling functional areas.
• One-on-one guidance and support of Sourcing Team
• Process improvement, team-building, and vendor management/relationship in both Direct and Indirect channels
  
  

Incumbent oversees approximate Direct Spend of $80 to $100m and Indirect Spend of $100m.

Primary Responsibilities

• Indirect Spend Oversight
• Support Indirect team in the management and renewal of ongoing vendor programs.
• Provide leadership to the Indirect Team and functional areas in identification of best in class sourcing strategies that meet or exceed Learning Service business goals.
• Support functional leads in budgeting, initiative bidding, and vendor selection.
• Identify and champion best practices across sourcing categories.
• Direct Spend Oversight
• Support Sourcing Specialist and Buyers in Project Costing, Program Development Sourcing Strategies, and Vendor Selection to meet Back-To-School and product development goals.
• With PMO, manage the Annual Sourcing Roadmap.
• Create information sharing opportunities across content and functional areas to facilitate best in class sourcing practices and to encourage use of levers – volume, vendor relationships, etc. – for advantageous sourcing outcomes.
• Interface with Finance to ensure accurate Plant Forecast reporting.
• Identify and champion best practices across categories and content areas.
• Analytics and Rate Governance
• Maintain and grow LS Direct Rate Card that provides internal teams with accurate data for budgeting and provides a benchmark for evaluating vendor bids for all current and emerging tasks to support Direct Categories.
• Build and develop procedural and process-based systems to support strategic vendor usage and optimize purchasing power.
• Facilitate cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing options and analyses/validation of costs and savings.
• Oversight of bidding and vendor negotiations
• Vendor Relationship Management
• Oversight of the Strategic Vendor Partnership deals – performance, savings, renewals
• With VP and Leadership, identify and develop new strategic relationships
• Stay current within the Direct and Indirect Vendor Landscapes
• Act as primary contact for Sourcing and Procurement escalations.
  

Required Knowledge And Experience

• Broad knowledge of the K12 Education market including K12 product development and production, platform and software development, and general product sales process/cycle of the K12 industry.
• 10 years of experience in sourcing or procurement in the Education space.
• Analytical skills and the ability to clearly communicate—both orally and in written form—are essential in this role.
• Financial modeling and facility with budgeting tools to analyze macro and micro costs and their strategic implication.
• Talent management and the ability to mentor or coach a team of specialists is key to the success of the incumbent and the ability to meet Savvas’s business goals.
• Ability to handle a high volume of work in a short period of time, handle multiple priorities simultaneously and operate in a demanding work environment is important.
  
  

Savvas Learning Company provides access to a benefits experience created to offer our employees choice, flexibility, and the opportunity to save money for the future. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, tax-advantaged accounts, pharmacy, life insurance, disability insurance, matching 401(k), and paid time off. Our benefits are part of a total package that is carefully designed to support the total well-being of our employees.

Savvas Learning Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Savvas Learning complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Savvas prohibits discrimination against individuals based on race, color, region, national origin, sex, age, disability, and other protected group status. We strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant.

Savvas Learning is an affirmative action employer and participate in E-Verify. E-Verify Know Your Rights

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