The Procurement Manager is a broad, hands-on procurement professional responsible for leading sourcing, negotiation, contracting, supplier management, and other procurement initiatives across a diverse range of categories. This role partners directly with business leaders, Finance, Legal, and other stakeholders to evaluate commercial opportunities, negotiate favorable outcomes, manage supplier relationships, and improve how the organization purchases goods and services.
In addition to core procurement responsibilities, this role will coordinate the organization's corporate insurance program, partnering with internal stakeholders, brokers, carriers, and other external partners on renewals, coverage administration, certificates of insurance, claims coordination, and related risk-management activities.
The ideal candidate has developed broad procurement judgment rather than specializing in a single category or narrow portion of the sourcing process. This individual should be comfortable taking an initiative from initial business need and market assessment through sourcing, negotiation, contracting, implementation, and ongoing supplier management.
Essential Duties
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
- Lead sourcing and procurement initiatives across a broad range of goods and services, managing the process from initial business requirement through supplier selection, negotiation, contracting, and implementation.
- Develop sourcing strategies based on business requirements, supplier markets, spend, competitive dynamics, incumbent performance, and opportunities for cost reduction or value creation.
- Lead competitive sourcing processes, including RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, supplier evaluations, bid analysis, and supplier negotiations.
- Negotiate commercial terms with suppliers, including pricing, fee structures, service levels, renewal terms, price protections, termination rights, and other key business provisions.
- Evaluate supplier proposals and contract economics using quantitative and qualitative analysis, including total cost of ownership, pricing benchmarks, utilization, demand, and alternative commercial structures.
- Develop clear recommendations and business cases that enable leaders to make informed supplier and purchasing decisions.
- Partner with Legal and business stakeholders throughout contract negotiations to ensure commercial and contractual considerations are appropriately addressed.
- Manage supplier renewals proactively, identifying opportunities to reduce cost, improve commercial terms, consolidate suppliers, adjust services, or test the external market.
- Build productive supplier relationships while maintaining appropriate commercial discipline and accountability.
- Identify opportunities to simplify the supplier landscape, improve purchasing processes, reduce unnecessary spend, and increase procurement effectiveness.
- Support procurement operations and governance, including purchase orders, contracting processes, procurement systems, policies, and controls.
- Use procurement and spend data to identify trends, opportunities, risks, and areas requiring management attention.
- Prepare and present financial analyses, sourcing recommendations, supplier comparisons, and procurement updates to business and executive leadership.
- Manage multiple sourcing, contracting, and supplier initiatives simultaneously with limited oversight.
Insurance & Risk Coordination
- Coordinate the day-to-day administration of the organization's corporate insurance program in partnership with Finance leadership, insurance brokers, carriers, Legal, and other internal stakeholders.
- Coordinate annual insurance renewals, including collection and validation of exposure data, completion of applications, review of coverage and pricing proposals, and preparation of information required for renewal decisions.
- Maintain organized records of insurance policies, coverage limits, premiums, deductibles, renewals, certificates, and related documentation.
- Coordinate certificates of insurance and other evidence-of-coverage requests from customers, vendors, landlords, and other counterparties.
- Partner with Legal, Procurement, business stakeholders, and the organization's insurance broker to evaluate contractual insurance requirements and identify potential coverage gaps or unusual requirements.
- Assist with claims administration and communication among internal stakeholders, brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators as needed.
- Review insurance program costs and alternatives and help identify opportunities to improve coverage, program structure, or overall cost effectiveness.
- Serve as a knowledgeable internal point of contact for routine insurance questions while appropriately escalating complex coverage, claims, and risk matters to brokers, carriers, Legal, or leadership.
Procurement Program & Business Partnership
- Develop and improve procurement policies, procedures, templates, reporting, and operating practices that balance appropriate controls with efficient business processes.
- Build strong relationships across Finance, Legal, IT, Human Resources, Marketing, Operations, and other business functions.
- Work comfortably with stakeholders ranging from individual budget owners to senior executives, adapting communication and recommendations to the audience.
- Help business partners challenge assumptions, evaluate alternatives, and make commercially sound decisions rather than simply processing purchasing requests.
- Stay current on procurement practices, supplier markets, commercial trends, technology, and relevant insurance and risk-management developments.
- Lead or support special projects and cross-functional initiatives as needed.
Qualifications & Skills
- Strong sourcing and negotiation capability with demonstrated experience producing measurable commercial outcomes.
- Broad procurement experience across multiple spend categories, supplier types, and business functions.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage the full procurement lifecycle rather than only one component of the sourcing or contracting process.
- Strong commercial judgment and ability to understand the broader business implications of supplier pricing, contract structures, risk, and operational requirements.
- Excellent analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to analyze pricing, spend, supplier proposals, total cost, and financial trade-offs.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex commercial issues into clear recommendations.
- Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and establish credibility with senior business leaders.
- Ability to navigate competing stakeholder priorities and drive decisions without relying solely on formal authority.
- Strong project-management and organizational skills with the ability to manage numerous initiatives simultaneously.
- Comfortable working in procurement, contract lifecycle management, ERP, and related business systems; experience with Coupa or similar source-to-pay platforms is preferred.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and proficiency with PowerPoint and other standard business applications.
- Experience working with corporate insurance programs, insurance brokers, risk management, or commercial insurance is preferred but not required for an otherwise strong procurement candidate.
Work Experience
- 5+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, supplier management, or related commercial experience.
- Demonstrated experience independently leading complex supplier negotiations and sourcing initiatives.
- Experience working across multiple indirect spend categories strongly preferred.
- Experience partnering directly with Finance, Legal, and senior business stakeholders.
- Corporate insurance, risk-management, or insurance-broker coordination experience is preferred.
- Experience in a decentralized or complex organization with multiple business units is a plus.
- Prior people-management experience is preferred but not required.
Education
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Economics, or related fields preferred.
Certifications
- Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., CPCU, ARM, or similar procurement or risk-management credentials are valued but not required.
Other Requirements
- Must be able to travel occasionally should a business need arise. For most roles travel would not be common. Travel may involve plane, car or metro. In accordance with ADA policies, reasonable accommodations regarding travel limitations can be provided. Travel will be more common for roles such as Account Executives (25 - 50%), senior leaders (10 – 20%) or Capella Core Faculty (5 – 10%).
- Ability to work onsite in Corporate or Campus location (in a typical office environment) may be required based on role. If so, this would include being mobile within the office, including movement from floor-to-floor using elevators or stairs.
- If offsite or hybrid role, must have access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
- Faculty and Federal Work Study roles require access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including computer, privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
- This role may require lifting, however reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with our ADA policies.
- Must be able to meet critical thinking and problem solving aspects aligned to job duties, as well as effectively communicating with co-workers.
- Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant. Accommodations related to schedule may be considered.
- Able to access information using a computer.
- Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.
SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per week. In addition to medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans, SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives, parental leave, paid time off, certain paid holidays, tax saving accounts (FSA, HSA), 401(k) retirement benefit, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay, if applicable.
Careers - Our Benefits, Strategic Education, Inc
SEI is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture where individuals can grow their careers and contribute fully. We strive to attract talent with broad experiences, skills and perspectives. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.
$106,500.00 - $159,800.00 - Salary
If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at Careers@strategiced.com.
