Strategic Sourcing Specialist - Indirect Procurement

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At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that. Our technology helped people put a man on the moon.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Binge-watch any shows, use social media or shop online lately? You’ll find Western Digital supporting the storage infrastructure behind many of these platforms. And, that flash memory card that captures and preserves your most precious moments? That’s us, too.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices and platforms for business and consumers alike. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. It’s You & Western Digital. Together, we’re the next BIG thing in data.

Please note the salary range for this role before applying.

• Strategic Sourcing Specialist will be responsible for developing the global sourcing strategy for the Professional Services category. The person in this position would be recognized as the sourcing expert for Professional Services categories, would liaison with legal, act as Procurement ambassador to the business and integrate into the business to ensure a complete alignment and deep understanding of the business goals and partner in developing sourcing strategies. The goal is to be value-added sourcing partners to the business. The Professional Services Strategic Sourcing Specialist position involves developing negotiation strategies, advising requestors on contract terms and conditions, monitoring cost and scope of assigned contracts to assure compliance, best value and validate/improve pricing. The Strategic Sourcing Specialist will recommend cost savings proposals including alternative sourcing and will exercise independent judgment within defined practices and procedures to determine appropriate action.
• Perform Sourcing and contract related activities for Professional Services in WD. The position requires knowledge and experience in the managing of outside services preferably advertising and public relations agency, as well as market intelligence, e-commerce and web operations. The Strategic Sourcing Specialist will ensure that their business owners are supported in a fast-paced, tight deadlines environment. The ideal individual should have superior negotiation skills.
• The Strategic Sourcing Specialist will need to provide excellent strategic sourcing support to business partners to ensure a competitive advantage for Western Digital. She or he will drive improvements in key metrics such as cost, quality, deliverables and cycle-time. The
• Strategic Sourcing Specialist will drive process-improvements, assist with projects and provide feedback to management on market conditions, supplier relationships, and quality and customer service issues.
• Manage supplier relationships, including supplier selection and qualification process, Quarterly business reviews and scorecards, supplier corrective actions, cost reduction programs.  Perform should-cost analysis for major services and spend areas and implement cost reduction initiatives.  Lead and support implementation of best-in-class practices and continuous improvement of systems and processes.
• The ideal individual must have proven ability to achieve results in a fast-moving, dynamic environment. Self-motivated and self-directed, however, must have demonstrated ability to work well with people. A proven desire to work as a team member, both on the same team and outside of the team. Ability to troubleshoot and analyze complex problems. Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines. Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Sourcing

• Work with various business stakeholders groups to identify and qualify new or existing capable suppliers, initiate requests for RFX’s, advise requestors with respect to contract terms and conditions
• Create and teach market & supplier analyses, leverages expertise to form sourcing strategies in accordance with market trends, internal & external roadmaps, and WD objectives
• Conduct RFP and lead cross functional teams through the selection process of preferred suppliers with effective scoring criteria to critically evaluate supplier proposals in accordance with company policies
• Lead negotiations on General Procurement agreements, including, but not limited to, Master Agreements, Statements of Work, Change Orders balancing business deliverables, legal interests and pricing
• Conduct analysis on proposals for Professional Services and sales services in support of various business functions
• Analyze total costs, assist business functions with ROI analysis, price and rate benchmarking and negotiate favorable business terms to leverage Western Digital’s purchasing power
• Provide global contract expertise for sourcing of Professional Services products and services for various business units
• Working closely with the stakeholders to establish and execute the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) sourcing strategy, including should cost models, and change in process levers to reduce cost
• Develop Negotiation Plans and Strategies to optimize cost savings and avoidance opportunities
• Develop and share deep understanding and anticipate future developments in the areas of Procurement Policy, BU/Category strategies, as well as maintain strong working knowledge of Benchmark with peers and industry groups to maintain knowledge & continually build expertise to ensure continued robustness and evolution of strategy.

Category Management

• Develop, refine and implement category strategies and tactics that enable the procurement of Professional Services products and services to align with business and deliver highest value
• Add value by becoming the subject matter expert on Professional Services categories/commodities and consulting internal clients on industry trends, benchmarking, and best practices
• Lead cross-functional meetings with various business functions and develop a communication strategy to keep internal clients informed about procurement processes, supplier strategy, and procurement policies.

Supplier Management

• Manage supplier relationships with focus on supply/contract and cost management
• Mediate supplier issues and resolve customer / supplier contract disputes if necessary
• Lead and participate in periodic business reviews with vendors to review performance and support mutually agreed upon improvement programs as required
• Develop supplier rationalization entitlements for each category

Contract Management

• Evaluate processes and recommend improvements to standardize lifecycle contract and sourcing processes and systems
• Ensure pricing & deliverables as negotiated are included in the contract; coordinate comparison of proposals and final contract terms
• Act as liaison between Legal and the business

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with 3+ of experience in indirect strategic sourcing with a multi-national organization with an emphasis in Professional Services including but not limited to HR Services, Employee Benefits, temp Labor and Recruiting agencies, Training, Management Services, Consulting, Audit, Financial,....
• Contract Negotiation / Vendor Mgmt. / Influencing skills required
•  Experience and expertise with sourcing & contracting ERP tools (SAP and/or Oracle)

Specific Knowledge   

1. Demonstrated skills in negotiating and formulating Professional Services contracts, understanding cost models and various price structures, management of contractual, IP and labor law risks
2. Demonstrated skills in project management required
3. Ability to work well in a high-pace dynamic environment, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and ensure task completion and deadlines are met as required
4. Proficient with Microsoft Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint    

Communication Skills:  

1. Communicate well in English both in verbal and written form
2. Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills required
3. Excellent team facilitation and presentation skills required
4. Ability to present to all level of management / stakeholders and articulate strategies and performance metrics 

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law poster.

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [email protected] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be March 24, 2025  (3 months from posting), although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York.  This range may be modified in the future.
• You will be eligible to participate in Western Digital’s Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan, which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance.  Depending on your role and your performance, you may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to Western Digital’s Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program, employee stock purchase plan, and the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.