Associate Director, Strategic Sourcing (IT)

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Harvard University’s Strategic Procurement Department is a central administrative function that serves all Harvard schools, institutes, and administrative units. Our mission is to create value for Harvard by optimizing the procurement of goods and services while upholding the highest standards of integrity, compliance, and supplier partnership. We manage over $3.5 billion in annual addressable spend and are committed to practices that support balance of trade, environmental sustainability, and the University’s long-term financial health.

The IT Strategic Sourcing team sits within Strategic Procurement and partners closely with Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT), school CIOs, research computing teams, and central administration to support one of the most technology-intensive academic environments in the world.

Responsible for leading the University's IT procurement strategy across a complex, decentralized academic and administrative enterprise. This senior individual contributor and team leadership role is responsible for managing all aspects of IT category sourcing, including software, hardware, cloud services, telecommunications, and managed services agreements that collectively represent a significant portion of Harvard's annual spend.

The Associate Director partners closely with Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT), school-based IT leaders, General Counsel, and senior administrators to develop and execute sourcing strategies that optimize value, manage risk, and support the University's academic mission. This role requires deep expertise in IT procurement, exceptional negotiation skills, and the ability to navigate the unique governance structures of a world-class research institution.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Develop, own, and execute a comprehensive IT category sourcing strategy aligned with Harvard’s strategic priorities, sustainability goals, and financial objectives.
• Lead sourcing events (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, sole-source justifications) for high-value and high-complexity IT acquisitions including enterprise software licenses (ERP, SaaS, research tools), cloud infrastructure (IaaS/PaaS), hardware refresh cycles, and professional services engagements.
• Manage an annual IT category spend portfolio exceeding $200M across university-wide contracts and school-level agreements. Ability to identify and drive savings in partnership with constituents and track tangible impacts such as cost reduction or capturing greater value across the vendor portfolio.
• Identify, qualify, and develop supplier relationships; build and maintain a preferred supplier program for key IT categories.
• Conduct market analysis, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling to inform sourcing decisions and negotiation strategies.
• Lead the development and achievement of individual and team savings targets for the IT category portfolio, ensuring sourcing strategies translate into quantifiable cost reductions, value creation, and improved vendor performance.
• Demonstrated experience leading a team to achieve defined goals and performance metrics
• Proven ability to provide clear direction, set expectations, and hold team members accountable
• Experience in coaching, developing, and evaluating employees, including handling performance issues

Contract Negotiation & Vendor Management

• Lead complex contract negotiations with major IT vendors, including software publishers, systems integrators, hardware OEMs, and cloud service providers, securing favorable commercial terms, SLAs, data privacy protections, and IP provisions.
• Collaborate with Harvard’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and the Harvard Information Security team to ensure all agreements meet legal, regulatory, and information security standards.
• Oversee contract lifecycle management for the IT portfolio; ensure timely renewals, amendments, and exit provisions are actively managed.
• Establish and maintain supplier performance scorecards; conduct regular business reviews with strategic IT vendors.

Stakeholder Partnership & Governance

• Serve as the primary procurement liaison to Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT) and school-based IT and finance leaders, embedding sourcing expertise into IT planning cycles and project approval workflows.
• Lead cross-functional sourcing teams and steering committees, aligning diverse academic and administrative stakeholders around shared procurement outcomes.
• Advise senior leadership on IT market trends, vendor financial health, licensing model changes, and strategic supply risks.
• Champion procurement policy compliance across the University’s decentralized operating model; develop and deliver training and guidance to departmental buyers.

Team Leadership & Process Improvement

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of 2–4 sourcing professionals within the IT category, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning. Develop robust sourcing skills across all levels of the team and build competencies for the team to become deeper in areas of technology and advisors of procurement processes to constituents
• Drive continuous improvement in sourcing processes, tools, and analytics capabilities; leverage procurement systems (e.g., Jaggaer, PeopleSoft, Oracle) and data to enhance decision-making and reporting.
• Lead or contribute to cross-departmental Strategic Procurement initiatives, including balance of trade, sustainability, risk management, and digital transformation of the procure-to-pay process.

Working Conditions:

Hybrid; 1-2 days onsite per week on average plus ad-hoc meetings

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive procurement experience preferred
• At least 5 years dedicated to IT category sourcing in a large, complex organization (higher education, healthcare, government, or Fortune 500 environment preferred).
• Experience in higher education, research institution, or similarly decentralized organizational environment.
• Experience with balance of trade programs and sustainable procurement initiatives.
• Working knowledge of federal grant compliance requirements (Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200) as they apply to IT procurement.
• Demonstrated depth across key technology domains, including expertise in one or more layers of the OSI model (from physical and network infrastructure through application and security layers), familiarity with leading technology vendors/providers within those domains, and a strong understanding of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, SaaS (GCP, AWS, etc) and automation frameworks.
• Demonstrated expertise negotiating enterprise IT contracts, including ERP/SaaS licensing, cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), hardware, and professional services.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings, risk mitigation, and supplier performance improvements.
• Deep knowledge of IT contract structures, licensing models (perpetual, subscription, consumption-based), and emerging technology procurement trends.
• Understanding of data privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance requirements relevant to IT procurement (FERPA, HIPAA, NIST, DFARS, GDPR).
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills; demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority in a consensus-driven environment.
• Proficiency with e-procurement systems, contract management platforms, and analytical tools.
• Master’s degree (MBA, MPA, or related field) preferred.
• Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), or equivalent professional certification preferred.

Certificates and Licenses:

• Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) preferred