Microsoft Category & Sourcing Manager 

United States, District of Columbia, Washington 

86360539

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

• This role is located either in one or all hub locations - Atlanta, GA; Washington, D.C.; Redmond, WA; San Antonio, TX or Phoenix, AZ.
• Relocation support will be provided, and successful candidates must relocate or reside within 50 miles of the hub office location.

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 6+ years experience (including internships) in Data Science/Analytics, Finance, Project Management, Supply Chain, and/or Operations
  • OR Master's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 5+ years experience in Data Science/Analytics, Finance, Project Management, Supply Chain, and/or Operations
  • OR equivalent experience

• 5+ years of capital construction project experience

Other Requirements:

Abilityto meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirementsrequired for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• : This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred/Additional Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 7+ years experience in Data Science/Analytics, Finance, Project Management, Supply Chain, and/or Operations OR Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Supply Chain, Data Analytics, Business, Finance or related field AND 8+ years experience in Data Science/Analytics, Finance, Project Management, Supply Chain, and/or Operations OR equivalent experience.
• Robust knowledge of supply chain, specifically contract management, background on large construction capital projects; large scale engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) experience is a plus
• Knowledge of various contract methods (Design, Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, CM, EPCM, etc.)
• Familiarity with multiple contract pricing formats (lump sum, T&M, unit price, etc.)
• Ability to manage a large and diverse group of stakeholders
• Road based knowledge of contractual components – T&Cs, technical scope, pricing, and schedule
• Knowledge of the data center industry
• Demonstrated strategic thinker and proven leadership with strong relationship management ability
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal collaboration skills, clear and succinct delivery
• Effectively evaluates information/data to influence decisions and drive resolution
• Experience working in construction/capital projects and integration of supply chain activities into Engineering, Procurement and Construction
• Experience working with architect engineers, commissioning agents and environmental consultants

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

· Creates, maintains, and executes on multi-year sourcing strategy for several complex, projects and/or purchasing opportunities, optimizing costs, ensuring continuity of supply and/or services, and driving benchmarking and alignment across Microsoft. Works cross functionally with senior stakeholders and consults with other industry experts to inform strategy with a global view. Leverages end-to-end sourcing and procurement expertise and benchmark data to identify, revise, and influence the definition of business requirements, manage conflicting priorities and tradeoffs, and resolve escalations to execute on sourcing strategies and solutions.

· Integrates business specifications and sourcing strategies for several complex purchasing areas into request for information (RFI) and/or request for proposal (RFP) processes, models operationally efficient supplier management practices, and is accountable for strategic oversight of multi-tier supplier selection. Manages, and improves upon supplier evaluation frameworks, identifies gaps or trends across supplier strategic business and performance reviews, and drives corrective actions. Partners with suppliers to drive innovation and improvement, transform operational capabilities, and proactively identify and manage risk. Evaluates procedural, operational, and/or environmental factors across categories, accounting for key stakeholder relationships and dependencies, analyzing root causes of issues, linking insights to improvement strategies, and influencing the adoption of needed improvements.

· Ensures adherence to policy, educates stakeholders and suppliers on policy compliance, and drives the remediation and resolution of sourcing issues. Influences current and future policy direction as needed to mitigate risks across business units and enable suppliers to meet business requirements.

Procurements and Contracts:

· Identifies issues related to procurement requests and collaborates with business and engineering partners to proactively drive process and system improvements. Engages the supply base to process price validation and deliver accurate pricing to relevant team(s) for purchase order creation. Oversees price and procurement requests via workflow process or technology as applicable in support of product and service requirements, ensuring procedural compliance, and managing the resolution of highly complex pricing issues raised by other sourcing personnel.

· Creates and delivers on contract execution plans, defining control processes and approaches that drive consistent alignment with business requirements and support continuous improvements in the execution of contracts within and across organizations. Serves as a primary point of contact for identifying and resolving internal and/or external contract delivery, execution risks, and road blocks.

· Develops and leads pricing and negotiation strategies for several complex purchasing categories, ensures that strategies clearly articulate tradeoffs, roles, and responsibilities across parties, and gains C-suite support for strategies both internally and externally. Anticipates negotiation setbacks, proactively drives action to mitigate contract disagreements, and coaches others on negotiation best practices across internal sourcing teams.

· Drives early business engagements for highly complex and/or undefined business areas or purchasing categories with cross functional leadership including product design, quality, and business teams, to share best practices, influence decision-makers, drive action, and optimize sourcing strategies, business requirements, spend, and short- and long-term priorities. Facilitates industry and ecosystem engagements, and provides expert consultation with leadership teams on sourcing decisions and optimizations that can be deployed at scale.

· Manages supplier activity and progress across multiple accounts and complex purchasing categories, developing and executing supplier account plans detailing mutual priorities and focus for the supplier relationship for the upcoming period. Trains external stakeholders during onboarding, and identifies engagement programs to improve supplier performance to achieve business goals.