Procurement Manager

Cooley is seeking a Procurement Manager to join the firm operations team.

About Cooley: Cooley is a global law firm with an expansive practice and more than 3,000 employees and partners worldwide. We value and celebrate diverse perspectives and strive to create a workplace where every individual can thrive. At the core of Cooley’s success is the exceptional talent and unwavering spirit of our people. We embrace individuality while fostering a ‘one-firm’ culture where collaboration and creativity thrive. Our people are the foundation of our success and the driving force behind everything we do.

Hybrid Schedule Philosophy: As part of the Cooley culture, we recognize and appreciate the value of being together, in person, to build comradery with others in the office and to be a contributing member of the Cooley office. However, we also appreciate the benefits and flexibility that come from remote working. As such, the default assumption for employees and partners is a hybrid schedule: some in-office presence and some work from home days absent certain essential in-office roles that require five (5) days/week in-office.

Position summary: Cooley Firm Operations embraces a culture of excellence and transparency, and all members of the department are expected to move this agenda forward. The Procurement Manager leads the firm’s procurement function, developing and executing sourcing strategies that optimize cost, quality, and service. This role partners with Legal, Finance, Technology, Innovation and practice group leaders to negotiate complex agreements, manage supplier relationships, and oversee a team of procurement specialists. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

• Strategic Sourcing and Negotiation
  • Lead category strategies and end-to-end sourcing events (including RFPs), negotiations, and pricing/business reviews with key suppliers. Support annual spending and saving targets and drive to achieve them.
  • Accountable for the renewal calendar, risk analysis prepared by team; prepare and review complex contract analysis, when appropriate. 

• Supplier Management and Performance
  • Lead the vendor management program: segmentation, scorecards, and quarterly business reviews. Set expectations for service quality, terms, and continuous improvement.
  • Accountable for performance reporting, sustainability and supplier diversity updates, and corrective action tracking produced by the team. 

• Process Optimization and Compliance
  • Own procurement policy across the firm by publishing updates, delivering training, and running compliance checks. Continually improve sourcing and contracting workflow and playbooks.
  • Accountable for contract ushering/archiving and matter tracking executed by the team including the adherence to approval and exception process. 

• Financial Management and Reporting
  • Lead savings, cost avoidance, rebate, and payment term optimization initiatives; validate benefits and ensure alignment
  • Accountable for dashboards and KPIs assembled by the team (savings, cycle time, on time renewals, vendor risk status) and for presenting results to leadership.     

• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Act as the primary liaison to business owners, attorneys, Finance, Technology, and Innovation on procurement matters; shape negotiation strategy and facilities timely reviews.
  • Accountable for removing roadblocks and ensuring stakeholders meet agreed timelines.

• Team Leadership and Development
  • Direct work intake, prioritization, and resourcing; mentor team members set performance objectives, conduct regular feedback sessions, and foster professional growth.
  • Accountable for the quality, timeliness, and compliance of deliverables produced by team members.
  • Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
  • In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events

• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel, as required
• 5+ years applicable experience in the field of procurement operations Research and presentation experience. (Eligible for consideration of Senior designation with 7+ years applicable experience in the field with 2+ years of exempt/management experience in relevant roles. Senior level will work more independently, demonstrate escalating ownership and mastery of assigned area, exhibit strength in the areas below, become a resource and mentor to others.)

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience within a law firm or professional services environment
• Progressive procurement or sourcing experience, including at least 3 years in a managerial role—preferably within a professional services or legal environment. 
• Demonstrated success negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts and driving measurable cost savings.
• Proficiency with procurement/ERP systems (e.g., IronClad) and advanced skills in Excel or BI reporting tools.

Competencies:

• Ability to maintain absolute confidentiality
• Disciplined, structured and rational approach to problem solving
• Ability to balance work on multiple high-priority projects at the same time
• Ability to prioritize daily work to meet challenging deadlines
• Professional demeanor with excellent communication (verbal and written) skills
• High level of attention to detail and effective organizational skills
• Must be a strong team player who can work with stakeholders across various levels, and across multiple departments
• Strong analytical and project management skills
• Must be proactive, have high energy, creative, quick thinking and a self-starter
• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management abilities; proven track record of influencing senior executives.

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $130,000 - $195,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate. Senior level candidates may be considered for this position and would be eligible for a higher salary range based on experience.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 21 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.