Director- Indirect Sourcing - Professional Services

Executive Summary:

The Director of Indirect Sourcing (GCC) Non-IT (Professional Services) is a senior leadership role responsible for architecting, scaling, and managing the global sourcing strategy for Professional Services from within our Global Capability Center (GCC). This role oversees a significant multi-million dollar global spend spanning high-value categories such as Management Consulting, Legal, Financial & Advisory services, HR Services/Contingent Workforce, Marketing/Agencies, and Corporate Services.

This leader will drive value by transforming the GCC procurement arm from a transactional execution hub into a strategic powerhouse. The ideal candidate possesses deep domain expertise in Professional Services procurement, a strong track record of stakeholder management across global matrices, and the capability to build data-driven, high-performing teams in a GCC ecosystem.

Core Responsibilities:1. Strategic Category Management & Global Sourcing:

• End-to-End Category Strategy: Formulate and execute multi-year global category strategies for Non-IT Professional Services that optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), improve service quality, and mitigate risk.

• GCC Capability Expansion: Shift the GCC procurement delivery model up the value chain transitioning from regional support to owning global category strategies, complex end-to-end RFxs, and cross-border master agreements.

• Spend Optimization & Demand Management: Conduct deep spend forensics across global business units to identify demand management opportunities, eliminate rogue spending, and drive rigorous cost-avoidance and savings metrics.

2. Professional Services Vendor Ecosystem & High-Stakes Negotiations:

• Complex Negotiations: Lead commercial and contractual negotiations for high-visibility, high-risk professional services agreements (e.g., Tier-1 consulting firms, global legal counsel, enterprise-level BPO/HR outsourcing).

• Rate Card & SOW Governance: Design and implement robust rate-card structures, benchmarking frameworks, and Statement of Work (SOW) compliance protocols to eliminate scope creep and ensure output-based pricing models.

• Supplier Relationship Management (SRM): Establish advanced SRM frameworks for critical professional services partners. Lead executive-level business reviews, manage supplier performance metrics (KPIs/SLAs), and foster innovation and continuous improvement.

3. Stakeholder Management & GCC Integration:

• Global Matrix Collaboration: Build trusted-advisor relationships with C-suite and senior stakeholders across Legal, Finance, HR, Marketing, and Corporate Strategy globally to align sourcing initiatives with business objectives.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Act as a critical bridge between global procurement headquarters, functional business leaders, and localized GCC compliance/operations teams.

4. Risk, Governance & Process Modernization:

• Risk & Compliance Management: Ensure rigorous compliance with global regulations, financial controls (e.g., SOX), data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR), and ethical sourcing standards regarding third-party professional consultants.

• Digital Transformation: Drive the adoption of advanced procurement analytics, AI-driven market intelligence tools, and contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms within the GCC team to automate workflow and increase visibility.

5. Team Leadership & Talent Development:

• People Leadership: Build, mentor, and scale a world-class team of strategic sourcing managers and analysts based within the GCC.

• Capability Building: Culture a high-performance environment focused on upskilling the team in advanced negotiation techniques, consultative selling, stakeholder management, and data analytics.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Financial Impact: Annualized net cost savings, cost avoidance, and value-creation targets against the baseline global spend.

• GCC Maturity Score: Successful transition of global categories/projects from HQ ownership to the GCC sourcing hub.

• Contractual Compliance: Percentage of professional services spend under active managed contracts and pre-negotiated rate cards.

• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Net Promoter Score (NPS) from internal global business partners regarding procurement's agility and strategic value.

Position Requirements:Education & Experience:

• Education: Bachelors degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Law, or a related discipline. An MBA or advanced degree is highly preferred.

• Overall Experience: 12 to 15+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing and indirect procurement.

• Niche Expertise: Minimum of 6+ years specifically managing Non-IT / Professional Services categories at an enterprise level.

• GCC/Shared Services Exposure: Proven track record of working within or leading sourcing functions in a large-scale Global Capability Center (GCC), Global Shared Services (GSS), or offshore/nearshore environment.

Technical Skills & Competencies:

• Professional Services Knowledge: Strong understanding of legal frameworks, liability clauses, indemnification, intellectual property rights, and complex pricing models (fixed-fee, time & materials, risk-reward).

• Systems & Tools: Expert-level knowledge of enterprise procurement suites (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, Workday Strategic Sourcing) and advanced data visualization platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).

• Certifications: Professional credentials such as CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply), or equivalent are highly desirable.

• Soft Skills: Exceptional emotional intelligence, executive presence, and cross-cultural communication skills required to influence stakeholders across multiple time zones and business cultures.