Procurement Strategy Leader
Leads a high-performing team in the development, execution, and implementation of short- and long-term procurement strategies across a broad portfolio of indirect goods and services. Oversees the full sourcing lifecycle from identifying business needs through contracting and delivery, ensuring all strategies align with enterprise goals for cost reduction, operational efficiency, supplier performance, and innovation. Brings deep category expertise across Professional Services including Consulting, Legal Services, Travel, and Data Monetization, with a proven ability to manage complex service-based spend, evaluate consulting and talent solutions providers, and negotiate commercial structures that maximize value. Responsible for securing best-in-market pricing, optimizing supplier portfolios, and driving total cost of ownership improvements while mitigating risk and strengthening supplier governance. Partners closely with senior leadership, Finance, Legal, Retail, Pharmacy, Supply Chain and cross-functional stakeholders to balance near-term business needs with long-range organizational priorities. Provides strategic guidance on sourcing options, vendor capabilities, and financial impacts. Ensures high-quality work output through oversight, coaching, and development of direct and indirect reports, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and excellence in procurement delivery. This role is based in our Deerfield, IL office and is on-site four days a week.
Job Responsibilities:

• Directs team activity and execution across multiple categories, strategic sourcing strategies, best practices, and initiatives that support aggressive improvements in supplier quality, total cost effectiveness, enhanced service levels, improved coordination, delivery, pricing, lead-times, payment, risk compliance and other areas as identified.
• Provides continuous leadership, oversight of work quality and constructive feedback to direct reports.
• Collaborates and influences leaders outside of category span of control.
• Executes category sourcing strategies including development and execution of RFI's and RFP's, documents bid events through correspondence to suppliers; develops selection criteria and drives the selection of suppliers in collaboration with cross-functional teams; conducts supplier negotiations and ongoing supplier management.
• Streamlines business processes; researches and provides information on industry category trends and best practices. Provides procurement input to maximize procurement leverage, optimizes project design and minimizes project durations and cost.
• Develops negotiation strategies, gains alignment from stakeholders, leads cross-functional, category-based negotiation teams, and implements appropriate supplier risk analysis. Directly negotiates with suppliers that require a detailed strategic plan and have a direct correlation with Walgreens operational needs and goals.
• Uses current spend information/data and business knowledge to identify sourcing projects for individual subcategories and develops an overall cost reduction plan. Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of business requirements and category ownership by creating and defending category strategies and decisions with sound analytics. Delegates analytic tasks to key support functions; and synthesizes results.
• Develops supplier score card to measure supplier performance against agreed upon key performance indicators; tracks compliance and supports formal management reporting to director and other members of senior management. Benchmark, track, and analyze annual performance metrics and sourcing trends against budget on a monthly basis to demonstrate continuous improvement and progress against strategic objectives. Implement supplier management programs with key suppliers including metrics, performance goals, and improvement initiatives.
• Monitors supplier performance to ensure that delivery dates and technical and contractual requirements are met. Participates in strategic meetings with suppliers and business leaders to ensure execution of defined strategies. Manages day-to-day on-going category supplier relations and seeks out growth or revision opportunities within supply base. Acts as the internal point of contact for supplier management and complaint resolution; conducts regular supplier meetings and implements improvement strategies with suppliers. Creates, nurtures, and enhances supplier relationships.
• Aggressively manages category performance by adhering to internal Savings goals and reviewing financial models for commodity type items. Ensures spend portfolio for reoccurring managed spend is balanced through coordinated sourcing waves and leveraged with Capital project sourcing activities.
• Drives consolidation of spend and seeks out synergies across Business Units where applicable, by forming and leading cross-functional strategic sourcing teams to develop and implement category/commodity strategies and to drive cost from individual spend sub-categories. Champions weekly category review meetings with cross-functional teams to manage category performance.
• Cultivates team morale, motivation, and loyalty through continuous training and mentorship, providing clear communication and constructive feedback.