IT Procurement & Budget Specialist

Role Overview

Position: IT Procurement & Budget Specialist

Department: Information Technology

Reporting to: Manager, Portfolio Operations

FLSA Status: Exempt Location: Bentonville, AR

Walton Enterprises is seeking a highly organized, strategic, and detail‑oriented Procurement & Budget Specialist to join our Portfolio Operations team. You will report directly to the Manager of Portfolio Operations. This role is critical in bridging the gap between technical needs and financial discipline. The ideal candidate will act as the primary gatekeeper for our technology spend, ensuring we maximize the value of our vendor relationships while maintaining a lean, non‑duplicative software ecosystem.

You will work in lockstep with the Manager of Portfolio Operations to provide financial oversight, identify budget anomalies, and establish standards for how we acquire and manage technology assets from procurement to asset disposal.

The Procurement & Budget Specialist is responsible for the full lifecycle of technology assets—from initial sourcing and negotiation to ongoing license management and eventual decommissioning. This role ensures that our technology investments are transparent, compliant, and fiscally responsible. You will serve as a key advisor during budget season and a day‑to‑day lead on vendor health and procurement excellence.

You will participate in and manage the processes that govern how Walton Enterprises selects, buys, and monitors technology including buy vs build analysis. By analyzing spend data and auditing our current toolset, you will prevent "departmental silos" and ensure every dollar in the Technology budget is intentionally spent and tracked.

• Budget Management & Oversight: Partner with the Manager of Portfolio Operations to build the annual technology budget; perform monthly forensic reviews to identify and explain anomalies or overages.
• Vendor Management & Negotiation: Serve as the primary point of contact for technology vendors; lead price negotiations and contract renewals to ensure best-in‑class pricing and favorable terms.
• Procurement Process Ownership: Establish and enforce standardized procurement workflows that ensure all new requests undergo a rigorous "need vs. duplicate" analysis.
• Software Asset & License Management: Maintain a centralized Technology Catalog; track seat utilization and "true‑up" cycles to ensure we are never over‑licensed or under‑compliant.
• Strategic Consolidation: Proactively identify overlapping systems (e.g., multiple project management or communication tools) and lead the efforts to consolidate onto preferred enterprise platforms.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Collaborate on and maintain tech financial dashboards that provide real‑time visibility into vendor spend, contract end dates, and budget pacing.
• Contract Lifecycle Management: Monitor all technology contracts for auto‑renewal clauses, SLA commitments, and compliance requirements, working closely with the Manager of Portfolio, Legal and Cybersecurity teams.
• Process Excellence: Under the guidance of the Manager of Portfolio Operations, develop and document "standard operating procedures" (SOPs) for the IT procurement lifecycle.

• Strong Tech Financial Management: Deep understanding of technology finanacial management, license management, and cloud consumption billing.
• Strategic Negotiation: Proven ability to manage complex vendor negotiations and multi‑year contract structures.
• Analytical Thinking: Ability to dive into the "weeds" of a budget spreadsheet and extract high‑level strategic insights. In addition, the ability to evaluate softwares for overlapping capabilities and identify areas of consolidation.
• Cross‑Functional Communication: Exceptional ability to explain financial constraints to technical teams and technical needs to financial stakeholders.
• Organization & Detail Orientation: A "hawk-like" focus on contract dates, renewal windows, and compliance documentation. Strong ability to stay organized and to maintain best in class processes around procurement.

• 5+ years of experience or…