Associate Director, Strategic Sourcing; IT

Job Description

Associate Director of IT Sourcing – responsible for leading the University’s IT procurement strategy across a complex, decentralized academic and administrative enterprise. This senior individual contributor and team leadership role manages all aspects of IT category sourcing, including software, hardware, cloud services, telecommunications, and managed services agreements that collectively represent a significant portion of Harvard’s annual spend.

• Develop, own, and execute a comprehensive IT category sourcing strategy aligned with Harvard’s strategic priorities, sustainability goals, and financial objectives.
• Lead sourcing events (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, sole‑source justifications) for high‑value and high‑complexity IT acquisitions including enterprise software licenses (ERP, SaaS, research tools), cloud infrastructure (IaaS/PaaS), hardware refresh cycles, and professional services engagements.
• Manage an annual IT category spend portfolio exceeding US $200M across university‑wide contracts and school‑level agreements; identify and drive savings in partnership with constituents and track tangible impacts such as cost reduction or capturing greater value across the vendor portfolio.
• Identify, qualify, and develop supplier relationships; build and maintain a preferred supplier program for key IT categories.
• Conduct market analysis, benchmarking, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling to inform sourcing decisions and negotiation strategies.
• Lead the development and achievement of individual and team savings targets for the IT category portfolio, ensuring sourcing strategies translate into quantifiable cost reductions, value creation, and improved vendor performance.
• Demonstrated experience leading a team to achieve defined goals and performance metrics.
• Proven ability to provide clear direction, set expectations, and hold team members accountable.
• Experience in coaching, developing, and evaluating employees, including handling performance issues.

• Lead complex contract negotiations with major IT vendors, including software publishers, systems integrators, hardware OEMs, and cloud service providers, securing favorable commercial terms, SLAs, data privacy protections, and IP provisions.
• Collaborate with Harvard’s Office of the General Counsel and the Harvard Information Security team to ensure all agreements meet legal, regulatory, and information security standards.
• Oversee contract lifecycle management for the IT portfolio; ensure timely renewals, amendments, and exit provisions are actively managed.
• Establish and maintain supplier performance scorecards; conduct regular business reviews with strategic IT vendors.

• Serve as the primary procurement liaison to Harvard University Information Technology and school‑based IT and finance leaders, embedding sourcing expertise into IT planning cycles and project approval workflows.
• Lead cross‑functional sourcing teams and steering committees, aligning diverse academic and administrative stakeholders around shared procurement outcomes.
• Advise senior leadership on IT market trends, vendor financial health, licensing model changes, and strategic supply risks.
• Champion procurement policy compliance across the University’s decentralized operating model; develop and deliver training and guidance to departmental buyers.

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of 2–4 sourcing professionals within the IT category, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Drive continuous improvement in sourcing processes, tools, and analytics capabilities; leverage procurement systems (e.g., Jaggaer, People Soft, Oracle) and data to enhance decision‑making and reporting.
• Lead or contribute to cross‑departmental Strategic Procurement initiatives, including balance of trade, sustainability, risk management, and digital transformation of the procure‑to‑pay process.

• Hybrid; 1–2 days onsite per week on average plus ad‑hoc meetings.

• Bachelor’s degree or…