Associate Director, Strategic Sourcing; IT

Job Description

Harvard University’s Strategic Procurement Department is a central administrative function that serves all Harvard schools, institutes, and administrative units. Our mission is to create value for Harvard by optimizing the procurement of goods and services while upholding the highest standards of integrity, compliance, and supplier partnership. We manage over $3.5 billion in annual addressable spend and are committed to practices that support balanced trade, environmental sustainability, and the University’s long‑term financial health.

The IT Strategic Sourcing team sits within Strategic Procurement and partners closely with Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT), school CIOs, research computing teams, and central administration to support one of the most technology‑intensive academic environments in the world.

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 is responsible for managing 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.

The Associate Director partners closely with HUIT, school‑based IT leaders, General Counsel, and senior administrators to develop and execute sourcing strategies that optimize value, manage risk, and support the University’s academic mission. This role requires deep expertise in IT procurement, exceptional negotiation skills, and the ability to navigate the unique governance structures of a world‑class research institution.

• 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 $200 M 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 HUIT and school‑based IT and finance leaders, embedding sourcing expertise…