Strategic Category Buyer- IT

Indigo improves grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health through the use of natural microbiology and digital technologies. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes and agronomic insights, Indigo works with growers to sustainably produce high quality harvests. The company then connects growers and buyers directly to bring these harvests to market. Working across the supply chain, Indigo is forwarding its mission of harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil. http://www.indigoag.com/       

The Strategic Category Buyer, IT will be responsible for supporting IT category sourcing activities, collaborating with IT, engineering, and other cross-functional customers in investigating opportunities to lower the total cost of ownership and improve processes;  Supporting the development and execution of category strategies; Negotiating new business sourcing awards; Monitoring supplier performance/ productivity improvement criteria and measures & managing supplier relationships, including identifying new suppliers who can scale and grow accordingly with Indigo’s needs.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and meet with the key IT and business stakeholders responsible for spend falling in the IT category, in order to learn and document business requirements and specifications for the desired products and services needed (routine and special requirements)
• Build strong rapport with suppliers
• Manage and control assigned sub-categories of spend, understand the existing suppliers, and review all contracts and purchase orders
• Identify and implement initiatives to achieve assigned savings targets
• Conduct market and competitive sourcing and bench-marking initiatives
• Rationalize and optimize supply base
• Become a procurement superuser for the Oracle and Coupa systems and establish productive working relationships with stakeholders
• Assume ownership of assigned sub-categories and begin delivering on savings objectives and providing sustainable value to the assigned sub-categories

Expectations:

• Understands and embodies our mission & core values
• Excited by Indigo’s mission; believes that Indigo can fundamentally change the agriculture industry; can clearly articulate passion for our mission and values
• Optimistic and innovative; solution-oriented; shows no signs of cynicism
• Will be widely viewed as someone who personifies our core values, is committed to them, and leans on them when making decisions.
• Demonstrates a track record of high integrity - doing the right thing, owning mistakes, conducting oneself honestly
• Values, communicates, and interacts with others with high levels of transparency and respect
• Collaborates well across functions; creates an inspiring and collegial work environment

Competencies:

• Thrive in a demanding, dynamic, and rewarding environment
• Category strategy execution
• Strong RFx experience
• Strong negotiation skills
• Able to influence others, anticipate needs and be proactive
• Strong project management skills
• Data-driven/strong analytical and reporting skills; Excel knowledge
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Market analysis
• Experience in working with Reverse Auction tools and electronic catalog systems
• Experience with IT and/or Indirect category spend

Qualifications:

• Experience with enterprise procurement systems (eg. Oracle, SAP, Coupa, or Ariba)
• 3-5 years of procurement and strategic sourcing experience preferred
• Able to travel; up to 10% on average (post COVID19 work from home restrictions)
• Bachelor’s degree required; procurement, supply chain or business-related degree
• Bonus points for someone who has Lean Six Sigma experience/certification, but not required

We’re building the technology to feed the world and fight climate change. We believe that through teamwork we can achieve more to benefit all of agriculture: from farmers to consumers to the planet. Game changers don't fit in a box. The requirements listed above are examples of what we think enables success in this role, but we recognize the impossibility of fully capturing a singularly perfect description, and we believe in the power of diversified and creative displays of skills and qualifications. We embrace unconventional. We embrace creativity. We embrace a challenge to the status quo. If the specifications in the list below aren’t an exact match... great! Apply, be you, and be proud that you aren’t ordinary (we certainly aren’t!).

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status