About Blue Cross Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is one of the most recognized and trusted health care brands in the world with 2.5 million members. We're committed to reinventing health care to improve health for our members and the community. We hope you'll join us. How Is This Role Important to Our Work? We are seeking a highly skilled and expert Sourcing and Vendor Management professional to join our team. As a key member of our Business Partnerships and Negotiations department, you will be responsible for sourcing, contracting, vendor management, negotiations, and fostering collaboration between our vendors and business partners. Your expertise in these areas will be essential in ensuring efficient procurement processes, cost savings, and maintaining strong relationships with our vendors. This individual will work with business divisions to establish and monitor vendor scorecards, as well as quantitative and qualitative measures of performance against contracted Service Level Agreements (SLA). They will align to an assigned business portfolio of vendors under the direction of Business Partnerships and Negotiations Leadership. A Day in the Life:Sourcing: Identify and evaluate potential suppliers based on quality, cost, reliability, and other relevant factors. Conduct market research and gain knowledge to become an authority in the specific vendor category, staying informed about industry trends and standard processes. Collaborate with internal partners to understand their requirements and provide procurement support. Contracting: Lead and facilitate RFx events on behalf of Business Partnerships and Negotiations team in collaboration with business leadership. Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with varying complexity, purchase orders, and SLA's with suppliers. Ensure favorable contract terms aligned with organizational goals. Mitigate contractual risks and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Vendor Management: Build and maintain positive relationships with vendors, fostering effective communication and collaboration. Monitor vendor performance, conduct regular reviews, and address any issues or concerns. Identify performance improvement opportunities and cost reduction through vendor optimization. Establish and monitor vendor scorecards (quantitative and qualitative measures of performance against selected SLAs and metrics) to monitor and manage vendor performance based on a defined set of criteria. Facilitate regular business reviews with assigned portfolio of vendors to discuss vendor performance reporting, SLAs, results, compliance requirements, other contract expectations, relationship health and improvement plans. Provides support to business Executive Leadership, Relationship Managers, and Compliance Managers for problem resolution with assigned Program portfolio vendors. Under the direction of the Business Partnerships and Negotiations Leadership, works closely with Business partners to diagnose poor vendor performance and assists to put in place "get well" plans. Jointly with the Leadership facilitates the resolution of raised vendor-related issues. Negotiations: Partner with Leadership to develop strategies and execution Lead negotiations with suppliers for favorable terms and conditions. Proactively drive cost savings initiatives. Align outcomes with organizational objectives. Collaboration: Work with cross-functional teams for flawless procurement. Collaborate with internal partners to implement aligned procurement strategies. Facilitate communication between internal teams and suppliers. Nice to Have: Bachelors degree in Business or related field Required Skills and Experiences: 7+ years of related professional experience. All relevant experience including work, education, transferable skills, and military experience will be considered. Prior experience in health plans, vendor management, sourcing, and contracting. Ability to build relationships, work independently or in a team solve problems, resolve issues, and facilitate consensus. Strong problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, facilitation and consensus building skills. Excellent communication and presentation skills. Experience with diverse audiences. Relationship management skills. Able to influence partners to achieve desired outcomes. Highly organized with a track record of delivering a high level of customer service in a timely manner. Make A Difference Blue Cross is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer that values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other legally protected characteristic. Reasonable Accommodation for Job Seekers with a Disability: If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]. All roles require a high school diploma (or equivalency) and legal authorization to work in the U.S. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus are nonprofit independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer that values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic.