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 experienced Sourcing and Vendor Management professional to join our team supporting IT, Data, and Analytics business areas. 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 IT, Data, and Analytics 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 to stay informed about industry trends and standard processes. Collaborate with internal partners to understand their requirements and provide procurement support. Contracting: Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, purchase orders, and SLA"s with suppliers. Ensure that contract terms and conditions are favorable and aligned with organizational goals. Mitigate contractual risks and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Negotiations: Lead discussions with IT, Data, and Analytics suppliers to secure favorable pricing, terms, and conditions. Collaborate with partners to understand their needs and align outcomes with organizational objectives. Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams such as operations, finance, compliance, security and legal to ensure flawless procurement processes. Collaborate with internal partners to develop and implement procurement strategies that align with business objectives. Facilitate effective communication and collaboration between internal teams and external suppliers. Vendor Management: Build positive relationships with vendors, monitoring their performance, and finding opportunities for improvement and cost reduction. Collaboration with business partners to ensure service level agreements (SLAs) and expectations are met. Educate partners ensuring understanding of contractual requirements, and establishing vendor scorecards for performance monitoring. Conduct business reviews to discuss performance, compliance, and improvement plans. Provide support for problem resolution with vendors, and develop strategies for addressing poor vendor performance. Nice to Have: Bachelor's degree in Business or related field Contract management and negotiations experience in the IT, Data, and Analytics business segments. Required Skills and Experiences: 5+ years of related professional experience. All relevant experience including work, education, transferable skills, and military experience will be considered. Prior experience related to health plans, vendor management, sourcing, and contracting activities. Ability to work independently or on a team. Strong problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, facilitation and consensus building skills. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including presentations. Demonstrated experience communicating with diverse internal and external audiences. Relationship management skills with internal and external partners. Able to influence internal and external partners to achieve desired outcomes. Highly organized with a track record of delivering a high lev l 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.