Director of Sourcing

Job title: Director of Sourcing

About the Role The Director of Sourcing provides institutional leadership for the University of Cincinnati's strategic sourcing function, overseeing enterprise-level competitive sourcing, supplier negotiations, and category strategies. The role leads a team of sourcing managers, maintains contract compliance, and drives best value, risk reduction, and strict adherence to Board Rules, state procurement regulations, and federal requirements.

What You'll Do

• Lead the University's strategic sourcing function and manage a team of Strategic Sourcing Managers, including contract-compliance oversight.
• Oversee planning, execution, evaluation, and award decisions for enterprise-level sourcing projects.
• Personally oversee and participate in select high-impact, complex RFPs and RFQs, often partnering with a sourcing manager.
• Develop multi-year sourcing and category strategies that support institutional goals and financial stewardship.
• Serve as escalation point for complex negotiations, supplier issues, and stakeholder challenges.
• Build strong relationships with academic, administrative, facilities, research, and construction units to understand needs and advise on sourcing strategies.
• Manage strategic supplier relationships, monitor supplier performance, and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with University Board Rules, state procurement requirements, federal regulations, and internal policies.
• Oversee spend analysis, identify sourcing opportunities, and support campus adoption of spend management discipline.
• Provide training and guidance on competitive bidding requirements, sourcing practices, negotiations, and documentation standards.
• Recommend improvements to sourcing policies, procedures, and standards.
• Oversee procurement KPI development and tracking; measure and report benefits delivered through strategic sourcing and ongoing contract management activities.
• Perform related duties based on departmental need; this job description may change at any time.

What We're Looking For

• Required Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field.
• Eleven (11) years of relevant education, experience and/or other specialized training to fulfill minimum education and experience requirements.
• Required Experience: Seven (7) years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, contract negotiations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience running formal competitive bidding processes, including complex RFPs.
• Supervisory experience specifically including overseeing daily operational tasks as well as staff capability building.

Nice to Have

• Experience in public sector procurement or higher education.
• Professional certification (CPSM, CPPO, CPPB or similar).
• Experience using eProcurement or sourcing platforms.
• Understanding of federal Uniform Guidance and/or typical sponsored programs procurement procedures.

Compensation & Benefits

• UC offers an exceptional benefits package to support well-being, financial security, and work-life balance. Highlights include:
• Comprehensive Tuition Remission for you and eligible dependents.
• Robust retirement plans with UC contributing 14–18% of salary depending on position.
• Real work-life balance with generous time-off: vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, Winter Season Days, and 6 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
• Additional benefits include competitive salary based on experience.