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University of California Office of the President · 2 weeks ago

SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER, STRATEGIC SOURCING

Oakland, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$140K/yr - $165K/yr

8+ years exp

The University of California Office of the President is a world leader in higher education dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and public service. The Senior Operations Manager, Strategic Sourcing, will lead the operational backbone of UC's systemwide sourcing function, driving consistency, efficiency, and visibility across the system while managing complex sourcing projects and collaborating with stakeholders to optimize procurement processes.

EducationHigher EducationProfessional Services

Responsibilities

20% Project Management: The Senior Operations Manager, Strategic Sourcing, will be part of the UC systemwide procurement team supporting a diverse range of categories across the UC system. The categories will include Life Sciences, Professional Services, Facilities and Maintenance, and IT. In this role, the person will be responsible for leading multiple complex RFP's with support from the project management team, analysts, and e-sourcing specialist. The role will help lead the establishment of timelines, defining requirements, coordinating cross-functional stakeholders, and ensuring all deliverables are completed on schedule. They manage scope, risk, and decision alignment while providing structured communication, issue resolution, and milestone tracking to keep sourcing initiatives on track

20% Operations: The role will oversee the operational rhythm of the RFP lifecycle, standardizing workflows, optimizing processes, and ensuring all sourcing events follow consistent procedures. This includes managing intake, documentation, evaluation logistics, supplier communications, and internal review steps to drive efficiency, accuracy, and repeatable results across the enterprise

20% Compliance: The role ensures all RFP activities adhere to UC policies, audit requirements, and regulatory guidelines by maintaining proper documentation, enforcing governance standards, and monitoring process integrity. They proactively identify compliance gaps, support internal audits, and ensure that ethical sourcing practices and transparent evaluation methods are consistently applied

20% Technology: Optimize the utilization of best-in-class E-Sourcing and Contract Management tools to deliver projects across the UC. Work with procurement technology partners to drive solutions that optimize sourcing technology platforms, ensuring accurate configuration, workflow automation, template management, and data integrity. Responsibilities include leading the use of AI across digital sourcing tools, user training, quality control, governance, and reporting capabilities to improve decision-making and operational visibility

20% Relationship Management: The Senior Operations Manager, Strategic Sourcing, cultivates strong partnerships with campus units, UC Office of the President departments, legal, finance, and other stakeholders to align sourcing strategies with organizational goals. They also manage supplier relationships throughout the RFP process, facilitating clear communication, expectation setting, and collaborative problem-solving to ensure high-quality proposals and outcomes. Conducts themselves with a high degree of emotional intelligence, with experience in building relationships, managing conflict, and influencing without authority

Qualification

Strategic SourcingCategory ManagementProcurement ProcessesNegotiation SkillsSupplier EngagementE-Sourcing ToolsFinancial AnalysisProject ManagementMicrosoft SuiteInterpersonal SkillsWritten CommunicationPresentation Skills

Required

Minimum 8 years Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, or equivalent related experience

Minimum 8 years of experience in strategic sourcing, supply chain management, procurement or related experience. The 8 years includes a minimum of 3 years demonstrated high-level product/service expertise, including leading negotiations for a specific Center of Excellence category. Builds and maintains credibility as an expert within a specific category with key stakeholders

Demonstrated experience working in a collaborative team environment, building consensus, promoting an exchange of information among technical and business collaborators and leading stakeholder teams and multi-party negotiations

Demonstrated knowledge of and experience using various proven negotiation methods, and the ability to critically analyze a negotiation. Excellent experience with cost modeling and related financial analyses

Demonstrated knowledge in the development of opportunity assessments, category profiles, and strategic sourcing plans

Demonstrated ability to lead and advise cross-organization workgroups

Required skills associated with directing a purchasing function, ensuring adherence to purchasing practices and guidelines

Very strong customer service and interpersonal skills and the ability to coordinate work with others, both internally and externally, to accomplish tasks. Demonstrated effective written communication skills; including RFP and contract development, concise business memos presented to executives to make recommendations, and written announcements that will be read by a wide audience. Demonstrated verbal communication skills, including the ability to manage one on one conversations, small team meetings and groups of campus stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to develop visual presentation materials and deliver effective and persuasive presentations of strategies and progress to leadership

Demonstrated experience in use of Microsoft suite of productivity applications with a minimum of 8 years of experience in preparing spreadsheets for analytical purposes, and 5 years developing PowerPoint presentations

Demonstrated ability to analyze problems, identify and consider potential solutions, and make timely recommendations. Works with others to effectively address issues when they occur. Excellent organization skills, including meeting facilitation and decision making

Demonstrated understanding of and ability to comply a complex array of University policies and state and federal laws that govern acquisitions. Knowledge of the specific category field in higher education, including suppliers, distribution models, products, and equipment. Knowledge of business and delivery models including research cores, centralized warehousing, and storehouses

Bachelor's degree in related area

Preferred

Negotiation Training

Certified Professional in Supply Chain Management

Legal Training or Certification

Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit: Benefits of Belonging

Company

University of California Office of the President

Glassdoor3.8

The Office of the President is the system wide headquarters of the University of California, managing its fiscal and business operations, and supporting the academic and research missions across its campuses, labs and medical centers.

Oakland, California, USA

1001-5000 employees