Mayer Brown · 1 day ago
Director: Procurement
US-IL-Chicago
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$195K/yr - $281K/yr
12+ years expMayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. The Director of Procurement provides strategic leadership for the Firm’s global procurement and sourcing function, aiming to deliver measurable commercial value and operational efficiency while collaborating closely with leadership across the firm.
AdviceConsultingLegal
Responsibilities
Leads the development and transformation of a Firm-wide procurement and strategic sourcing strategy that aligns with financial, operational, and risk priorities
Partners with Firm leadership to ensure procurement contributes directly to margin improvement, cost discipline, and operational resilience
Establishes category ownership model with dedicated strategies for high-value/high-complexity categories
Implements triage criteria, self-service models, and process improvements that balance control with user experience
Builds preferred supplier programs and framework agreements that deliver recurring cost reduction through volume consolidation and strategic partnerships
Implements spend analytics and demand management capabilities to identify and eliminate low-value, unnecessary, or excessive spending across all categories
Implements strong policies, defined roles, and approval processes to enable consistent prioritization of procurement activities
Coordinates sourcing and procurement efforts across countries, offices, practices, and administrative functions to maximize total Firm buying power
Establishes global category strategies that deliver multi-year savings, mitigate risk, and capture economies of scale
Identifies, prioritizes, and executes opportunities to reduce Firm spend across major categories (technology, facilities, professional services, travel, subscriptions, office products, etc.)
Works with stakeholders to eliminate low-value and unnecessary spend and redesign processes that drive cost leakage
Uses data and analytics to track savings, validate impact, and publish commercial performance metrics
Serves as the Firm’s lead negotiator for enterprise-level contracts; strengthens supplier performance, commercial terms, and service delivery
Builds a supplier relationship management (SRM) framework that drives innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement
Develops, implements, and enforces Firm-wide contracting standards, playbooks, and lifecycle management
Partners with Finance, Risk, IT, and Legal to ensure commercial compliance, performance transparency, and contractual risk mitigation
Introduces automation and AI solutions that streamline the procure-to-pay lifecycle, improve visibility into global spend, and reduce manual effort
Leads the selection and implementation of procurement technologies that elevate operational efficiency and reduce cycle-time
Creates a robust reporting structure, dashboards, and performance measurement tools that quantify procurement’s commercial impact
Provides monthly executive-level summaries of commercial performance, risks, and value pipeline
Recruits, develops, and mentors procurement professionals to enhance commercial capability and business partnering skills
Sets clear goals, evaluates performance, and fosters a culture of analytical rigor, negotiation excellence, and commercial thinking
Supports continuous improvement initiatives, organizational change, and Firm-wide operational priorities
Performs other duties as required to meet Firm strategic and financial
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree required in Supply Chain Management, Business or Finance
A minimum of twelve years of progressive purchasing and sourcing management experience in a corporate or consulting environment; senior or executive management level experience preferred
Demonstrated success leading procurement transformation initiatives in complex, matrixed professional services organisations (law firms, consulting firms, accounting firms preferred)
Track record of implementing triage criteria, self-service models, and process improvements that balance control with user experience
Experience managing stakeholder expectations, communicating priorities transparently, and building trust across geographically dispersed teams
Skilled at developing training programmes, playbooks, and communication strategies that drive adoption of new procurement processes and technologies
Proficiency in Microsoft Office products
Demonstrated ability to deliver bottom-line savings, cost avoidance, and value creation through strategic sourcing and negotiation
Strong commercial instincts with a deep understanding of pricing models, cost structures, contractual risk, and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Sophisticated negotiation skills with proven success managing high-value supplier relationships and complex contracts
Expertise in spend analytics, demand management, and modeling the financial impact of sourcing decisions
Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence stakeholders, drive consensus, and lead Firm-wide initiatives
Strategic thinker capable of designing systems, frameworks, and processes that scale globally
Strong understanding of procurement and supplier technologies and the ability to translate them into commercial outcomes
Ability to influence and gain buy-in from senior partners, practice leaders, and business services leaders
Preferred
Graduate degree in business (MBA) or equivalent work-related experience preferred not required
Professional designation as a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) and membership in the National Association preferred not required
Purchasing Managers is highly desirable not required
Benefits
Medical/dental/vision/life/and AD&D insurance
401(k) savings plan
Back-up childcare and eldercare
Generous paid time off (PTO)
Opportunities for professional development and growth
Company
Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown is a leading global law firm with offices in key business centers across the Americas, Asia and Europe.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Mayer Brown has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (16)
2024 (24)
2023 (13)
2022 (10)
2021 (9)
2020 (15)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Blaise Latella
Partner
Jean-Philippe Montfort
Partner
Recent News
globallegalchronicle.com
2025-11-07
2025-11-06
Company data provided by crunchbase