Senior Procurement Specialist

Description This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for a Senior Procurement Specialist to join our team in our Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, or San Francsico offices. This position offers the flexibility to be fully remote while working within reasonable commuting distance from any of our offices. The Senior Procurement Specialist is responsible for negotiating new contracts and renewals, building and maintaining vendor relationships, and ensuring efficient procure-to-pay processes. The ideal candidate will be results-focused and detail-oriented with a strong background in procurement process improvement and contracting. This individual must demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively, work as part of a tight-knit team, and manage diverse stakeholders, while juggling multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth and community involvement, and a culture of inclusion. DWT fosters inclusiveness and authenticity. Regardless of position, everyone here has a voice and the support is unparalleled.

On a typical day you will:

Vendor Contract Management:

• Negotiate favorable pricing, terms, and conditions with suppliers, working directly with the firm's legal counsel.
• Participate in legal/vendor negotiations, including the development of contract negotiation strategies.
• Maintain vendor contract files and keep information accessible by documenting purchases, assets, invoices, contracts, and correspondence/email relevant to vendor performance.
• Demonstrate knowledge in technology contract terms and legal issues; familiarity with Knowledge Management and Library/Research areas is a plus.
• Observe a high degree of confidentiality.

Procurement Workflow Management :

• Create and review purchasing documentation for accuracy and compliance prior to execution.
• Field procurement requests through process and workflow alongside fellow Procurement team members.

Strategic Alignment:

• Align department objectives and associated metrics with those of the firm and IT department (including budget, risk, security, and enterprise architecture).
• Demonstrate knowledge of the data sources and analytics to support the development and execution of sourcing strategies.
• Conduct research and oversee other special projects/assignments as requested.
• Demonstrate initiative and a sense of ownership for assigned tasks.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders and vendors.

Advisory Roles:

• Advise on effective IT sourcing and procurement strategy in support of firmwide strategic priorities.
• Advise on IT sourcing frameworks and IT procurement procedures and processes that balance cost, risk, and agility.
• Advise on internal and external policies, standards, and processes for vendor interaction.
• Advise on policy that builds assessment of environmental sustainability performance into sourcing and procurement actions.
• Identify the drivers, shifts, market dynamics, and trends to advise the Firm and IT teams of the most effective sourcing and procurement strategies across all IT categories.
• Participate in the procurement and vendor management aspects of our project lifecycles.
• Discern appropriate levels of risk acceptance.

Skill Development and Evolution:

• Develop and mature key sourcing and procurement competencies, such as business/supplier relationship management, stakeholder collaboration, category and subcategory planning, best practices for negotiation, analytics, project management, finance, and communication.
• Help evolve sourcing and procurement into strategic functions.
• Exhibit strong teamwork, communication, presentation, interpersonal, and customer service skills through the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with attorneys, staff, and professional contacts outside the firm.
• Manage and resolve conflict effectively in complex vendor and internal customer relationship environments, with an eye toward addressing root causes in addition to specific problems.
• Display a superb problem-solving acumen.

Industry Awareness and Cost Optimization:

• Keep abreast of industry trends that impact sourcing strategies.
• Identify cost optimization opportunities across the company/globe and present concise business cases to stakeholders.

Business Understanding and Issue Resolution:

• Engage appropriate stakeholders in the firm to understand business drivers, demand, risk appetite, and environmental factors that influence the development and maintenance of the IT sourcing strategy.
• Provide proactive, high-value procurement and contract negotiation consultation through a thorough understanding of the firm's strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate keen knowledge of financial analysis and management.
• Serve as a point of escalation for vendor issues and disputes and drive those issues to resolution.

Join us if you have:

• 5+ years of experience in procurement, contracting, stakeholder and supplier management, and process improvement.
• Demonstrated proficiency in reviewing, understanding, drafting, negotiating, and managing contracts.
• Previous experience in a law firm or professional services organization (ideally supporting a multi-office environment) required.
• Previous experience working as part of a negotiating team on Enterprise Agreements required.
• Previous experience acting as lead negotiator on medium complexity contracts (multi-year agreements with unique terms and proofs of concept) required.
• Working knowledge of a wide range of common law firm software applications strongly preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a fully remote position (but be available to visit the Seattle office when called upon) required.
• Self-starter attitude with a high sense of urgency and a 'How can I help?' attitude required.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Teams, SharePoint, Forms, PowerPoint, and Visio) required.
• Demonstrated aptitude for learning new computer applications and contributing to the improvement of the procurement process.

Who We Are Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with 11 offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client's and each lawyer's work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them. What's in it For You? DWT offers competitive compensation in addition to ample benefits including but not limited to:

• Choice of health and vision insurance plans
• 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work
• Dental plan
• Fertility and adoption benefit
• Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service
• Tuition reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Retirement contribution

This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. Washington State The annualized salary range for this position in Washington is $97,000 to $108,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on the candidate's education, training, experience and other job-related factors permitted by law. Full time employees may be eligible for a bonus, health insurance with an optional HSA, long term disability, dental insurance, vision care, telemedicine and virtual short term solution based counseling services, life insurance, Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, subsidized backup care and caregiving resources, 401(k), vacation, sick time, 11 paid holidays each year and an employee assistance program. For full-time employees, the initial vacation benefit is 15 days per year and 11 days of sick leave per year, accrued bi-weekly. Additional voluntary programs include: voluntary accident insurance, voluntary life, voluntary disability, voluntary long term care, and pet insurance. Commuter and Transit programs are also available. California The annualized salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $91,000 to $102,000; and in San Francisco is $106,000 to $118,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law. Full time employees may be eligible for a bonus, health insurance with an optional HSA, long term disability, dental insurance, vision care, telemedicine and virtual short term solution based counseling services, life insurance, Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, subsidized backup care and caregiving resources, 401(k), vacation, sick time, and an employee assistance program. Additional voluntary programs include: voluntary accident insurance, voluntary life, voluntary disability, voluntary long term care, and pet insurance. Commuter and Transit programs are also available.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of the fabric of Davis Wright Tremaine - central to who we are and what we do. Our vision is to foster a culture where all talented individuals - including those who are from traditionally underrepresented communities in the legal profession - can have, and can see, a path to success. We embed DEI throughout our law firm with our four-pillar framework: Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement. We invite you to learn more about our commitment to DEI at
Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email . #LI-BR1