Senior Procurement Specialist

Company: Wikimedia Foundation
Location: Remote (West Coast U.S. preferred)

The Wikimedia Foundation is seeking a Senior Procurement Specialist to enhance its global procurement operations, strategic sourcing, vendor management, and contract drafting. This role is crucial for supporting source-to-pay activities, including vendor sourcing, onboarding, contract management, purchase order processing, and invoice resolution.

This position offers a broad scope, combining daily procurement tasks with strategic initiatives like competitive sourcing, contract negotiations, vendor spend optimization, and process improvements. The goal is to build a responsive, scalable, and effective procurement function that delivers significant value to the organization.

Core Responsibilities

Manage the full procure-to-pay and source-to-pay lifecycle, including contract and SOW review, vendor onboarding, and purchase order management.
Collaborate with departments to understand and define purchasing needs, providing expert guidance.
Support and lead competitive sourcing events (RFPs, RFQs, RFIs) and vendor proposal evaluations.
Draft and negotiate contracts, including terms, pricing, payment schedules, and scopes of work, in partnership with Legal and business stakeholders.
Identify opportunities for cost savings and value enhancement through competitive sourcing, negotiation, and spend analysis.
Create and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders, monitoring open commitments.
Address procurement inquiries and provide timely support to internal stakeholders and vendors.
Monitor procurement workflows and service levels, proactively resolving bottlenecks and escalations.
Partner with Accounts Payable and business owners to resolve PO-related invoice holds.
Contribute to vendor management initiatives, focusing on performance, spend optimization, supplier diversity, and AI technology.
Maintain procurement data, documentation, and catalogs to ensure efficient operations and strong internal controls.
Drive improvements in procurement processes, systems, workflows, documentation, and automation.
Collaborate with Finance & Administration, Legal, and other departments on month-end closing, organizational initiatives, and evolving procurement needs.
Undertake ad-hoc and adjacent procurement projects as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in procurement, sourcing, and contract drafting (SOWs, MSAs, etc.).
Proven experience managing procurement activities across the procure-to-pay and/or source-to-pay lifecycle.
Experience supporting or leading competitive sourcing activities (RFPs, RFQs, vendor evaluations).
Demonstrated experience negotiating vendor pricing and commercial terms.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Proficiency with procurement business platforms and ERP systems; experience with Coupa and Sage Intacct is a plus.

Desired Qualities

Service-oriented and responsive, with a strong commitment to supporting internal stakeholders.
Proactive problem solver adept at identifying and resolving issues.
Excellent communication skills, effective with stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, global environment.
Comfortable working independently and collaboratively within a team.
High attention to detail and commitment to accurate, controlled processes.
Skillful in navigating differing stakeholder priorities and building cross-functional relationships.
Ability to thrive in an open, transparent, and collaborative work environment.
Aptitude for working effectively with individuals from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds.

Core Competencies

Procurement operations, source-to-pay, and contracting expertise.
Strategic sourcing and competitive bidding.
Vendor negotiation and commercial acumen.
Stakeholder partnership and customer service.
Process improvement and operational efficiency.
Strong internal controls mindset.
Organization, prioritization, and follow-through.
Delivering value through cost reduction, total cost of ownership optimization, and risk mitigation.

Senior Procurement Specialist - Wikimedia Foundation