Procurement Lead

Who We Are HMH is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K-12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions, and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students' potential and extend teachers' capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 4 million educators in 150 countries. For more information, visit HMH is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators, and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K-12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students' potential and extend teachers' capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 4 million educators in 150 countries. What You'll Do Working in the Indirect Procurement team, the Indirect Procurement Lead will support sourcing, contracting, purchasing operations, supplier coordination, and process improvement across assigned categories and business functions. This role serves as a trusted point of contact for internal stakeholders and suppliers, helping move requests from intake through execution while maintaining strong controls, clear communication, and a positive customer experience. The ideal candidate is collaborative, solutions-oriented, and comfortable working through change. Success in this role requires someone who builds strong relationships, approaches challenges with curiosity and sound judgment, and looks for practical ways to simplify work, strengthen processes, and help the team operate more effectively. Sourcing, Contracting, and Stakeholder Support Manage assigned sourcing activities and supplier renewals, including requirements gathering, market research, competitive bids, proposal analysis, negotiations, recommendations, approvals, and contract execution. Partner with business owners to clarify needs, timelines, budget ownership, and decision criteria before engaging suppliers. Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Information Security, Technology, Accounts Payable, and other process partners to support timely and compliant outcomes. Build productive relationships with stakeholders and suppliers through responsive service, clear expectations, and proactive status updates. Identify commercial risks, savings opportunities, contract consolidation opportunities, and supplier diversity opportunities; escalation issues when appropriate. Procurement Operations and Governance Maintain accurate sourcing, contract, renewal, supplier, and project information in applicable procurement systems and trackers. Monitor contract expirations and engage stakeholders early enough to support informed renewal, competitive sourcing, or exit decisions. Help ensure procurement activities follow established policies, approval authorities, business controls, and standard procedures. Contribute to meaningful reporting, metrics, and project updates that provide visibility into workload, risk, savings, and operational performance. Change and Continuous Improvement Document current-state processes, identify pain points and root causes, and recommend practical improvements that reduce manual effort, delays, and rework. Support implementation of new processes, tools, templates, and ways of working; help stakeholders understand what is changing, why it matters, and what action is required. Partner with teammates to standardize processes and documentation, share knowledge, and cross-train backups to reduce single points of failure. Use data, stakeholder feedback, and lessons learned to improve procurement service delivery and the stakeholder experience. Remain flexible as priorities evolve and contribute constructively during periods of organizational or process change. What You'll Need Bachelor's degree in Business, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. 3-5 years of relevant experience in procurement, sourcing, contracting, purchasing operations, supplier management, or a related business function. Working knowledge of procurement processes, competitive sourcing, negotiations, purchase orders, contract terms, and supplier lifecycle activities. Demonstrated experience supporting change, continuous improvement, process documentation, or implementation of new tools and ways of working. Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills, with close attention to detail. Ability to manage multiple priorities and workflows in a fast-paced environment while meeting commitments and communicating tradeoffs early. Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor information for different audiences. Ability to build cooperative relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and cross-functional partners at varying levels of the organization. A collaborative and service-oriented approach, with demonstrated adaptability, personal accountability, sound judgment, and openness to feedback. Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to learn procurement, contract management, e-signature, intake, and reporting platforms. Preferred but not necessary Experience supporting indirect procurement categories such as technology, professional services, finance, sales, marketing, facilities, travel, or other corporate services. Experience with procurement intake, source-to-pay, contract lifecycle management, e-signature, ERP, or service management platforms. Experience developing process maps, standard operating procedures, templates, dashboards, or training materials. Experience using or evaluating AI-enabled tools and automation solutions to improve efficiency, decision-making, stakeholder experience, and business processes. Project management, change management, Lean, Six Sigma, or procurement certification. How We Work (Competencies) Nimble Learning Drives Results Physical Requirements May remain in a stationary position for a considerable time while sitting and/or standing. Frequently operates a computer and other office productivity tools. Must be able to collaborate with colleagues through in-person meetings, conference calls, and online meetings. Salary Range $ 80,000-$85,000 The Information Technology organization is transforming to realize our mission: Become a leader in HMH's digital transformation, and as a strategic partner, innovate and deliver highest value, competitive advantage solutions across all corporate and business functions. Our ambition is to be a digital leader through innovation and develop and deliver leading edge technology such as robotic process automation and artificial intelligence to solve some of HMH's greatest operational business challenges. Our professionals will have business relevant skills to connect our HMH partners to technologies that propel the businesses to deliver the greatest value for HMH and our customers. We are building a team of IT professionals with an insatiable appetite to learn, a relentless focus on customer service, a technological curiosity toward future possibilities, and a creativity in solving business challenges with leading technologies. Our team will find ways to work together, create a sense of community where it's safe to take risks and learn together, develop our careers, and all have an opportunity to work on new technologies. We will work together, learn together and have fun together. As a team, we will lead HMH's digital transformation. #J-18808-Ljbffr Houghton Mifflin Harcourt