Procurement Practice Specialist (Mandarin)

Primary Skills: Procurement Practice Specialist with Mandarin / Chinese Language

C1 – C2 (Fluent, Near Native)

English Communications should be on a conversational level as hires are also identified to support in the said language.

Job Summary / You Are

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented sourcing professional to deliver sourcing projects within the Source-to-Contract (S2C) lifecycle. You will combine analytical expertise, business judgment, and stakeholder engagement to support project outcomes and drive measurable business value.

In this role, you will leverage deep expertise in to support the design of sourcing strategies, conduct supplier and market analyses, and execute sourcing events that align with client goals for cost, quality, and service. You will also champion the practical application of AI and digital tools to streamline workflows, accelerate execution, and improve accuracy across sourcing activities.

As an emerging advisor, you will collaborate with clients, suppliers, and cross-functional teams, contribute to business development pursuits, and begin building thought leadership content—positioning yourself as both an execution-focused practitioner and a trusted partner in shaping procurement strategies.

Key Responsibilities / The Work

• Execute sourcing initiatives across the S2C lifecycle, including supplier outreach, RFx events, negotiations, award recommendations, and contract execution.

• Develop and support category strategies, roadmaps, and pipelines by leveraging market intelligence, supplier research, and financial/commercial analyses to align with client business goals.

• Perform financial and commercial analyses of supplier proposals and contracts to inform negotiation strategies, optimize outcomes, and provide advisory recommendations.

• Champion the use of AI and digital tools, applying enterprise-approved assistants to streamline workflows, enhance reporting, and accelerate delivery of sourcing outcomes.

• Contribute to market intelligence and thought leadership content, synthesizing cross-client learnings and industry research into actionable insights for both internal teams and external stakeholders.

• Support business development efforts, including contract assessments, due diligence, business case development, and preparation of case studies.

• Mentor peers and junior team members, building capability in sourcing execution, stakeholder engagement, AI literacy, procurement best practices, and expertise.

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in procurement delivery models, sourcing practices, and supplier engagement approaches.

• Willingness to travel up to 50% to multiple customer locations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: 4–6 years of strategic sourcing, category management, and/or consulting experience, with demonstrated expertise in , including engaging with key suppliers, and the flexibility to adapt across multiple spend areas.

• Sourcing & Procurement Expertise: Hands-on experience supporting category strategy development, executing sourcing events, supplier evaluations, and contract negotiations; proven ability to balance execution excellence with emerging advisory responsibilities.

• AI Literacy: Demonstrate the ability to efficiently and responsibly use AI in day to day work, including the following. Please note candidates with Source to Contract experience are welcome, even if they have not used AI tools in your work; candidates without direct experience are expected to have an ability to adopt new methods that imrpove speed, quality and risk management in sourcing and contracting. All candidates should approach AI with curiosity, structured thinking and a willingness to challenge old ways of working.

• Practical, consistent use of enterprise AI assistants to complete core S2C tasks with sound judgment and quality control.

• Ability to translate business goals into clear prompts and iterate quickly to produce accurate, usable outputs.

• Habit of validating AI outputs against source data, policies, and stakeholder guidance.

• Ability to prepare and refine documents for effective AI use (e.g., reformatting tables, flattening tracked changes, converting scans/PDFs, adding headers/context) so assistants can parse them reliably.

• Market & Analytical Skills: Strong numeric and text-based analytical ability; experience conducting financial and commercial analysis of supplier contracts and proposals; ability to translate data into actionable recommendations.

• Leadership & Collaboration: Independent contributor capable of managing own workstreams; experience mentoring peers or junior colleagues in sourcing execution, AI literacy, procurement practices, and expertise.

• Client & Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled at building trust with suppliers and stakeholders; able to tailor communications for executives, functions, and external partners.

• Project Management: Adept at prioritizing and managing multiple projects in dynamic, fast-paced environments; able to operate independently while contributing effectively in shared services and matrixed structures.

• Behaviors: Strong critical thinker and self-starter with the ability to take initiative under high-level direction; adaptable problem-solver with a passion for continuous self-learning and growth.

• Communication & Storytelling: Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to create client-facing deliverables and thought leadership; proven ability to adapt messaging for C-suite executives, functional stakeholders, and suppliers.

• Business Development Orientation: Interest in contributing to business development through contract assessments, due diligence, and case studies; emerging ability to support pursuit teams.

• Tools & Platforms: Proficiency in sourcing/procurement platforms, Microsoft Office Suite, and AI-enabled productivity tools.

• Education: Bachelor's degree required (or equivalent professional experience). Advanced degrees and/or professional certifications (e.g., CPSM, MCIPS) preferred.