Director of Indirect Procurement (R4993)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit [<www.shield.ai>](https://shield.ai/). Follow Shield AI on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai), [X](https://x.com/shieldaitech), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI).

### Job Description

The Director of Indirect Procurement is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and executing the enterprise-wide strategy for indirect spend categories, including IT, software, professional services, facilities, travel, marketing, and other non-production goods and services. This role provides strategic direction, governance, and oversight to ensure cost optimization, risk mitigation, supplier performance excellence, and alignment with corporate objectives.

As a key business partner, the Director collaborates closely with executive leadership, Finance, Legal, IT, and functional leaders to influence decision-making, drive value creation, and continuously mature procurement capabilities across the organization.

This is a hybrid position sitting in our Dallas, (Frisco) TX office. We do not offer remote for this position.

### What you'll do

**Strategic Sourcing & Category Leadership**

• Own and lead the enterprise indirect procurement strategy, aligning category roadmaps with business priorities and long-term growth plans
• Provide executive oversight for complex, high-value sourcing initiatives across all indirect spend categories
• Establish and govern category strategies, including demand management, supplier consolidation, and innovation partnerships
• Sponsor and oversee RFx processes (RFI, RFP, RFQ) for mission-critical goods and services
• Lead or approve negotiations for major contracts, including pricing models, SLAs, risk allocation, and long-term agreements
• Drive enterprise-level cost savings, cost avoidance, and value realization initiatives

**Supplier & Contract Governance**

• Set the strategic framework for supplier relationship management, performance management, and risk mitigation
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key strategic suppliers
• Partner with Legal and Compliance to oversee contract standards, negotiation strategy, and approval authority
• Ensure governance over contract lifecycle management, renewals, and commercial obligations
• Resolve escalated supplier issues and lead remediation or exit strategies as needed

**Executive Stakeholder Partnership**

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and executives across the organization
• Translate business strategy into procurement-led solutions that balance cost, risk, speed, and innovation
• Influence stakeholders on sourcing decisions, demand planning, and total cost of ownership considerations
• Champion procurement best practices, governance, and policy adherence at the leadership level

**Procurement Operations & Organizational Leadership**

• Provide leadership and direction to indirect procurement teams, including coaching, performance management, and capability development
• Establish scalable procurement operating models, policies, and approval frameworks
• Oversee procurement execution, including requisitions, purchase orders, vendor onboarding, and invoice resolution
• Ensure robust documentation, audit readiness, and process discipline across procurement operations

**Compliance, Risk & Ethics**

• Ensure enterprise compliance with procurement policies, approval authorities, and internal controls
• Provide oversight for SOX, FAR/DFARS, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance as applicable
• Lead supplier risk management efforts, including financial, operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory risk
• Promote ethical sourcing, sustainability, and supplier diversity initiatives aligned with corporate values

**Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement**

• Define and monitor KPIs for spend visibility, savings, supplier performance, and risk
• Present procurement performance and insights to executive leadership
• Sponsor enhancements to procurement systems and tools (ERP, P2P, contract lifecycle management)
• Lead continuous improvement, automation, and digital transformation initiatives across procurement
• Contribute to enterprise governance, policy development, and long-range procurement planning

### Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred)
• 10+ years of progressive experience in indirect procurement, strategic sourcing, or supply chain leadership
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-level indirect spend categories (IT, software, professional services, facilities, etc.)
• Proven track record of developing and executing procurement strategies at scale
• Executive-level negotiation and contract management expertise
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, compliance, and risk management frameworks
• Experience with ERP and P2P platforms (SAP, Oracle, Workday, Coupa, Ariba, or similar)
• Advanced financial acumen, data analysis, and spend analytics capabilities
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder influence skills
• Demonstrated people leadership and organizational change management experience