Job Description

The Financial technology space "Fintech" is booming and Guaranteed Rate is at the center of it. We are growing like crazy, and are one of the most successful Chicago startups. We are focused on automating the mortgage process for consumers. Imagine getting a mortgage with no email, no faxing, no stack of papers in 10 days or less instead of 40 or more! If you have been through the process of buying a home you know how amazing this will be. We are the #5 lender in the country and one of only 2 that is independent (not a bank) so we are in a good spot to win this race. We have already made tremendous strides and we are looking for someone who wants to help us finish the job and disrupt the entire industry.

Who is GR?

Guaranteed Rate is not your typical company and certainly not your typical mortgage company. We are technology driven, have tons of energy and we love what we do – great people and great products alongside our impeccable customer service (83 NPS, unheard of!). We’re in a River North office with exposed brick and duct work, windows we can actually open during the summer. The awesomeness doesn’t end there, we also have:

• Holiday parties? We got’em! Not just major holidays, any holiday….Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Opening Day, Boxing Day (for our Canadian employee), Sweetest Day, Groundhog Day, etc..
• Game room, library and white board paint for collaboration – yeah, it’s awesome.
• Access to our free GR nurse practitioner. Psshh who needs a doctor’s appointment when our nurse can do it all? Did we mention the free part?
• 401k with some matching, Blue Cross health care coverage – yup, dental and vision too, short-term disability, life insurance – we got ya covered on this one, legal assistance – for a small monthly fee.
• Oh and did we mention you get a big fat employee discount on the origination fees to get a new mortgage or refinance thru Guaranteed Rate?

So what do we want from you?

Responsibilities

• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders to support and/or identify opportunities for negotiated cost savings business impact.
• Work with legal, security, and IT teams to negotiate favorable contracts, mitigating risk, while ensuring terms meet all laws, regulations, and Adecco standards.
• Apply advanced sourcing methodologies to develop negotiating strategies that enable effective negotiations, vendor management and process improvement.
• Conduct in-depth analysis on pricing, vendor stability, and proposals to ensure a fair, ethical, and level playing field.
• Conduct in-depth internal spend analyses and competitive market trend analyses to spot opportunities.
• Maintain knowledge of current IT trends, vendor capabilities and changes within the technology landscape for traditional and emerging solutions.
• Lead the development of contract language, methods of award, vendor qualifying criteria, contract modifications, and recommendations for contract awards.
• Prepare negotiation strategies and leads negotiation teams to obtain the best pricing and payment terms;
• Develops, analyzes, and negotiates contracts, supplemental agreements, modifications, and prices for multi-tiered and inter-departmental contracts

Requirements

• Proactively and consistently generates and leads the implementation of ideas that impact business capabilities.
• Provides area of focus guidance/coaching/mentoring at organizational level.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve organizational goals.
• Provides technical coaching and guidance to IT organization, team and business.
• Negotiations skills
• Knowledge of Procurement and IT terminology is a must
• Knowledge of IT hardware, software procurement
• Good project management skills / exposure;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills both verbally and in writing to various levels within the organization.
• Experience reviewing and awarding enterprise level contracts.
• Ability to understand how contracts are impacted by later audits and put organization in position handle audits.
• Strong understanding of Legal contract review process
• Ability to multitask with strong prioritization, planning and organizational skills.
• Solid experience with ERP, Finance, Contracting systems such as Dynamics AX, SAP or Oracle, Apttus
• Knowledge of Procurement, Accounts Payable and Contracting systems principles and processes.

Requires or Preferred Education

• Have 5-8 years of procurement experience preparing and/or reviewing solicitations, market research, and contract negotiations utilizing strategic procurement methods.
• Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM);
• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO).
• Bachelor's degree preferable in contract management, procurement or business.
• Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the possession, and direct application, of the essential job functions.