Director of Procurement

About the Role

As the Director of Procurement at Chainguard, you will be instrumental in shaping our sourcing, purchasing, and vendor strategies across the company. This is an exciting opportunity to optimize cost/value, mitigate risks, and drive supplier innovation in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement procurement strategy aligned with corporate goals, covering hardware, software, cloud services, professional services, and indirect/direct materials.
• Lead sourcing and contracting activities, including vendor identification, RFPs, negotiation of terms, contract execution, and supplier onboarding.
• Manage supplier relationships and performance by monitoring KPIs, driving continuous improvement, ensuring contractual compliance, and managing risks (security, compliance, supply continuity).
• Partner with finance and operations to manage the procurement budget, lead cost-saving initiatives, and mitigate risks such as vendor concentration and supply chain disruptions.
• Establish procurement policies, procedures, and a governance framework, including purchasing thresholds, vendor classification, category management, and ethical sourcing.
• Build and lead the procurement team, defining structure, recruiting, mentoring category leads/buyers, setting goals, and growing capabilities in strategic sourcing and vendor management.
• Implement procurement systems, tools, and processes, such as e-sourcing platforms, analytics/reporting dashboards, and supplier performance metrics.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product/engineering on hardware/software sourcing, with IT/security on vendor risk, and with operations/finance on material/services spend analysis.
• Monitor market and supplier trends to manage supply-chain risk, evaluate opportunities for supplier consolidation, alternative sourcing, and cost optimization.
• Oversee the entire purchasing lifecycle from requisition to supplier payment, ensuring process efficiency and internal stakeholder satisfaction.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• Approximately 10+ years of progressive procurement/supply chain experience, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role managing category or global procurement teams.
• Proven track record of building and executing procurement strategy, managing complex sourcing efforts, negotiating large vendor contracts, and driving cost/value improvements.
• Strong business partnering and influencing skills, capable of engaging senior leadership and non-procurement stakeholders to translate procurement insights into business value.
• Excellent negotiation, contract management, supplier management, and risk-management skills.
• Familiarity with procurement systems/tools, analytics/reporting, and category management.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth environment with multiple stakeholders and changing priorities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and leadership skills.
• Experience in technology, SaaS, cloud services, cybersecurity, or open-source software companies.
• Experience managing global/multi-regional suppliers and complex indirect/spend categories (e.g., software, cloud, professional services).
• Experience with vendor risk management, security, and compliance.

Nice-to-Haves

• MBA or relevant advanced degree.
• Certifications such as CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), or equivalent.
• Experience with procurement digital transformation (e-sourcing, analytics, automation).