Director, Strategic Sourcing Indirect

Position Summary

The Director, Strategic Sourcing Indirect will lead sourcing strategy, supplier management, and commercial execution across Software, IT, Professional Services, Marketing and Travel covering approx. $400M of spend and supporting R&D, manufacturing, and commercial functions. This role is responsible for managing a team of sourcing professionals and leaders and serving as the Business Partner for the IT organization to enable compliant, scalable, and cost-effective procurement of Software licenses, IT services, Infrastructure, and Cloud technologies.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing sourcing team and leaders supporting Indirect categories
• Set strategic direction, performance goals, and talent development plans
• Ensure diversity of thought and inclusive teamwork with a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Category Strategy

• Develop and execute world-class sourcing strategies built on rigorous facts, data, and analysis to create value across all dimensions (financial, risk, quality, supply, reputation)
• Deliver financial, quality, supply, and risk-mitigation goals. Ensure savings reported are credible and compliant with the approved methodology
• Category and subject matter expertise in Software licensing (SaaS, enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle, etc.) and IT infrastructure, cloud (AWS/Azure) and digital services is preferred

Supplier & Contract Management

• Oversee strategic vendor relationships to maximize value and minimize risks for Illumina, leveraging the Illumina Supplier Relationship framework
• Lead complex negotiations including but not limited to: Master Service Agreements, Statement of work, Consulting agreements and policies, Application managed services agreements including SLA frameworks
• Establish supplier governance frameworks, including performance metrics, innovation reviews, and risk assessments
• Oversee contract lifecycle, ensuring compliance with regulatory and quality standards

Stakeholder Engagement/Business Partnering

• Provide thought leadership on vendor market capabilities (innovation, efficiency, etc.) and identify clear limits on supplier capabilities. Expertly balance cost optimization, execution speed and quality required to meet dynamic project timelines and business outcome
• Promote consistent use of agreed sourcing tools, frameworks, and methodologies. Act as a proactive and collaborative partner skillfully navigating both internal and external organizational dynamics
• Translate complex scientific and technical requirements into sourcing strategies and commercial models. Demonstrate exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to clearly translate technical concepts across IT, Legal, and executive leadership

Requirements

• Must have experience managing suppliers and outsourced development partners
• Strong experience in IT Sourcing, Professional Services, Marketing and Travel
• Strategic thinker: anticipates and develops business opportunities and priorities for future action while also executing on concrete business objectives
• Customer focused, very responsive, and action oriented to meet business needs while maintaining a positive, professional outlook
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time; both domestic and international
• Strong analytical skills that allow the successful candidate to extract core data from a variety of sources, draw conclusions and insights, and translate those insights into actions
• Ability to deal effectively with pressure, multiple tasks, deadlines, and rapidly changing priorities
• Aptitude to multi-task and lead projects / negotiations
• Ability to work and interact with all departments within Illumina
• Willingness to challenge the status quo with sound rationale
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Office (Project, Word, Excel, Outlook, Access)

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, IT, Life Sciences, or related field
• 10-12+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supplier management
• Proven experience sourcing IT/software and managing complex supplier ecosystems
• Experience negotiating complex, IT, consulting and marketing contracts
• 5-7+ years of people leadership experience

Preferred

• Experience in the Life Sciences sector (pharma, biotech, medtech)
• Knowledge of regulated industry requirements
• Exposure to AI/ML, data platforms, or digital health technologies
• Advanced degree (MBA, MS)