IT Procurement Analyst

Procurement Analyst (IT Strategy & Projects)

Location: Phoenix, AZ, 85007 (Hybrid) (On-site training 3-4 weeks; 4 days/week remote)

12 Months

W2 Contract

Job Description:

Role Overview:

We are seeking a high-caliber Procurement Analyst to lead the end-to-end acquisition of high-complexity IT projects. This is a project-based role requiring a blend of sophisticated procurement strategy, technical project management, and deep expertise in software ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing: Lead the evaluation and selection of vendors for complex IT initiatives, including Cloud Infrastructure, SaaS, Data Center Hardware, and Managed Services.

Project Leadership: Act as the procurement lead on agency-wide technical projects, ensuring timelines, research, and stakeholder requirements are met with precision.

Document Lifecycle: Direct the RFI, RFQ, and RFP processes for high-stakes contracts, providing data-driven recommendations to executive leadership.

Contract Negotiation: Leverage market research and financial principles to negotiate pricing, service levels, and favorable terms for the State.

Technical Expertise Required

Licensing & Entitlements: Advanced understanding of software licensing models, user entitlements, and usage restrictions to prevent compliance risks and optimize spend.

IT Ecosystems: Deep knowledge of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Cloud deployments, and emerging technologies.

Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple complex procurement workstreams simultaneously under general supervision.

Regulatory Compliance: Ability to apply broad theoretical knowledge to navigate statewide procurement rules and financial regulations.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a self-starter who can influence stakeholders through data and policy expertise. You don’t just buy software; you understand the technical fine print and the long-term financial impact of the contracts you negotiate.

Required Skills

IT Asset Lifecycle & Licensing Expertise: Deep functional knowledge of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS licensing models. You must understand the difference between per-user, per-core, and consumption-based entitlements to prevent overspending and audit risks.

Strategic Negotiation: Proven ability to negotiate high-value contracts. This isn't just about price; it’s about negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs), data sovereignty clauses, and renewal caps.

Technical Project Management: Ability to manage a procurement pipeline as a project. This includes setting milestones, managing stakeholders across departments, and ensuring the procurement timeline aligns with the technical rollout.

Complex RFP/RFQ Development: Experience drafting and scoring complex solicitations for enterprise-level IT services, ensuring that the "Statement of Work" (SOW) is technically sound and legally enforceable.

Financial & Data Literacy: Ability to conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) analyses to justify multi-year technology investments to executive leadership.

Preferred skills :

Cloud Governance Knowledge: Experience specifically with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud commitment models (like Savings Plans or Reserved Instances) and how they impact state budgeting.

State/Public Sector Experience: Prior experience navigating the specific "Red Tape" of government procurement codes, which are often more rigid than private sector purchasing.

SLA & Performance Metric Design : Proven ability to draft custom Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with enforceable financial penalties for downtime, lag, or poor implementation performance.

Benchmarking & Market Intelligence: Experience using tools (like Gartner, Forrester, or specialized IT price benchmarking software) to verify if a vendor’s quote aligns with current market "best-in-class" pricing.

License Optimization & Audit Defense : Experience in performing "Internal Audits" of software usage to identify underutilized licenses (shelfware) and defending the organization during formal vendor audits (e.g., Oracle or Microsoft audits).

Required Skills

IT Asset Lifecycle & Licensing Expertise.

Negotiation Experience

Complex RFP/RFQ Development:

Financial & Data Literacy: Ability to conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) analyses to justify multi-year technology investments to executive leadership.