Job Description

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

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 San Diego, San Mateo or Dallas, 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

Compensation range for San Mateo is $192 - 288K

For San Diego and Dallas, please refer to the range listed below

Director of Indirect Procurement (R4993) - Shield AI

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