Procurement Operations Lead

About the Operational Finance Team

The Operational Finance Team is responsible for a variety of tasks that are instrumental in keeping the business running on a day-to-day basis. There are four teams within the Operational Finance Function each serve a specific purpose to the company: Accounting and Accounts Payable - Accurately records all vendor related transactions and keeps our vendors paid, Billing Team - provisions all customers access to mixpanel and ensure proper revenue recognition, Collection Team - records all customer payments and ensures we get paid on time, Payroll - prepares payrolls for all employees world wide. The team is split between the Bay Area, London, Bangalore and Barcelona.

About the Role

The Procurement Operations Lead will lead the procurement program at Mixpanel. They will manage a team of two, and will be responsible for organizational spend, maximizing vendor value, optimizing procurement processes, minimizing risk, and assisting business partners throughout the organization with the procurement of third-party tools and services.

This role requires a breadth of experience and both strategic and operational skills, along with proven people-management capability. A successful candidate will enjoy building and developing a team while using their skillset to streamline operations, enhance processes, and continuously support and educate others to develop a world-class procurement program. 

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a team of two, coaching them through skill-building, career growth, and day-to-day performance while fostering a culture of shared ownership and high standards.
• Lead execution of complex procurement projects across functions, setting clear priorities and anticipating challenges before they become blockers.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with key internal teams such as FP&A, Security, IT and Legal on purchasing processes and improvements, building productive relationships with adjacent teams and resolving misalignments directly.
• Build strategic relationships with key vendors and technology partners in order to leverage strategic discounts and maximize value.
• Promote a culture of innovation on the team by identifying opportunities to improve outcomes through better processes and targeted use of AI and emerging tools, and lead initiatives to implement procurement process improvements.
• Provide procurement process training for Mixpanel employees involved with procurement of products and services.
• Shape and communicate a compelling vision for the procurement team that contributes to Operational Finance goals, anticipating team-level needs and emerging trends, and clearly communicating the rationale behind key decisions.

We're Looking For Someone Who Has

• 5+ years of work experience as a Procurement Specialist or Procurement Manager, including experience managing or directly leading others.
• Extensive experience working for SaaS companies and working with vendors.
• Experience with Procurement improvement initiatives.
• Understanding of market dynamics and sound business judgment.
• Experience with managing and mitigating risks.
• Strong data management and analytics skills - you have the ability to gather, clean and interpret data.
• Ability to negotiate and sustain networking relationships both internally and externally.
• Effective communicator as you will need to collaborate with all functions of the business and guide a team through change with clarity and empathy.
• A track record of coaching and developing team members, managing performance, and building a respectful, high-performing team environment.
• Adaptability — you understand that change is constant, and you embrace it, and can help your team navigate ambiguity and shifting priorities with confidence.
• Agility and resilience — you move quickly and encourage continued improvement.
• Strong work ethic, desire to learn, and a drive to excel.
• Professional polish - accustomed to and comfortable with presenting to the C suite without extensive coaching and prep (internally and externally).

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