Head of Procurement

Summary

Join KCE as the Head of Procurement Department, a hybrid individual contributor/manager role leading all procurement activities for battery energy storage systems (BESS). You will report to the EVP, Commercial & Technology and be responsible for setting procurement strategies, managing a team of procurement professionals, and project managing multi-departmental teams. This position requires strong leadership, negotiation, and contract administration skills, along with deep industry knowledge and experience in procurement of non-commodity engineered equipment for the electric power industry. The role involves setting up and running RFPs, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring compliance with procurement policies and procedures. The position offers opportunities for professional growth and requires up to 20% travel.

Requirements

• 5+ years of procurement, technical, engineering, or construction management experience with progressive responsibilities
• Experience buying non-commodity, engineered equipment for the electric power industry is required (e.g., BESS, GSUs, turbines, etc.); li-ion battery energy storage procurement experience is heavily desired
• Experience leading and managing a small team and willingness to be a heavy individual contributor
• Has an established network of vendor salespersons within the electric power industry typical of an experienced procurement professional
• Experience setting up and running industry-typical procurement RFPs and leading the evaluation of proposals
• Deep knowledge of commercial terms and working knowledge of legal and technical terms necessary to be a seasoned lead negotiator and to project manage a multi-disciplinary contract negotiation team
• Experience confidently administering procurement agreements after execution
• Experience administering and managing procurement systems and procurement aspects of ERP software. Specific experience with Workday and NetSuite a plus
• Experience owning, maintaining, and enforcing procurement processes and procedures
• Willingness and ability to travel both nationally and internationally for industry conferences, vendor visits, company meetings, etc
• Executive presence, exceptional communication skills, and positive interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Extremely proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with strong ability to independently produce professional work products for internal & external stakeholder consumption. Examples include: Preparing professional and visually-appealing PowerPoint presentations Preparing professionally written and formatted processes and procedures in Word Preparing pricing analysis and forecasts in Excel using formulas and clear charts/graphs
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Ability to navigate large venues (e.g., industry conferences), with or without reasonable accommodation
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds
• Must be able to climb or balance
• Must be able to stop, kneel, crouch or crawl
• Must have the ability to identify and distinguish colors

Responsibilities

• Support broader KCE team on setting procurement strategies for projects and non-project day-to-day purchasing
• Manage, lead, and mentor a small team of procurement professionals with willingness to manage a larger team over time
• Project manage multi-department functional teams established to accomplish procurement tasks. This includes all typical project management activities including scoping, budget, schedule, quality, document control, communication/coordination, as well as risk management and resource management
• Maintain multi-faceted working knowledge and general awareness of the power and BESS industries with specific focus on geopolitics, policy, commodities, technology, and pricing trends
• Maintain professional and friendly relationships with suppliers with a focus on partnership and being a steward of KCE externally
• Setup, run, and manage all RFIs/RFPs managing external and internal stakeholders
• Lead & own negotiation on pricing, terms, and conditions for purchase orders, consulting agreements, supply agreements, service/maintenance agreements, and other procurement related commercial contracts. Support EPC on execution-phase agreements
• Assist EPC team in administering agreements after execution, but be willing and capable to fully administer material, equipment, and sub-contracts within the procurement department as needed
• Build, maintain, and enforce procurement policies and procedures
• Arrange, track, and expedite deliverables and deliveries to meet contractual and project expectations
• Report status updates regularly to relevant internal stakeholders
• All other duties as required