Director, Procurement
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, CarGurus is the all-in-one platform that’s moving the entire car shopping journey online and guiding customers through each step. This includes everything from selling an old car to financing, purchasing, and delivering a new one. Today, millions of consumers visit cargurus.com each month, and more than 30,000 dealerships use our products. We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, while empowering our Gurus with tools and resources to fuel their career growth. Our goal is to give all people—consumers, dealers, and our employees—the power to reach their destination.
Job Description
Role overview
As the Director of Procurement, reporting to the VP, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer, you will establish and strategically build CarGurus’ procurement function from its current foundational state, shaping policies, systems, and processes designed to optimize efficiency, enhance cost-effectiveness, and support the company's long-term strategic objectives. This role requires a significant cultural shift as you centralize the procurement function, transitioning the organization from decentralized practices to a unified, strategically aligned procurement model.
The ideal candidate will possess a forward-thinking vision, proven leadership capabilities, and deep expertise in strategic procurement. You will be responsible for developing and implementing procurement strategies aligned with business priorities, proactively driving cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring a high-performing procurement team. Your leadership will create a culture of strategic thinking, proactive execution, continuous improvement, and a growth mindset throughout the procurement organization.
What you'll do
Strategic Planning:
- Develop, implement, and manage the lifecycle of procurement from sourcing and negotiating to vendor contracting, to periodic reporting, and supplier management.
- Create a vision for the procurement function that aligns with company strategy.
- Lead vendor cost reduction initiatives and set budgetary goals.
- Analyze market trends and make recommendations for improving procurement processes and practices to manage spend and potential savings effectively.
- Drive continuous improvement and reporting on procurement metrics to senior stakeholders.
- Plan and execute near-term and long-term procurement to effectively increase cash profit margin.
- Lead the strategy to deploy best practice uses of procure-to-pay software programs.
- Proactively leverage innovation, including AI-driven solutions, to enhance procurement agility and responsiveness, serving as a change leader who can rapidly adapt processes to an evolving business landscape.
Vendor & Budget Management:
- Identify, evaluate, select, and oversee vendor/supplier relationships to build strategic partnerships that enhance value and innovation.
- Deliver financial and operational value by leading negotiations with vendors on the scope of work, commercial terms, revenue-sharing, and other legal, compliance, and contractual terms as needed.
- Develop and manage the procurement budget, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with financial goals.
- Monitor and report on procurement spend and savings.
Collaboration & Team Leadership:
- Manage and mentor the procurement team, fostering a high-performance culture, growth mindset, and bias for action.
- Provide guidance and support for professional development and career growth.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including teams in Finance, Travel & Expense, Legal, IT, Information Security, and others, to ensure a cohesive approach to procurement.
Compliance and Risk Management:
- Continuously review and improve procurement processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- Ensure procurement activities comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards, including SOX requirements.
- Identify potential risks within procurement processes and develop strategies to mitigate them, ensuring business stability and adherence to corporate policies.
What you'll bring
- 10+ years of experience in the procurement field, with a proven understanding of Procurement’s role in a maturing organization including Purchasing, Procurement, Accounts Payable, and Travel & Expense systems and procedures.
- 6+ years of experience in a strategic people leadership role and a track record of building and developing high-performing teams.
- Technical understanding of finance systems, preferably Concur, NetSuite and Zip HQ (nice to have).
- Demonstrated experience supporting internal and external partners/suppliers.
- Adept in managing complex vendor/supplier relationships and negotiating high-value contracts.
- Highly analytical and capable of setting and managing budgets effectively.
- Excellent communicator with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
- A strategic thinker with a problem-solving mindset.
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement Management/Operations, or a related field is an asset
Role overview
As the Director of Procurement, reporting to the VP, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer, you will establish and strategically build CarGurus’ procurement function from its current foundational state, shaping policies, systems, and processes designed to optimize efficiency, enhance cost-effectiveness, and support the company's long-term strategic objectives. This role requires a significant cultural shift as you centralize the procurement function, transitioning the organization from decentralized practices to a unified, strategically aligned procurement model.
The ideal candidate will possess a forward-thinking vision, proven leadership capabilities, and deep expertise in strategic procurement. You will be responsible for developing and implementing procurement strategies aligned with business priorities, proactively driving cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring a high-performing procurement team. Your leadership will create a culture of strategic thinking, proactive execution, continuous improvement, and a growth mindset throughout the procurement organization.
What you'll do
Strategic Planning:
- Develop, implement, and manage the lifecycle of procurement from sourcing and negotiating to vendor contracting, to periodic reporting, and supplier management.
- Create a vision for the procurement function that aligns with company strategy.
- Lead vendor cost reduction initiatives and set budgetary goals.
- Analyze market trends and make recommendations for improving procurement processes and practices to manage spend and potential savings effectively.
- Drive continuous improvement and reporting on procurement metrics to senior stakeholders.
- Plan and execute near-term and long-term procurement to effectively increase cash profit margin.
- Lead the strategy to deploy best practice uses of procure-to-pay software programs.
- Proactively leverage innovation, including AI-driven solutions, to enhance procurement agility and responsiveness, serving as a change leader who can rapidly adapt processes to an evolving business landscape.
Vendor & Budget Management:
- Identify, evaluate, select, and oversee vendor/supplier relationships to build strategic partnerships that enhance value and innovation.
- Deliver financial and operational value by leading negotiations with vendors on the scope of work, commercial terms, revenue-sharing, and other legal, compliance, and contractual terms as needed.
- Develop and manage the procurement budget, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with financial goals.
- Monitor and report on procurement spend and savings.
Collaboration & Team Leadership:
- Manage and mentor the procurement team, fostering a high-performance culture, growth mindset, and bias for action.
- Provide guidance and support for professional development and career growth.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including teams in Finance, Travel & Expense, Legal, IT, Information Security, and others, to ensure a cohesive approach to procurement.
Compliance and Risk Management:
- Continuously review and improve procurement processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- Ensure procurement activities comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards, including SOX requirements.
- Identify potential risks within procurement processes and develop strategies to mitigate them, ensuring business stability and adherence to corporate policies.
What you'll bring
- 10+ years of experience in the procurement field, with a proven understanding of Procurement’s role in a maturing organization including Purchasing, Procurement, Accounts Payable, and Travel & Expense systems and procedures.
- 6+ years of experience in a strategic people leadership role and a track record of building and developing high-performing teams.
- Technical understanding of finance systems, preferably Concur, NetSuite and Zip HQ (nice to have).
- Demonstrated experience supporting internal and external partners/suppliers.
- Adept in managing complex vendor/supplier relationships and negotiating high-value contracts.
- Highly analytical and capable of setting and managing budgets effectively.
- Excellent communicator with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
- A strategic thinker with a problem-solving mindset.
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement Management/Operations, or a related field is an asset
