AVP, Procurement Center of Excellence

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Procurement's ability to create enterprise value depends on more than sourcing and negotiation. It requires an integrated operating system of technology, processes, data, governance, analytics, talent and decision rights that enables the organization to move quickly, operate consistently, anticipate opportunity and scale with the business.
The Associate Vice President, Procurement Center of Excellence will lead the enterprise capabilities that power Procurement performance. The AVP will own the Procurement technology portfolio; end-to-end process strategy and governance across sourcing, contracting and supplier management; analytics and insights; merger, acquisition and divestiture enablement; functional transformation; and the operating mechanisms that connect strategy, execution, adoption and measurable outcomes.
The leader will establish a coherent, multi-year roadmap across technology, process, data, analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, controls and organizational capability. Working across Procurement, Finance, Accounts Payable, Technology, Legal, Contract Management, Risk, Compliance, Privacy, Information Security, Transformation, Corporate Development and business teams, the AVP will simplify how work enters and moves through Procurement, improve the stakeholder and associate experience, generate earlier and more actionable insight, and ensure investments deliver measurable value.
This role requires more than governance and program oversight. The AVP will challenge fragmented processes, rationalize technology, translate business needs into scalable solutions, establish enterprise standards, intervene when delivery is at risk, and personally lead the most consequential transformation and integration priorities. Success will be measured by whether Procurement makes better decisions, executes faster, operates through scalable and adopted processes, derives greater value from technology and data, integrates acquisitions effectively, and creates substantially more capacity for strategic and commercial work.

Key Responsibilities

Architect the Procurement Operating Model

• Serve as the executive responsible for the design, performance and continuous evolution of the Procurement operating model.
• Translate enterprise strategy and Procurement priorities into an integrated roadmap across organization, process, technology, data, analytics, governance and capability.
• Define how work is requested, prioritized, routed, executed, approved, measured and improved across the Procurement lifecycle.
• Clarify decision rights, accountabilities, handoffs, service levels, escalation paths and governance across Procurement and partner functions.
• Establish differentiated operating pathways based on value, complexity, risk, urgency and stakeholder need.
• Identify structural friction, redundant activity, control gaps, manual work and capacity constraints, and mobilize solutions across organizational boundaries.
• Create an operating system that enables Category Management, Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contract Management and business partners to function as an integrated enterprise capability.
• Establish disciplined operating rhythms for strategic planning, portfolio prioritization, delivery reviews, performance management, risk escalation and executive decisions.

Own the Procurement Technology Portfolio

• Own the strategy, roadmap, governance, investment prioritization, adoption and value realization of the Procurement technology portfolio.
• Establish a coherent platform architecture spanning intake and orchestration, sourcing, contracting, contract lifecycle management, supplier management, spend and performance analytics, risk integration, market intelligence, workflow automation and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Serve as Procurement’s senior product and business owner with Enterprise Technology, platform owners and external technology partners.
• Translate business strategies, process requirements, user needs, controls and data requirements into scalable technology capabilities and sequenced investments.
• Maintain a transparent portfolio view of initiatives, dependencies, costs, resources, risks, milestones, adoption and realized outcomes.
• Make disciplined build, buy, configure, integrate, automate, retire and simplify recommendations.
• Rationalize overlapping tools, reduce technology and process fragmentation, improve interoperability and establish authoritative data flows.
• Ensure solutions are designed around user experience, control integrity, data quality, scalability and measurable business value rather than deployment alone.
• Establish product ownership, enhancement governance, release planning, testing, training, adoption and support models across the portfolio.
• Accelerate the responsible application of AI, automation, workflow intelligence, contract intelligence and decision support across Procurement.
• Hold internal and external technology partners accountable for delivery, performance, adoption and value.

Lead Enterprise Procurement Process Ownership

• Serve as the enterprise owner of Procurement’s core process architecture, standards, methodologies and controls, excluding Requisition-to-Pay processes owned by Accounts Payable.
• Own end-to-end process design across intake, demand shaping, category planning, sourcing, due diligence coordination, contracting workflows, supplier onboarding, segmentation, supplier governance, performance management, issue escalation, renewal planning and supplier exit.
• Own contracting technology and process design in close partnership with the Contract Management team, with clear decision rights for operational execution, commercial accountability and legal authority.
• Establish enterprise standards while allowing justified variation based on business model, category, jurisdiction, complexity and risk.
• Define process ownership, decision rights, control points, service levels, required data, documentation standards and performance measures.
• Partner with Category and Supplier Management leaders to embed practical, commercially relevant processes that improve outcomes rather than add administrative burden.
• Own supplier-management methodologies, enabling technology, data standards, governance and measurement; category and supplier leaders retain accountability for supplier strategies, relationships, interventions and outcomes.
• Simplify workflows and remove steps that do not materially improve value, risk, control or decision quality.
• Use process data, workflow analytics, stakeholder feedback, audit findings and operational insight to identify root causes and prioritize improvements.
• Maintain authoritative process maps, playbooks, methodologies, templates, guidance and knowledge assets.
• Drive adoption through communications, training, embedded guidance, change networks, leadership reinforcement and objective usage measures.

Build an Insight-Led Procurement Function

• Lead the Procurement analytics and insights organization, converting spend, contract, supplier, pipeline, performance, savings, risk, workflow and market data into decision advantage.
• Establish a Procurement data and analytics strategy aligned with enterprise data governance and Finance requirements.
• Create authoritative data products and executive views covering spend, demand, commitments, opportunities, supplier exposure, contract obligations, performance, value delivery, cycle time, risk and required decisions.
• Shift the analytics function from retrospective reporting to diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive insight.
• Develop models that identify demand-management opportunities, supplier consolidation, commercial leakage, renewal risk, process friction, concentration, compliance gaps and emerging value opportunities.
• Build decision-ready insights for the Chief Procurement Officer, Procurement Leadership Team, Finance, business executives and category leaders.
• Establish common definitions, data ownership, quality controls, reconciliation processes and authoritative sources.
• Partner with Finance to ensure savings, cost avoidance, cost containment, productivity, working capital and broader value measures are credible and consistently applied.
• Use AI, process mining, benchmarking and external intelligence where they produce demonstrable improvements in foresight or decision quality.
• Measure whether analytics change decisions and outcomes, not merely whether reports are produced.

Lead Procurement M&A Diligence and Integration Enablement

• Lead Procurement’s enterprise capability for merger, acquisition, divestiture and integration activity.
• Partner with Corporate Development, Integration Management, Finance, Legal, Technology, Risk, business leadership and acquired entities to assess third-party implications.
• Establish repeatable Procurement playbooks, data requirements, decision gates, governance and integration roadmaps for transactions.
• Lead third-party spend, supplier, contract, commitment, concentration, dependency, risk and synergy analysis during diligence.
• Identify supplier-related transaction risks, change-of-control provisions, termination exposure, duplicate commitments, integration dependencies, transitional requirements and savings opportunities.
• Develop Procurement integration and separation strategies covering systems, processes, policies, suppliers, contracts, data, operating models, governance and organizational capability.
• Build synergy hypotheses, validate baselines, establish accountable owners and partner with Finance to track realization.
• Protect continuity of critical goods and services throughout transaction close, integration, migration or separation.
• Sequence supplier negotiations and contract actions to preserve leverage and avoid premature value leakage.
• Own a scalable M&A enablement capability that mobilizes expertise across Procurement based on transaction needs rather than centralizing all execution in a large standing team.
• Capture lessons from each transaction and continuously improve the enterprise playbook.

Govern the Procurement Transformation Portfolio

• Own the integrated Procurement transformation roadmap and portfolio governance model.
• Partner with accountable business owners to define outcomes, scope, dependencies, resources, milestones, risks and decisions for major initiatives.
• Ensure initiative ownership remains with the leaders accountable for business outcomes rather than transferring every project into the COE.
• Lead quarterly planning and executive portfolio reviews, bringing transparent recommendations on sequencing, capacity, tradeoffs and investment decisions.
• Intervene directly when critical initiatives stall, cross-functional ownership is unclear, or execution risk threatens enterprise outcomes.
• Establish common delivery disciplines, decision tracking, change-control expectations and outcome measurement without creating a bureaucratic project layer.
• Develop executive-ready communications that translate complex transformation portfolios into clear decisions, risks, recommendations and measurable impact.

Build a High-Performance Procurement Center of Excellence

• Build, lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning Procurement technology, process excellence, analytics and insights, M&A enablement, transformation, governance and change.
• Establish high standards for strategic thinking, product ownership, process design, analytical rigor, delivery discipline, executive communication, user experience and measurable impact.
• Create an organization that brings structure to ambiguity without adding bureaucracy.
• Ensure leaders can move seamlessly between enterprise strategy, executive decisions, solution design and hands-on delivery when required.
• Replace passive coordination with active ownership, clear recommendations, accountable decisions and disciplined follow-through.
• Develop leaders who can independently advise executives, challenge assumptions and mobilize work across functions without relying on positional authority.
• Build a culture that prizes simplification, curiosity, urgency, precision, experimentation and durable execution.
• Increase functional capacity through standardization, automation, AI, self-service, better information and elimination of low-value work.
• Establish clear talent strategies, succession plans, role architecture, capability standards and development pathways.
• Measure the COE by adoption, capacity created, decisions improved, friction removed and enterprise value realized, not by projects completed or artifacts produced.

Use your skills to make an impact

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience across Procurement, Procurement Operations, Procurement Technology, Source-to-Contract Transformation, Enterprise Process Ownership, Analytics, M&A Integration, Finance Operations or related enterprise leadership roles.
• Significant leadership responsibility for complex, enterprise-scale transformation, technology, process or operating-model portfolios.
• 7+ years of people leadership experience, including building, transforming and retaining multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience owning a portfolio of Procurement technology platforms and converting business strategy into roadmaps, investment priorities, requirements, delivery, adoption and realized value.
• Deep operational knowledge across intake and orchestration, Source-to-Contract, sourcing, contracting, supplier onboarding, supplier management, third-party risk and Procurement analytics.
• Demonstrated experience designing, simplifying, standardizing and scaling end-to-end processes in a complex, matrixed enterprise.
• Strong product-management and portfolio-management capability, including prioritization, dependency management, investment governance, delivery oversight, adoption and benefits realization.
• Demonstrated success translating ambiguous business needs into scalable process, technology, data and operating-model solutions.
• Strong analytical acumen and experience building data products, performance frameworks, executive insights and authoritative sources of truth.
• Experience with M&A diligence, integration, separation, synergy identification or transaction-related supplier and contract analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and align Procurement, Finance, Accounts Payable, Technology, Legal, Contract Management, Risk, Compliance, Privacy, Information Security and business teams.
• Experience leading significant change management, communications, training and adoption efforts.
• Strong command of governance, internal controls, auditability, data quality, policy enablement and risk-aware process design.
• Experience applying AI, automation, process mining, advanced analytics or decision-support technologies to enterprise workflows.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a Fortune 500, healthcare, insurance, financial services, highly regulated or similarly complex enterprise.
• Advanced degree or relevant professional certification.
• Experience with modern Procurement platforms spanning intake and orchestration, Source-to-Contract, contract lifecycle management, supplier management, spend analytics and third-party risk.
• Experience rationalizing fragmented technology portfolios and establishing integrated platform and data architectures.
• Experience creating enterprise process-owner models and governing processes across multiple business segments or operating units.
• Experience leading an enterprise Procurement transformation or Center of Excellence.
• Experience with post-merger integration, divestiture, transition-service arrangements, synergy governance or acquired-company operating-model integration.
• Experience establishing product-management disciplines within a corporate function.
• Experience building analytics organizations that progress from reporting to predictive and prescriptive insight.
• Experience applying generative AI and intelligent automation to internal service delivery, workflow simplification, contract intelligence, knowledge management or decision support.

Work at Home Requirements: To ensure Home or Hybrid Home/Office employees’ ability to work effectively, the self-provided internet service of Home or Hybrid Home/Office employees must meet the following criteria: At minimum, a download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 10 Mbps is required; wireless, wired cable or DSL connection is suggested. In certain roles, the minimum recommended internet speed required by Humana may not be sufficient for business needs. Humana reserves the right to require associates to upgrade their internet service if necessary. Work from a dedicated space lacking ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI / HIPAA information.Travel: While this is a remote position, occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be required.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Pay Range

The compensation range below reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The pay range may be higher or lower based on geographic location and individual pay will vary based on demonstrated job related skills, knowledge, experience, education, certifications, etc.$184,800 - $254,100 per yearThis job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. This incentive opportunity is based upon company and/or individual performance.

Description of Benefits

Humana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries (collectively, “Humana”) offers competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Associate benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and smart healthcare decisions for you and your family while also knowing your life extends outside of work. Among our benefits, Humana provides medical, dental and vision benefits, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, paid parental and caregiver leave), short-term and long-term disability, life insurance and many other opportunities.Application Deadline: 11-19-2026

About us

About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a leading U.S. healthcare company. Through our Humana insurance services and our CenterWell healthcare services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare and Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment.

Originally posted on Himalayas