There’s never been a more exciting time to join United Airlines. We’re on a path towards becoming the best airline in the history of aviation. Our shared purpose – Connecting People, Uniting the World – is about more than getting people from one place to another. It also means that as a global company that operates in hundreds of locations around the world with millions of customers and tens of thousands of employees, we have a unique responsibility to uplift and provide opportunities in the places where we work, live and fly, and we can only do that with a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. And we’re growing – in the years ahead, we’ll hire tens of thousands of people across every area of the airline. Our careers include a competitive benefits package aimed at keeping you happy, healthy and well-traveled. From employee-run "Business Resource Group" communities to world-class benefits like parental leave, 401k and privileges like space available travel, United is truly a one-of-a-kind place to work. Are you ready to travel the world?

We believe that inclusion helps us thrive and grow at United across our collaborative Finance teams consisting of Financial Planning & Analysis, Internal Audit, Treasury, Global Procurement, Controllership, Investor Relations and more. These teams provide the financial fuel that keeps our operation running from providing detailed analyses of financial planning, performance, and forecasts to managing our investments and financial strategies. Our Finance team plays an integral role in making our airline profitable and successful by meeting our financial goals.

Key Responsibilities:

The primary responsibility for this position is to optimally lead procurement initiatives which meet and exceed business objectives in terms of scope of service, quality, risk mitigation, delivery timing, and cost. This position will involve decision-making and/or organizational influence across procurement initiatives and will include the ongoing management of designated purchase categories.

• Participate in the development and implementation of category plans for designated purchase categories to achieve intended business objectives
• Support business partners and oversee contractual elements of the Preferred Supplier Program
• Work closely with Airport Services and Fuel Services.
• Work will include but not be limited to research of current state and future needs, analysis of market trends and potential suppliers, and identification of continuous improvement opportunities (e.g. leverage changes in processes, systems and product/services, new and innovative market offerings)
• Collect direct savings on assigned purchase categories by working with Procurement leadership to build sourcing strategies which enable cost reduction while ensuring that user needs for the assigned categories are met
• Maintain expertise in the assigned spend categories through relationships with Division Leads, Suppliers and Market Authorities
• Communicate sourcing trends and results for assigned categories to Procurement leadership and other interested parties
• Build and lead requests for proposals (RFPs)
• Work will require ongoing collaboration and proactive communication with a cross-functional team, and responsibilities will include design and creation of the RFP, system set-up and administration, analysis of total cost of ownership (TCO), creation and tabulation of supplier evaluation scorecards
• With input from United’s legal department, procurement leadership, and other partner departments, redline and negotiate contracts for purchases within designated categories
• Lead business relationships with key internal partners and external suppliers including routine improvements to agreements, communication of demand/volume changes, updating contracts and sharing end-user feedback
• Participate in vendor management activities with internal business teams, as needed; this may include following-up on performance against contract (compliance) and resolution of any constraints or issues
• This is a hybrid role, reporting to our Corporate Support Center in Chicago, IL

United values diverse experiences, perspectives, and we encourage everyone who meets the minimum qualifications to apply. While having the “desired” qualifications make for a stronger candidate, we encourage applicants who may not feel they check ALL of those boxes! We are always looking for individuals who will bring something new to the table.

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelors Degree
• Minimum of three to five (3-5) years experience in procurement, finance/accounting
• Knowledge and application of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) concepts and strategic sourcing process
• Proven analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills for various audiences, including senior leadership
• Validated negotiation skills
• Dedication to customer service excellence
• Showed strength leading multiple concurrent projects of various scale from start to finish
• Collaboration
• Business Insight
• Planning
• Decision Making
• Innovation
• Shown experience with Microsoft Office Products, including MS Word and MS Excel; shown understanding of MS PowerPoint
• Reliable, punctual attendance is a crucial function of the position
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification
• Reliable, punctual attendance is a crucial function of the position

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

• MBA or related Graduate Degree
• CPSM Certification or other relevant certification
• Experience acting as a change agent that seeks out and advocates new and innovative solutions to meet the business needs

United Airlines is an equal opportunity employer. United Airlines recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, veteran status and other protected status as required by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions. Please contact JobAccommodations@united.com to request accommodation.