The Strategic Sourcing Specialist is the execution engine of the procurement organization, the role that turns category strategies and business requirements into competitively sourced, well-negotiated supplier partnerships and executed contracts that deliver measurable results and value. Reporting to the Manager, Sourcing, this role is responsible for the hands-on execution of sourcing events across Sun’s spend categories. The Strategic Sourcing Specialist gathers and refines requirements from Category Managers and business stakeholders, identifies and qualifies suppliers, prepares and administers request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), and request for quotation (RFQ) processes and events, evaluates bids, supports negotiation, and drafts commercial contracts through execution. Once suppliers are awarded, this role coordinates managed supplier onboarding and contributes to savings tracking and reporting that validates procurement’s value to the enterprise.

Job Duties

Gather, refine, and document business requirements and scopes of work (SOWs) in collaboration with Category Managers and business stakeholders, ensuring sourcing events are grounded in clear, actionable specifications. (Essential)

Identify, screen, and qualify suppliers through market research, supplier databases, and Category Manager input; evaluate bids, score responses against criteria, and recommend supplier selection. (Essential)

Prepare, administer, and manage RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes end-to-end, including document preparation, issuance, bidder communications, and question-and-answer management, that align with category strategy objectives. (Essential)

Own assigned sourcing events from discovery through contract execution and transition, delivering sourcing objectives, milestones, and stakeholder commitments; proactively identify and escalate risks and recommend actions to ensure timely completion. (Essential)

Support negotiation strategy development and execution under the direction of the Manager, Sourcing, preparing negotiation briefs, modeling scenarios, and documenting agreed terms. (Essential)

Draft, redline, and negotiate commercial contract terms; coordinate legal and risk review processes and manage contract documents through to execution within delegation of authority thresholds. (Essential)

Track and validate savings for completed sourcing events; contribute to savings reporting and dashboards that demonstrate procurement value delivery against category targets. (Essential)

Contribute market intelligence and benchmarking insights gathered during sourcing events to inform Category Manager strategy development and refresh cycles.

Provide input on sourcing pipeline prioritization based on event complexity, business risk prioritization, market readiness, and resource capacity; support the Manager, Sourcing in workload planning and scheduling.

Support compliance and audit activities by maintaining complete, well-organized sourcing documentation, including bid records, evaluation matrices, negotiation logs, and executed contracts.

Contribute to continuous improvement of sourcing processes, templates, and tools; share best practices and lessons learned across the procurement team.

Ensure effective post-award transition to the appropriate teams, packaging sourcing outcomes, contract details, implementation requirements, and stakeholder communications to enable smooth onboarding, system setup, and go-live.

Execute supplier diversity and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sourcing objectives, incorporating diverse supplier participation into sourcing events and tracking results against program targets.

Support supplier offboarding and transition activities by providing sourcing documentation, contract context including administering Sun's termination responsibilities, and coordination support to ensure continuity of service during supplier exits.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance or related field (Required)

5 years in of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain (Required)

Must have a valid driver's license

Demonstrated experience drafting and redlining commercial contracts, negotiating terms and conditions, and coordinating legal review processes.

Strong analytical skills with proven ability to build evaluation matrices, model total cost of ownership (TCO) scenarios, and present data-driven recommendations.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to manage bidder communications, prepare clear RFI, RFP, and RFQ documents, and present evaluation findings to stakeholders.

Proficiency in procurement platforms (e.g., Coupa), project management tools (e.g., Wrike), and Excel; comfort working with large datasets and spend analytics.

Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent sourcing events at different stages of the sourcing lifecycle.

Understanding of procurement lifecycle concepts, category management principles, and supplier qualification frameworks.

Experience in real estate, property management, or portfolio-based operations environments a plus.

Preferred Certifications/Licensures:(Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS))

Preferred Certifications/Licensures:(Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM))

BENEFITS

At Sun Communities, you will be part of an industry-leading organization where you will be challenged, inspired, rewarded and transformed. We place a high priority on our team members, and this is a big part of what sets us apart. We will ask you to give us your very best every day, and will challenge you with interesting work, stretch assignments, a collaborative and supportive work environment and plenty of learning and growth. In exchange, we will reward you with great pay, advancement opportunities, paid time off, great benefits, and flexibility.

Comprehensive Medical and Prescription coverage with 4 plan options so you can choose the plan that best meets the needs of you and your family

Comprehensive Dental and Vision Plans

On-Site Fitness Center

Voluntary Health and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts

Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance and Dependent Life

Short and Long-Term Disability Coverage

401(k) Plan with Sun matching contribution

Employee Assistance Program

Identity Theft Insurance

Legal Assistance Plan

Pet Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement program providing financial support to team members who further their formal education

Vacation RV Site Discounts for team members when visiting Sun resorts across the nation

Team Member Perks & Discounts program with hundreds of discounts on things like travel, merchandise, mobile phone service, and more

Up to six weeks of paid parental leave for the birth of a child, adoption, or placement of a child

Paid Time Off including ten holidays, vacation, personal, sick time, bereavement and pay for jury duty

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