Supplier Relationship Specialist, Consultant

Job Description Your Role The Global Business Services (GBS) organization team leads the Enterprise Procurement practice as a partner with business and functional stakeholders to plan, select and contract with third-party suppliers, as well as to advance environmental/social/governance outcomes of supplier relationships and manage the supplier governance program, as well as to lead captive insurance company operations. The Supplier Relationship Specialist, Consultant will report to the Sr.

Manager of Procurement Operations and Risk Management. In this role you will guide 1) Risk Management of Enterprise Procurement Operations, 2) Risk Management of Blue Shield's Third-Party Suppliers and 3) Business Resilience of GBS Operations. The GBS Risk Management function adds value throughout the procurement workflow and supplier lifecycle by restricting high-risk suppliers from being onboarded, to assessing and reporting on risk levels of existing critical suppliers, to guiding remediation of corrective action plans and to safely offboard terminated suppliers.

By proactively mitigating supplier risk and ensuring Enterprise Procurement is audit-ready at all times, GBS is able to protect Blue Shield's reputation and interests, which are foundational to delivering affordable healthcare that is worthy of our family and friends. Your Work In this role, you will: Guide and advance GBS's Enterprise Procurement due diligence activities, strategies and controls related to all supplier selection, onboarding, contracting and termination events.

Actively contribute to advancing the Procurement Center of Excellence as a subject matter expert, serving in both advisor and innovator capacities. Drive continuous improvement of processes and control calibration into the procurement practice to increase supplier compliance, reduce enterprise risk and introduce unaddressed risks for consideration. Track and measure the effectiveness of controls at mitigating supplier risk over time.

Analyze trends, identify opportunities, develop strategies and implement solutions for reducing risk and increasing compliance of suppliers. Drive ongoing calibration of supplier contract language with enterprise policies and emerging risk categories, as well as to enable more quantitative validation of supplier compliance during supplier due diligence and assessment activities. Guide partners through annual and biannual cycles to measure supplier resilience and efficiency along key control categories (Business Performance, Security Posture, Finance Viability and Compliance). Consult on remediation plans, track progress and escalate as appropriate.

Reinforce and navigate Business Operations teams' roles as supplier relationship managers to ensure their success in assessing supplier risks and executing quality remediation plans. Conduct adhoc assessments of critical suppliers across key control categories, to be executed virtually or onsite as needed. Advise Business on how to evaluate the design and operational effectiveness of controls in their critical suppliers' SOC1 and HiTRUST reports to ensure critical interpretations of SOC1 auditor opinions and scope and various security and privacy standards within a supplier's HiTRUST report.

Drive disciplined practice of managing risk of GBS-managed suppliers by regularly assessing vulnerabilities, validating contractual compliance and driving improvements that mitigate operational risks. Ensure suppliers' Disaster Recovery Plans remain contractually compliant and engage Blue Shield's Technical Business Continuity team to evaluate effectiveness and testing of those plans. Engage, align and test GBS Business Recovery Plan with owners of other Plans in Blue Shield's Business Continuity Program that operate within the enterprise procure-to-pay ecosystem.

Provide ongoing visibility to GBS leadership on the collective performance of each supplier that includes operational (GBS) and technology (IT) measurements. Report to GBS Governance on supplier performance for Business Reviews. Qualifications Your Knowledge and Experience Requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Requires at least 7 years of prior relevant experience.

Requires deep understanding of Procurement functions, activities and systems as well as third-party agreements (preferably in a highly regulated industry). Requires prior roles in one or more related functions (e.g. Risk Management of Procurement/Sourcing, Third-Parties or Operations, Vendor Relationship Management, Internal Audit, Governance-Risk-Compliance program, Law). Requires comprehensive understanding of SOC1 and HiTRUST reports.

Ability to critically evaluate exceptions or deficiencies in reports as well as how to address regulatory requirements relative to HiTRUST CSF framework. Requires high competency in all Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc), with preferred competency in applying Microsoft 365 platform and apps (SharePoint, Teams, Lists, etc). Requires an auditor's mindset - analytical, attention to detail, objective, ethical, recognizes risk and vulnerabilities, assesses and mitigates controls and processes, clearly articulates findings, solves problems methodically, adaptable to change, continuously learns and understands organization's operations, industry and regulatory environment. Requires experience assessing suppliers' operational compliance of key controls through virtual and/or onsite inspections.

Requires high competency in driving enterprise-wide programs/projects that involve multiple internal stakeholders, and which have accountability to cross-functional framework and charter. Ability to drive stakeholder alignment, roles/responsibilities and accountability, while communicating risks and necessary adjustments in a timely manner. Requires ability to communicate clearly and effectively about highly complex content and processes in (both verbal and written), as well as to listen and observe in ways that promote trust, collaboration, consensus and thought partnership.

Requires strong time management skills, adept at balancing priorities, driving measured progress and delivering on schedule. Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently. Strongly prefer completion of Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) trainings and one or more related certifications (e.g.

CISA, CISSP or CTPRP). Prefer experience in applying Agile mindset and methods to deliver business value, drive continuous improvement, adapt to change and innovate. Pay Range : The pay range for this role is $109,120.00 to $163,680.00 for California. Note : Please note that this range represents the pay range for this and many other positions at Blue Shield that fall into this pay grade.

Blue Shield salaries are based on a variety of factors, including the candidate's experience, location (California, Bay area, or outside California), and current employee salaries for similar roles. About the Team Blue Shield of California's mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at a sustainably affordable price. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience.

To fulfill our mission, we must ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where all employees can be their authentic selves and fully contribute to meet the needs of the multifaceted communities we serve. Our continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion upholds our values and advances our goal of creating a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends while addressing health disparities, promoting social justice, and integrating health equity through our products, business practices, and presence as a corporate citizen. Blue Shield has received awards and recognition for being a certified Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work, Military Friendly Employer, People Companies that Care, a Leading Disability Employer, and one of California's top companies in volunteering and giving.

Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities - join us Our Values: Honest . We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.

Human . We strive to be our authentic selves, listening and communicating effectively, and showing empathy towards others by walking in their shoes. Courageous . We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals. Our Workplace Model:

Blue Shield of California is dedicated to making work-life balance a reality. Whether you prefer to work in an office or from home, we understand flexibility is more important than ever. That's why Blue Shield is a hybrid company, offering you the opportunity to decide where you can do your best and most meaningful work.

Two ways of working: Hybrid (our default) and office Hybrid

• In a business unit approved office a few times per year to 3 days per week, on average Office

• In a business unit approved office 4 days a week, on average. If the role you're applying for is deemed an "Essential Role," the company has determined that the role can only be performed in a Blue Shield office or in the field and would require your to meet the office worker classification.
  
  Physical Requirements: Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Due to the current public health emergency in California, Blue Shield employees are almost all working remotely. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork

• Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.
  
  Please click here for further physical requirement detail. Equal Employment Opportunity: External hires must pass a background check/drug screen.
  
  Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.