IT Contract Specialist

Company Description

CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a leading independent refiner in the United States, renowned for operating under its well-recognized brand, CITGO. With approximately 3,600 employees, the company manages three state-of-the-art refineries in Lake Charles, LA; Lemont, IL; and Corpus Christi, TX, with a combined crude capacity of around 807,000 barrels per day. CITGO also operates a robust logistics network, including terminals, pipelines, and blending plants, and serves a wide network of approximately 4,000 branded retail outlets. The organization is dedicated to delivering high-quality transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, and industrial products to meet diverse customer needs.

JOB SUMMARY:

This position is for a full-time, on-site IT Contract Specialist based in Houston, TX. The IT Contract Specialist is responsible for reviewing, drafting, and negotiating IT contracts, ensuring they comply with company policies and regulatory requirements. The role includes managing vendor partnerships, assessing contracts, tracking contract performance, and collaborating with internal teams to address contract-related issues. The specialist will keep accurate contract records, secure proper documentation, and contribute to risk management and strategic sourcing decisions.

Provide expert support for IT procurement and contract management at all assigned locations, adhering to company standards and objectives. Duties include creating and maintaining contracts, such as purchase orders and outline agreements. Employ advanced strategic sourcing practices to identify, qualify, solicit, select, and negotiate with vendors to secure materials and services at the best value for CITGO, considering cost, safety, quality, reliability, and delivery according to customer needs.

Use best-in-class strategic sourcing approaches to find and vet IT vendors, evaluate technical and commercial proposals, negotiate contract terms and prices, and ensure compliance with IT security, data privacy, and legal requirements. Build and maintain positive relationships with vendors, assist in onboarding new IT suppliers, and ensure contracts provide maximum value, performance, and risk protection for the company.

JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1.    Review Customers' IT requisitions and process Purchase Orders in SAP to procure software, hardware, cloud services, and IT professional services at the most favorable price consistent with requirements for quantity, quality, safety, and delivery to support the assigned CITGO Business Unit(s).

A.   Establish and maintain secure sources for required materials and services.

B.   Coordinate with Customers to jointly evaluate performance of existing suppliers and contractors and determine any need for alternates.

C.   Develop, negotiate, and administer IT contracts, software licenses, SaaS agreements, and master service agreements.

D.   Coordinate as necessary activities of involved parties (Customers, vendors, contractors, Legal, Risk Management, Accounts Payable, etc.) to ensure proper development and performance of all contracts.

E.   Supports the maintenance of current vendor lists capable of supplying assigned commodities and services.

2.    Utilize sourcing tool to establish and maintain IT contracts (Outline Agreements) consistent with the requirements established by customers using specifications for products and/or scopes of work for services. Negotiate with qualified vendors for price, delivery and quality to establish contracts. Implement selective long term agreements based on vendor quality and value. Administer contracts throughout the life of the agreement including execution of change orders as needed, validating price/rate changes, monitoring KPIs, etc. Possess an understanding of market conditions and perform an in-depth value and quality analysis of each requirement. Identify opportunities for Strategic Sourcing. Utilizing available tools, analyze procurement patterns based on volume and cost to establish strategic contracts to provide overall cost benefits.

3.    Manage the vendor base by performing market analysis and research to evaluate and select new vendors. Perform all tasks associated with management of the vendor population, including but not limited to communication with new/potential vendors to discuss mutual interests and new opportunities. Actively participate in various vendor networking events. Using strategic sourcing tools, collaborate with the Customers to evaluate and select potential vendors through the pre-qualification and bidding process. Work with Optimization and Compliance to properly vet potential vendors and to monitor existing vendors to mitigate risks to CITGO. Advise purchasing management and affected Customer groups of significant events affecting the normal supply of goods and services. Pursue innovations in procurement practices and department procedures that will improve effectiveness and produce cost savings.

4.  Using strategic sourcing tools, solicit formal and informal vendor bids for materials and services. Identify opportunities for subsequent rounds of bids, reverse auctions, and other value added sourcing techniques. Analyze proposals, negotiate, cost and terms & conditions to award the business fairly. Perform all steps necessary to prepare and release an RFP or RFQ. Assist user/requisitioner in developing specifications and/or requirements and pertinent, objective technical evaluation matrices.

5.  Resolve IT procurement issues including invoice discrepancies, licensing disputes, and performance issues.

6.  Support special projects in response to various customer and management requests for one-of-a-kind projects.

7.   Provides Procurement on-call support as necessary

Qualifications

- Proficiency in contract review, drafting, negotiation, and adherence to compliance policies

- Experience in managing vendor relationships, evaluating contract terms, and handling performance monitoring

- Strong analytical and research skills to assess legal and financial risks

- Excellent negotiation skills

- Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

- Attention to detail with expertise in document management and record-keeping

- Effective communication and collaboration skills for working with internal teams and external stakeholders

- Knowledge of IT procurement practices, technology-related contracts, and strategic sourcing.

- Strong computer skills, including proficiency with SAP (or similar ERP), MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

- ·Preferred experience with GEP SMART or similar e-Procurement solutions, and Power BI

- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, information technology, or IT related field preferred; 2 years of experience or 6 years in lieu of a degree.

- ·Industry experience in oil and gas or energy is a plus.