Procurement Director, Production Operations

About Emerald

Emerald’s talented and experienced teams grow our customers’ businesses 365 days a year with products that create connections, deliver content, and drive commerce. We produce over 140 annual events, create and deliver content through print and digital channels, and power commerce through our seamlessly integrated in-person and digital platforms and channels. For more information, please visit http://www.emeraldx.com.

The Procurement Director, Production Operations is responsible for executing best in class procurement across Emerald’s diverse portfolio of live events within its operations team. This individual will drive significant value by delivering savings, implementing innovative sourcing and standardizing event vendor engagement. The Director will manage a substantial spend portfolio across common production categories, ensuring a balance of cost discipline, quality and operational excellence. This role requires a hands-on approach to building strong vendor partnerships and collaborating effectively across the operations team.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Implement strategic sourcing initiatives across all event production related categories, including AV, logistics and many general services to achieve an annual cost savings target of 8-12%.
• Conduct supplier evaluations and negotiations to support a robust and competitive supplier base across multiple geographies.
• Establish and manage category strategies to optimize total cost of ownership and mitigate supply chain risks.

Vendor & Contract Management

• Oversee relationships with major show production vendors along with show leaders and managing a portfolio of over 200 active suppliers.
• Lead contract negotiations and ensure compliance with all contractual obligations, including service level agreements and performance metrics.

Process Improvement & Technology

• Champion the adoption and optimization of Emerald’s procurement technology stack, including our new Procure-to-Pay system.
• Utilize our technology partner to manage show-level contract workflows, ensuring proper routing, approvals, and compliance with corporate governance.
• Provide training and support to internal stakeholders on procurement policies, processes, and systems.

Financial & Analytical

• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, and Business leaders to ensure contract visibility, budget alignment, and accurate invoicing.
• Analyze vendor spend data to identify trends, track key performance indicators, and recommend operational and financial improvements.
• Prepare and present quarterly business reviews to senior leadership on Operations’ procurement performance and initiatives.

Qualifications:

• 7-10 years of progressive procurement or sourcing experience, ideally within events, Travel, media, or large multi-vendor and multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong negotiation, vendor management, and contract governance expertise.
• Proven ability to collaborate across Finance, Legal, and Operations teams.
• Occasional travel is required.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and organizational skills.

About Emerald

At Emerald, we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We actively recruit and champion candidates who bring new perspectives from varied professional backgrounds and experiences, and we are intentional about ensuring a positive hiring experience for everyone. Our job postings don’t contain experience inflation, and most don’t require college degrees. Instead, they’re crafted to focus on outcomes and transferable experiences that are assessed in a structured interview process carried out by trained hiring teams. 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Target Compensation: $125,000-175,000 (bonus eligible)

Please note that this range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position. This range may ultimately vary based on a candidate’s qualifications and may be higher where required by applicable law. 

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to strengthen our employees’ physical and mental health, including unlimited vacation for exempt employees, flexible working locations, 401(k) plan with a company match, medical/dental/vision coverage with inclusive provisions including transgender services and fertility benefits, parental and caregiver leave, dependent, commuter and FSA benefits, professional development programs like Toastmasters, and mental wellness tools.

If you need accommodation in our application process or have questions about our posted salary range, please email our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].