Procurement Analyst

Job DescriptionJob DescriptionTHIS REQUIREMENT IS FOR ONLY CURRENT ARIZONA

SOAZ-Req # 10169- Phoenix, AZ - IT - AZDES - DTS - - Procurement Analyst 2 - (IT Strategy & Projects) (Hybrid)
Closing Date & Time: 3/10/2026@ 2 PM

All candidates must be eligible to convert to an FTE. 

Location: Hybrid (On-site training 3-4 weeks; 4 days/week remote)

Required Skills

• IT Asset Lifecycle & Licensing Expertise.
• Negotiation Experience
• Complex RFP/RFQ Development:
• Financial & Data Literacy: Ability to conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) analyses to justify multi-year technology investments to executive leadership.

Skills

• Cloud Governance Knowledge: Experience specifically with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
• State/Public Sector Experience
• SLA & Performance Metric Design
• Benchmarking & Market Intelligence: Experience using tools (like Gartner, Forrester, or specialized IT price benchmarking software) to verify if a vendor’s quote aligns with current market "best-in-class" pricing.
• License Optimization & Audit Defense

Role Overview:

We are seeking a high-caliber Procurement Analyst to lead the end-to-end acquisition of high-complexity IT projects. This is a project-based role requiring a blend of sophisticated procurement strategy, technical project management, and deep expertise in software ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing: Lead the evaluation and selection of vendors for complex IT initiatives, including Cloud Infrastructure, SaaS, Data Center Hardware, and Managed Services.

Project Leadership: Act as the procurement lead on agency-wide technical projects, ensuring timelines, research, and stakeholder requirements are met with precision.

Document Lifecycle: Direct the RFI, RFQ, and RFP processes for high-stakes contracts, providing data-driven recommendations to executive leadership.

Contract Negotiation: Leverage market research and financial principles to negotiate pricing, service levels, and favorable terms for the State.

Technical Expertise Required

Licensing & Entitlements: Advanced understanding of software licensing models, user entitlements, and usage restrictions to prevent compliance risks and optimize spend.

IT Ecosystems: Deep knowledge of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Cloud deployments, and emerging technologies.

Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple complex procurement workstreams simultaneously under general supervision.

Regulatory Compliance: Ability to apply broad theoretical knowledge to navigate statewide procurement rules and financial regulations.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a self-starter who can influence stakeholders through data and policy expertise. You don’t just buy software; you understand the technical fine print and the long-term financial impact of the contracts you negotiate.

Required Skills

IT Asset Lifecycle & Licensing Expertise: Deep functional knowledge of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS licensing models. You must understand the difference between per-user, per-core, and consumption-based entitlements to prevent overspending and audit risks.

Strategic Negotiation: Proven ability to negotiate high-value contracts. This isn't just about price; it’s about negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs), data sovereignty clauses, and renewal caps.

Technical Project Management: Ability to manage a procurement pipeline as a project. This includes setting milestones, managing stakeholders across departments, and ensuring the procurement timeline aligns with the technical rollout.

Complex RFP/RFQ Development: Experience drafting and scoring complex solicitations for enterprise-level IT services, ensuring that the "Statement of Work" (SOW) is technically sound and legally enforceable.

Financial & Data Literacy: Ability to conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) analyses to justify multi-year technology investments to executive leadership.

skills :

Cloud Governance Knowledge: Experience specifically with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud commitment models (like Savings Plans or Reserved Instances) and how they impact state budgeting.

State/Public Sector Experience: Prior experience navigating the specific "Red Tape" of government procurement codes, which are often more rigid than private sector purchasing.

SLA & Performance Metric Design : Proven ability to draft custom Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with enforceable financial penalties for downtime, lag, or poor implementation performance.

Benchmarking & Market Intelligence: Experience using tools (like Gartner, Forrester, or specialized IT price benchmarking software) to verify if a vendor’s quote aligns with current market "best-in-class" pricing.

License Optimization & Audit Defense : Experience in performing "Internal Audits" of software usage to identify underutilized licenses (shelfware) and defending the organization during formal vendor audits (e.g., Oracle or Microsoft audits).