Associate Vice President – Technology Procurement

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Associate Vice President (AVP), Technology Procurement serves as a strategic leader responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies for technology-related goods and services. This role ensures cost optimization, supplier innovation, and risk management while aligning with Royal Caribbean Group’s strategic objectives. The AVP will oversee all aspects of sourcing and supplier relationship management (SRM) within technology, fostering partnerships that deliver value and support the organization's goals for digital transformation and operational efficiency.

The AVP, Technology Procurement is responsible for leading the enterprise-wide procurement strategy for technology-related spend, including software, hardware, cloud services, telecommunications, cybersecurity, AI solutions, technology professional services, and digital transformation initiatives. This executive partners closely with the CTO / CIO, CAIO, CISO, Global Technology senior leaders, Legal, and other business leaders to optimize technology investments using procurement best practice techniques, mitigate supplier risk, accelerate innovation, and maximize value creation.

The AVP Technology Procurement develops long-term sourcing strategies, leads high-value negotiations, manages strategic supplier relationships, and ensures procurement delivers measurable financial, operational, and strategic outcomes.

This strategic position involves leading an experienced team of technology procurement professionals, collaborating closely with technology leaders across the various disciplines. This key leadership role acts as a thought leader for the function and critical advisor who collaborates with senior leadership to influence and shape the suppliers of choice, total cost of ownership (TCO) and On Time in Full (OTIF) service for a procured annual spend under management of over $500m+ across OPEX and CAPEX in a rapidly evolving pace supporting new builds and private destinations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•    Lead negotiations for complex multi-million-dollar technology agreements across: Enterprise Software (ERP, CRM, SaaS), Cloud Services (AWS, Azure), AI platforms and solutions, Cybersecurity, Hardware and Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Data Centers, Professional and Consulting Services, Transformation programs to achieve optimal cost, pricing models, quality, licensing structures, commercial terms, service levels, and contractual protections with a TCO perspective.
•    Formulate and execute procurement category strategies aligned with organizational goals and industry best practices and based on market intelligence, supplier capabilities, and business priorities.
•    Establishes governance processes, risk mitigation strategies, and ensures compliance across all technology-related procurement activities.
•    Partners with internal business technology teams to understand technical requirements and operational priorities and with external procurement partners to stay abreast of emerging changes in evolving contracting and billing vendor practices.
•    Partners with stakeholders and finance teams to forecast technology needs, participate in budget tradeoffs, and deliver value creation in the range of 5-10% of annual spend under management (est. $500m)
•    Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on technology sourcing, supplier strategy, and commercial optimization.
•    Lead and develop a high-performing Global Technology Procurement team of 20 people (10 FTEs and 10 Offshore contractors) through coaching, mentoring, and talent development.
•    Develops KPIs and dashboards to monitor category performance, supplier compliance, and operational effectiveness.
•    Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize procurement processes, reduce costs, and enhance service levels.
•    Performs and implements SRM establishing executive governance with strategic technology suppliers.
•    Track procurement ROI and communicate business impact to executive leadership.
•    Ensure procurement activities comply with international regulations, safety standards, and company policies.
•    Identify and mitigate risks related to supply chain disruptions, quality issues, and contractual obligations in a long-term basis.
•    Ensure supplier compliance with cybersecurity, privacy, regulatory, and contractual requirements.
•    Ensure procurement policy and governance are consistently followed ensuring compliance.
•    Manage the procurement budget and ensure cost-control measures are in place. 
•    Stay abreast of industry developments, emerging technologies, and sustainable practices in the rapidly evolving technology space.
•    Promote the adoption of digital tools, data analytics and implements opportunities for process automation and digital tools to improve procurement efficiency.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION
Education
•    Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance, Technology, Engineering or related field required.
•    Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
•    CPM, CPSM, or equivalent procurement certifications are a plus.
Experience
•    15+ years of progressive procurement experience with a strong focus on technology categories, including software, hardware, cloud services, IT consulting, and telecom.
•    Proven track record in leading complex sourcing initiatives and negotiating large-scale technology agreements.
•    Strong financial acumen and experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets.
•    Experience leading procurement teams in a global, matrixed environment.
Technical/Functional Skills
•    Strong understanding of technology markets and standards, regulations, and specifications.
•    Proven track record in strategic sourcing, category management, vendor management, and cost optimization in the form of value creation and with a TCO perspective.
•    Excellent stakeholder engagement, strong negotiation-, and communication- skills.
•    Ability to lead cross-cultural and remote teams effectively.
•    Proficiency with procurement software, ERP systems such as Oracle, Coupa, SAP Ariba, and data AI analytics tools or similar platforms is preferred.
Leadership/Behavioral Competencies
•    Exceptional leadership capability with proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive change.
•    Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
•    Excellent communication and presentation skills for engaging executive leadership and external partners.
•    Demonstrates integrity, innovation, and a commitment to continuous process improvement.
•    Effective communicator and influencer.
•    Results-oriented with a focus on operational excellence.
FINANCIAL/QUANTITIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

This key leadership role acts as a thought leader for the function and critical advisor who collaborates with technology senior leadership to influence and shape the suppliers of choice, total cost of ownership (TCO) and On Time in Full (OTIF) service for a procured annual spend under management of over $500m+ across OPEX and CAPEX in a rapidly evolving pace supporting new builds and private destinations.

INTERNAL/ EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

This leadership role is skilled with communicating across business units (at all levels), collaborating with and influencing senior executives, and C-suite leadership, presenting work to large and diverse audiences, while promoting an insight driven organization with a heavy emphasis on value creation and service delivering across the thousands of Technology suppliers utilized to operate the company.