Spend Executive- Upper Midwest Region

When you're the best, we're the best. We instill an environment where employees feel engaged, satisfied and able to contribute their unique skills and talents while living and working as their authentic selves. We provide extensive opportunities for personal and professional development, building both employee competence and organizational capability to fuel exceptional performance through an inclusive environment both now and in the future.

Summary:

In this role, the Spend Executive will champion, lead, and coordinate non-labor spend management delivery for assigned accounts in the Upper Midwest region by driving the delivery team's account planning process and activating the SM-PMM (Spend Management, Partnership Management Methodology) when required. This role will serve as the primary day-to-day client contact for spend category execution, partnering with client leaders to translate priorities into a coordinated category workplan, communicate progress, and deliver measurable outcomes (e.g., business reviews/EBRs). You will use Vizient insights to frame recommendations, influence stakeholder decisions, and ensure delivery teams stay aligned to the roadmap and value goals.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Account Planning

• Own and actively maintain the client spend management account plan, ensuring the roadmap, priorities, stakeholder map, success measures, and activation cadence remain current and aligned to evolving client needs and business strategy.

• Lead development and execution of account plans, project plans, and workplans by facilitating a collaborative process between client stakeholders and Vizient resources, ensuring alignment, accountability, and measurable progress.

Category Strategy Development

• Engage client leadership on challenges across non-labor spend categories, demonstrating understanding of healthcare supply chain trends and leading practices.

• Lead category workplan initiatives through the full lifecycle: opportunity identification stakeholder alignment execution adoption/compliance monitoring value validation.

• Navigate client governance to secure decisions (e.g., value analysis, supply chain councils, finance/clinical stakeholder alignment) and drive adoption of standardization/utilization changes.

• Ensure category strategies reflect operational realities (procurement, inventory/distribution implications, clinical workflow impact).

• Interpret Vizient insights/intelligence and align findings to client priorities; lead the delivery team in recommending category initiatives and sequencing the workplan.

Value Delivery & Performance Accountability

• Own value realization for the spend roadmap by defining targets, tracking progress, and ensuring savings are validated, not assumed.

• Establish and maintain a benefits tracking approach (savings, compliance, utilization, and operational outcomes) and communicate results through business reviews/EBRs.

• Partner with contracting/category resources to drive contract performance and utilization improvement aligned to agreed initiatives.

Executive Influence & Presence

• Deliver influential value propositions and decision enabling narratives that drive adoption of Vizient tools/services; present benefits and ROI to executive and operational stakeholders.

• Lead executive decision-making discussions that result in agreed priorities, governance commitments, and clear accountability.

• Tailor executive narratives to connect spend initiatives to enterprise priorities (margin, access, capacity, safety, risk).

• Primary client contact for spend workplans; engages director/VP stakeholders; participates in EBRs with Enterprise leadership (as applicable).

Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

• Identify issues, analyze options, and drive solutions that mitigate risk, remove barriers, and accelerate provider outcomes; manage escalations within the account.

• Translate complex spend/utilization/category performance analytics into clear, compelling narratives that influence decisions and drive adoption.

• Equip internal SMEs and stakeholders with consistent executive-ready insights and materials.

Client Relationship Management

• Build and sustain trusted relationships with supply chain and cross-functional provider stakeholders across Spend Management categories (e.g. Rx, Food, Lab, etc.); maintain consistent, value-based engagement (weekly/biweekly as appropriate).

• Conduct quarterly spend management business reviews and/or project reviews to communicate progress, value delivered, and next best opportunities.

Delivery Spend & Operational Leadership

• Lead regular internal team meetings (typically monthly) to align on workplan progress, risks, and next steps; facilitate internal accountability for a consistent "One Vizient" delivery experience

Analytics & Storytelling

• Translate complex spend/utilization/category performance analytics into clear, compelling narratives that influence decisions and drive adoption.

• Equip internal SMEs and stakeholders with consistent executive-ready insights and materials.

Renewal and Expansion Execution

• Identify and shape expansion opportunities within accounts by connecting client priorities to additional Vizient capabilities; partner with enterprise/sales teams to build the value case and scope.

• Partner with Enterprise Team (where applicable) and Spend Management Performance Partners on renewal execution: modeling, upsells, scope approvals, SOW generation, invoicing support.

Mentoring

• Act as a peer educator; shares best practices and supports onboarding of new team members.

Qualifications:

• Relevant degree preferred

• 7 or more years of relevant experience, with at least 2 years of direct, accountable experience making and influencing supply chain decisions within hospitals/health systems (not passive exposure), including governance participation (e.g., value analysis, capital approval, executive supply chain forums), hands-on sourcing, procurement and standardization execution, and ownership of financially measurable outcomes (validated savings, utilization performance, compliance)

• Must demonstrate ability to translate supply chain data and systems insights into actions and executive-level narratives.

• Strategic Account Planning: Ability to build and execute account plans/workplans aligned to client priorities; manage stakeholder maps, cadence, and measurable outcomes.

• Category Strategy Development: Experience developing and monitoring category strategies tied to client performance and improvement targets.

• Client Relationship Management: Builds and sustains trust-based relationships; manages stakeholder expectations and drives engagement.

• Executive Influence & Presence: Communicates confidently to senior audiences; presents recommendations and ROI narratives with credibility.

• Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking: Identifies issues, evaluates options, and drives solutions through ambiguity and competing priorities.

• Candidates residing in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S. are preferred.

• Ability to travel regularly and expeditiously to meet client's expectations and timetables.

Estimated Hiring Range:

This position is also incentive eligible.

Vizient has a comprehensive benefits plan! Please view our benefits here:

http://www.vizientinc.com/about-us/careers

Equal Opportunity Employer: Females/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The Company is committed to equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, gender identity, ethnicity, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law.