Procurement & Costing Lead

Job Title: Procurement & Costing Lead

Reporting To: CFO

Location: Mumbai

Job Summary

The Procurement & Costing Lead will secure best-cost, reliable satellite imagery, cloud infrastructure, and API partnerships — ensuring operational efficiency, service continuity, and legal compliance. This role will lead strategic sourcing and vendor management across SwanSat’s business verticals — KhetPe (AgTech), BhoomiSure (InsurTech), and SwanSat (Satellite Intelligence) — in alignment with the CFO/CEO’s operational vision.

Key Responsibilities

1. Vendor Sourcing & Framework Agreements

• Identify and onboard key satellite imagery providers (Planet, ICEYE, Capella), API vendors (IrriWatch, soil data providers), and cloud partners (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Execute RFP/RFQ processes, negotiate competitive pricing, and establish framework agreements.
• Secure cloud credits, volume discounts, and scalable consumption models aligned with business growth.
• Build a vendor ecosystem with redundancy to ensure zero service interruptions.

2. Contract Negotiation & SLA Management

• Draft and negotiate MSAs, SoWs, and licensing terms balancing cost and reliability.
• Define and monitor SLAs for uptime, delivery, data quality, and support responsiveness.
• Conduct regular vendor scorecards and compliance audits.
• Manage renewals, amendments, and dispute resolutions while maintaining strong vendor relations.

3. Cost Management & TCO Optimization

• Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis and achieve ≥20% savings vs. list prices.
• Develop rate cards, cost allocation models, and forecasting frameworks.
• Monitor consumption dashboards to prevent overruns and support financial planning for tenders.

4. Compliance & Tender Readiness

• Ensure full compliance with B2G tender norms, data localization, and audit requirements.
• Coordinate with Legal and Finance to validate contractual risks and tender documentation.
• Maintain readiness for government audits and certification submissions.

5. Vendor Relationship & Performance Management

• Conduct quarterly business reviews, monitor vendor health, and ensure service continuity.
• Maintain escalation mechanisms and post-project evaluations.
• Foster long-term partnerships enabling preferential pricing and innovation access.

6. Capacity Planning & Data Rights Governance

• Collaborate with Data Science and Engineering teams to forecast infrastructure and data needs.
• Ensure procurement aligns with scalability roadmaps and technical architecture.
• Negotiate favorable data rights, redistribution terms, and white-labeling provisions.

7. Process & Systems Optimization

• Design procurement workflows, approval hierarchies, and documentation templates.
• Implement procurement management systems and BI dashboards for spend visibility.
• Drive automation in vendor onboarding, invoicing, and contract lifecycle management.

8. Strategic Initiatives & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead make-vs-buy analyses, vendor consolidation, and M&A due diligence.
• Benchmark procurement practices with SaaS, AgriTech, and EO peers.
• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, and Operations for budgeting, risk mitigation, and demand planning.

Candidate Profile

Experience:

• 6–10 years in technology procurement, vendor management, and contract negotiation, preferably in SaaS, cloud, or enterprise tech environments.
• Proven record of managing multi-million-dollar vendor relationships and achieving measurable cost savings.
• Exposure to Earth Observation, satellite data, or geospatial API procurement preferred.
• Experience with government tenders or public procurement is a plus.

Core Skills:

• Strong expertise in TCO modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and scenario planning.
• Proficiency in contract negotiation, SLA design, and vendor performance frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with procurement systems, BI dashboards, and spend analytics.
• Solid understanding of cloud models, API licensing, data rights, and compliance frameworks.
• Ability to translate technical requirements into procurement specifications.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic and commercial thinker with execution focus.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• High integrity and precision in managing vendor relationships.
• Collaborative team player with problem-solving orientation.
• Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous startup environments.

Industry Knowledge (Preferred):

• Familiarity with ESA, ISRO, or commercial satellite vendor ecosystems.
• Understanding of public procurement, IP rights, and data licensing norms.
• Awareness of AgriTech, InsurTech, and climate tech procurement trends.

Personal Attributes:

• Reliable, analytical, and commercially savvy.
• Balances cost efficiency with quality and reliability.
• Comfortable in founder-led, high-growth settings.
• Results-driven, structured, and continuously improving.

About SwanSat

SwanSat operates at the intersection of deep technology, precision intelligence, and social impact, uniting three powerful verticals:

• SwanSat (Satellite Intelligence): A leader in SAR, optical, and thermal data analytics for agriculture, defense, and climate resilience.
• KhetPe (AgTech): Delivers real-time crop intelligence, irrigation insights, and yield predictions to empower millions of farmers.
• BhoomiSure (InsurTech): Enables instant, automated, and transparent insurance payouts through satellite data-driven triggers.

Together, these platforms redefine how nations and businesses make data-driven decisions — turning observation into action, and intelligence into impact.