Trainee, Procurement Operations – Spring/Fall 2027

Location: Culver City, California

Procurement Operations is accountable for ensuring the purchasing of goods and services is easy and compliant, building a delightful buying experience across Technology, Professional Services, Corporate Services/Facilities, Travel, Marketing, Production, and Distribution. We maximize preferred supplier usage to streamline buying and reduce supplier proliferation; enhance self-service and automation to support the speed of business; provide continuous support and proactive stakeholder engagement; manage and enforce the Global Procurement Policy; and champion a user-centered approach that builds trust and supports organizational objectives.

Responsibilities:

Support prioritization of system enhancements to optimize procurement solutions and buying channels

Partner with Procurement Operations, IT and suppliers to identify and deliver solution improvements

Participate in the validation of enhancement delivery to ensure business requirements are met

Understand key buying channels and help to promote the most compliant and easy buying paths

Identify opportunities to streamline procurement processes, reduce manual effort, and improve the overall buying experience.

Assist in documenting procurement procedures, workflows, and standard operating procedures.

Maintain supplier catalogs and procurement content to ensure accuracy, completeness, and usability.

Coordinate catalog updates with suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Monitor catalog performance and identify opportunities to improve user adoption and purchasing compliance.

Participate in change management and training activities that promote awareness and adoption to preferred buying channels

Gather user feedback to help prioritize future system and process enhancements

Contribute to presentations and business case development that demonstrate value-add opportunities in procurement

Analyze procurement and purchasing data to identify trends, root causes, compliance opportunities, and process improvement initiatives. Translate data into actionable insights and recommendations that improve business outcomes and user adoption.

Develop recurring and ad hoc reports, dashboards, and analytical insights supporting Procurement Operations KPIs using Excel and reporting tools.

Monitor buying channel adoption, catalog utilization, purchase order compliance, and other operational metrics.

Present findings and recommendations to Procurement leadership

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business/procurement/supply chain (Preferred), or other fields , in lieu of a degree, equivalent relevant work experience.

1-2 years of experience in a procurement organization

Proficient Source to Pay process knowledge and basic understanding of the fundamentals of procurement system architecture and emerging capabilities

Experience working with cross-functional teams and global stakeholders

Entertainment industry experience a plus

Preferred Qualifications:

Understanding of the procure to pay process

Excellent communication skills, comfortable engaging with business unit leaders and cross-functional teams

Strong data and analytical skills; ability to translate complex data into actionable insights and business recommendations.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP, complex formulas, dashboards; Power Query preferred), Microsoft Visio, and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Familiarity with purchasing systems is a plus (e.g., Ariba, or with SAP, Coupa, etc.)

Experience with data analysis and visualization tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau); SQL experience is a plus.

Familiarity with Agile frameworks and principles

Critical Thinker

Comfortable with ambiguity

Data-driven problem solver who challenges assumptions and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.

Intellectually curious and comfortable working with ambiguity while turning data into actionable recommendations.

Detail-oriented and proactive; able to anticipate issues and identify ways to mitigate them

The anticipated base salary for this position is $22/hour. This role may also qualify for comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

Sony Pictures does not allow audio recording, video recording or use of AI note-taking tools during interviews. Please be aware these tools may be enabled as a default and can be difficult to disable once the interview has started, so we recommend you check your device and disable these tools prior to the start of your interview. If recording or the use of the tools occurs during the interview and cannot be promptly turned off or disabled, the interviewer may end the interview.

To request an accommodation for purposes of participating in the hiring process, you may contact us at [email protected].