Women in Procurement: Tamra Moebs on Technology, Foundations, and Global Perspective

In our continuing series highlighting women making an impact in procurement, we spoke with Tamra Moebs, who currently leads the Indirect Procurement Operations team at Trane Technologies. Her journey from government contracting to procurement technology leadership offers valuable insights on building strong foundations, navigating cybersecurity complexities, and bringing a global perspective to team management.

Finding Her Way in Procurement

Like many procurement professionals, Tamra didn't start with a supply chain degree. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a business degree, she found herself drawn to the field at a time when specialized supply chain education wasn't common.

"I always knew I wanted to do something in business but really wasn't sure what that was," Tamra explains. "At the time, supply chain wasn’t an option that existed at most schools."

Her career began with a position that provided formal training in government contracts, which she describes as "an amazing opportunity" because of its structured approach. This helped her understand that procurement was far more complex than simply making purchases. "It offered an excellent foundation for understanding contracting and the true nature of procurement," she reflects.

From there, her path led to an aerospace and defense contractor in the DC area, where she developed expertise in commercial terms and conditions. A move to Charlotte expanded her responsibilities to include building a buying team and gaining exposure to procurement operations.

"That's when I started to gain experience in improving processes and utilizing technology to make the team more efficient," Tamra notes.

Today, she leads the Indirect Procurement Operations team at Trane Technologies, having evolved from being a user of procurement platforms to global team leader, driving strategic procurement technology initiatives across international markets and ensuring organizations maximize their technology investments.

The Foundation Challenge in Procurement Technology

When discussing current challenges in procurement technology, Tamra identifies a critical issue that many organizations face: insufficient established processes and data availability for effective implementation.

"One of the biggest challenges is many companies don't have the groundwork in place to fully optimize available technology. And then you quickly find yourself in a garbage in, garbage out situation," she explains. "Regardless of how great the tool is, if the foundation and process aren’t there, you're not set up for success."

This insight drives her team's current priorities. "When procurement technology began significantly advancing, everyone got excited and a lot of companies implemented it, and now they're finding they're not getting the full value out of their investments. Sometimes you first need to take a step back before you can move forward"

Her strategy focuses on building robust processes before implementing or optimizing solutions: "Our focus is to build that foundation and process so we can first optimize what we already have before we consider expanding further. It also puts us in a better position to quickly obtain value from new solutions we may want to implement because the prep work is already done."

Navigating Cybersecurity Complexity

Beyond procurement-specific technology, Tamra points to cybersecurity as an area creating significant complexity for procurement professionals.

"Cybersecurity risk obviously creates complexity for the function. We're buying a lot of other technology and tools outside of things for ourselves, and no matter what the category is, more and more things now have an IT component," she observes.

This evolution has created new challenges for procurement teams: "There can be ambiguity where procurement professionals feel like they need to be the gatekeepers or maybe truly do need to be gatekeepers in some cases and are expected to navigate through that risk without the training or skill set to know what to look for."

The growing complexity has increased demand for specialized skills within procurement: "The higher the volume and nuance of risk, the greater the need for higher skilled people that can manage through that."

Global Perspective Through Travel

Outside of work, Tamra's passion for travel has significantly influenced her professional approach, particularly in her current role managing a global team.

"I've always been interested in travel. When I was in college, I did a study abroad program in Switzerland for one semester and minored in Global Business. Ever since then, I have wanted to get out and see cultures and travel as much as possible. I added an International Business concentration and traveled to China as part of my MBA as well." she shares.

This international experience has proven invaluable in her leadership role: "It’s helped prepare me for the role that I have now, where I’m managing a global team with individuals from countries I'd never been to when I started at Trane Technologies."

She emphasizes how this broader perspective enhances her leadership: "Having  cultural experience and open-mindedness to better support the team has been really important. I think if I had not had some of those experiences, it definitely would have made my current role more difficult."

While business travel isn't frequent in her current position, she has had opportunities to connect in-person with the majority of international team members. These in-person connections remain irreplaceable despite digital communication tools: "There's nothing that's quite the same as being able to meet and have time in person."

Professional Inspiration

When reflecting on women who have inspired her professionally, Tamra immediately mentions her former boss, Connie Tapia, with whom she worked for nearly a decade at BAE Systems.

"She helped me establish a negotiation style that was effective and authentic for me." she explains.

This was particularly valuable as Tamra transitioned from government to commercial contracts: "She helped take the time to guide me, and I think that's what most everyone needs when they're starting out. Once my capability was established, there was trust and autonomy, so I felt empowered to make decisions as well as challenge status quo."

While technical skills are important, Tamra emphasizes the value of mentorship and trust in building confidence: "You certainly learn by doing, but you need the background understanding as well as some freedom to continue to grow and establish your own style." Tamra Moebs' journey illustrates how foundational knowledge, adaptability, and global perspective can shape a successful career in procurement. Her focus on building strong processes before implementing technology solutions offers valuable guidance for organizations navigating digital transformation, while her approach to managing global teams highlights the importance of cultural understanding  in today's interconnected business environment.