Strategic Sourcing Manager, IT & Technology

Aquent is partnering with a leading enterprise renowned for its dedication to delivering high-impact value, commercial rigor, and operational excellence. This innovative company is at the forefront of its industry, consistently driving business growth by developing multi-year category strategies and implementing modern procure-to-pay processes that balance cost, risk, and innovation.

Are you a strategic sourcing powerhouse with a passion for technology? We're seeking a dynamic individual to step into a pivotal role within a high-impact Strategic Sourcing team. This is your opportunity to serve as a trusted advisor to key business and technology leaders, directly shaping the technological landscape of a major enterprise. You will lead end-to-end sourcing engagements across critical IT categories, making a tangible difference in how the company leverages software, hardware, cloud services, and professional IT expertise. Your commercial negotiation prowess, deep understanding of the IT vendor ecosystem, and collaborative approach will be instrumental in driving innovation, mitigating risks, and optimizing value across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of the strategic sourcing life cycle, utilizing structured methodologies for assigned IT engagements. This includes profiling technology supply markets, designing and executing RFP/RFI/RFQ events via modern e-sourcing tools, evaluating supplier proposals, leading commercial negotiations, and facilitating final contract awards.
• Drive measurable total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions through spend analytics, software benchmarking data, and market intelligence.
• Guide primary stakeholders across technology and business organizations through the end-to-end Intake-to-Contract workflow.
• Serve as the commercial lead for complex IT agreements, such as SaaS subscriptions, enterprise software licenses, cloud commitments, and professional services Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Ensure cross-functional alignment with Information Security, Data Privacy, Legal, and Finance during contract negotiations and risk governance.
• Synthesize negotiation outcomes into executive decision summaries, outlining recommendations, trade-offs, financial impacts, and risk profiles.
• Partner with technology leadership to construct comprehensive, forward-looking category strategies across assigned IT domains.
• Translate market dynamics and business objectives into actionable annual and multi-year sourcing roadmaps aligned with corporate budget cycles and technology architecture goals.
• Build and maintain strategic sourcing pipeline roadmaps by tracking contract expirations, software renewal milestones, and hardware refresh cycles.
• Proactively identify vendor lock-in risks, compliance gaps, and cybersecurity/data privacy considerations, developing proactive mitigation strategies and escalating operational blockers with actionable solutions.
• Provide agile, cross-category sourcing support across ad-hoc enterprise technology, digital infrastructure, and e-commerce software initiatives.
• Identify and capture spend consolidation opportunities across business units and operating entities to maximize commercial leverage.
• Establish supplier governance routines, track vendor performance against key Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and support ongoing relationship management with key IT vendors.
• Build strong, advisory-level relationships with internal business partners who manage technology budgets and software vendor relationships by consistently delivering against project timelines and maintaining clear, transparent communication.

What You'll Bring

• Proven Sourcing Expertise: 5+ years of progressive experience leading complex, end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives and RFx processes within a structured corporate procurement environment.
• Dedicated IT Category Mastery: 5+ years of specialized sourcing experience focused on technology categories, including enterprise software (SaaS and on-premise), cloud infrastructure, IT hardware, and IT professional services.
• Commercial Contracting Acumen: Demonstrated ability to negotiate enterprise technology agreements, including Master Services Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), SaaS Subscriptions, End User License Agreements (EULAs), and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Hands-on experience collaborating closely with Information Security, Data Privacy, and Legal counsel to shepherd technology contracts through internal risk review gates.
• Financial & Benchmarking Prowess: Success in analyzing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models, benchmarking software pricing, and identifying license optimization opportunities to achieve quantifiable cost savings.
• Influential Communication: Strong interpersonal and presentation skills with a track record of building trust and influencing technical leaders (such as VPs of IT, Engineering Directors, and Product Leads) and business stakeholders.
• Procurement Technology Proficiency: Hands-on experience with modern procurement platforms, including Procure-to-Pay (P2P), Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), e-RFx software, and vendor management tools.
• Analytical Skills: Advanced Excel and PowerPoint presentation skills for data analysis and executive reporting.
• Educational Foundation: A Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Information Technology, Operations, or equivalent practical experience.

Bonus Points

• Experience within North American retail, consumer goods, or e-commerce environments.