Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager

About the role

You will architect and execute the sourcing strategies that underpin our infrastructure partnerships with frontier AI model providers. In this role, you own the commercial relationships that determine how we leverage compute, data, and specialized tooling at scale. You act as the primary interface between our finance objectives and the operational realities of vendor engagement. Your work will directly influence the speed at which we can deploy new technologies and manage associated risk. You will balance cost discipline with the need for rapid execution in a high-growth environment. This position requires fluency in both financial metrics and technical procurement constraints. You will be responsible for ensuring that our vendor ecosystem supports our long-term scalability and resilience goals.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Orchestrate the end-to-end sourcing lifecycle for cloud capacity, AI model access, infrastructure components, and enterprise software licenses.
• Partner with Engineering and Product teams to translate technical requirements into structured procurement strategies that mitigate risk and optimize spend.
• Architect commercial frameworks that balance immediate cost savings against long-term scalability and vendor lock-in risks.
• Lead high-stakes negotiations for strategic vendor agreements, ensuring terms align with our growth trajectory and financial models.
• Evaluate and compare complex vendor proposals, conducting detailed financial analysis to support data-driven selection decisions.
• Manage the full process of competitive bidding, request for proposals, and contract renewals to ensure continuous value realization.
• Monitor and assess supplier performance metrics, identifying opportunities for operational improvements or course corrections.
• Advise executive leadership on market dynamics, pricing trends, and emerging technologies to shape future vendor strategies.
• Develop standardized procurement playbooks that enhance efficiency and consistency across cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with Security and Legal to ensure all vendor agreements meet regulatory requirements and internal compliance standards.
• Identify and qualify alternative suppliers to reduce dependency risks and foster a competitive vendor landscape.
• Drive initiatives to optimize total cost of ownership through strategic concessions, volume discounts, and innovative contracting structures.
• Establish governance processes for vendor relationship management, ensuring clear communication and accountability.
• Lead cross-functional sourcing projects that require alignment across technical, financial, and operational stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bring a minimum of 7 years of professional experience focused on procurement, strategic sourcing, or commercial negotiations within technology or infrastructure contexts.
• Show a documented history of successfully closing complex technology or infrastructure deals with values of $1M or greater.
• Demonstrate advanced proficiency in negotiating and structuring agreements for SaaS platforms, cloud services, and AI-related technologies.
• Prove your ability to manage and influence relationships with diverse stakeholders, including technical teams, legal counsel, and executive leadership.
• Apply strong financial acumen to analyze vendor proposals, total cost of ownership models, and pricing structures.
• Highlight experience thriving in high-growth, fast-paced environments where agility and decisive action are essential.
• Provide evidence of working with vendors that serve AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing ecosystems.
• Commit to working on-site at our San Francisco location five days per week, aligning closely with team collaboration needs.

Nice to have

• Preferred experience in managing cloud cost optimization and reserved instance or savings plan strategies.
• Background in industries serving enterprise or regulated environments, such as financial services or healthcare technology.
• Familiarity with AI model deployment pipelines and the associated infrastructure requirements.
• Experience with contract lifecycle management tools and procurement automation platforms.
• Understanding of open-source software procurement and its implications for commercial vendor strategies.

Practical notes

• This role requires on-site presence at our San Francisco office located at 181 Fremont Street, five days per week.
• The position is offered as a full-time engagement with standard employment benefits.
• Candidates must be available to work within the Pacific Time Zone to support real-time collaboration with global vendor teams.
• Relocation support is not provided for this role, and candidates must be prepared to work from the designated office location.
• Travel is not required for this position, as all responsibilities can be executed from the primary worksite.
• This role reports to the Finance leadership and operates within a structured performance review cycle.
• Applicants must meet the stated experience requirements without exception, as all qualifications are essential for success in this position.