Goldman Sachs is seeking an exceptional Strategic Sourcing Manager to embed directly within their AI ecosystem, partnering closely with the AI Engineering team. This pivotal role will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive sourcing strategy for their AI and emerging technology stack. The successful candidate will strategically define which supplier technologies they concentrate spend on, actively eliminate "rogue spend" across the firm, and align the best-in-class suppliers to their critical AI strategic use cases, ensuring optimal value, mitigated risk, and accelerated innovation.
Requirements
- Proven track record (3-5+ years) in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiation, specifically within the technology domain.
- Strong understanding of financial analysis, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), business case development, and budget management. Ability to quantify and articulate financial impact.
- Strong negotiation skills with a demonstrated ability to achieve favorable commercial outcomes while maintaining strong supplier relationships. Ability to influence senior stakeholders across technical and business functions.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to build rapport and effectively collaborate with diverse internal teams (technical, legal, business, risk) and external suppliers.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex sourcing initiatives simultaneously, meet deadlines, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
- Understanding of the AL/ML technology landscape, including key vendors, market trends, architectural components, and common use cases (e.g., NLP, computer vision, predictive analytics).
- Experience sourcing cloud-based services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and enterprise software, with an understanding of various licensing models, consumption-based pricing, and API integration considerations.
Responsibilities
- Implement proactive, long-term sourcing strategies for critical AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies, including but not limited to: cloud AI/ML platforms (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, Google AI Platform), specialized hardware (e.g., GPUs, AI accelerators), data labeling services, proprietary AI software, MLOps tools, AI model governance solutions, ethical AI tools, and external data sets.
- Conduct in-depth market research and vendor landscape analysis within the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem to identify leading-edge solutions and emerging trends.
- Collaborate with AI leadership and their engineering teams to translate complex technical requirements and future roadmaps into actionable sourcing strategies and commercial opportunities.
- Lead complex commercial negotiations for high-value AI technology agreements, ensuring optimal pricing, favorable terms and conditions, robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and clear intellectual property rights.
- Navigate critical contractual clauses pertaining to data privacy, data security, data usage, ethical AI principles, and regulatory compliance (e.g., DORA, GDPR, CCPA).
- Manage the full contract lifecycle from RFP to contract execution and ongoing performance management.
- Identify opportunities for spend consolidation and rationalization across disparate AI technology purchases.
Other
- Relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with an excellent academic record; CPSM certification or MBA a plus
- Stakeholder Management: Cultivate strong, trusted advisor relationships with key internal stakeholders, including the Head of AI, engineering leads, legal, risk management, cybersecurity, and relevant business units.
- Stakeholder Management: Develop and manage strategic supplier relationships, fostering collaboration and innovation to ensure continuous alignment with Goldman Sachs's AI strategy.
- Risk Management & Compliance: Ensure all sourcing activities and supplier relationships adhere to Goldman Sachs's stringent third-party risk management (TPRM) policies, regulatory requirements, and internal controls.
- Risk Management & Compliance: Work closely with TPRM and Legal to manage supplier due diligence, risk assessments, and contractual compliance, particularly concerning data governance and intellectual property in AI.
