Manager Strategic Sourcing, Software and Engineering
Zendesk - Madison, WI
posted 6 days ago
About the position
This role can be remote. The Global Strategic Sourcing team helps maximize value and minimize risk through Zendesk's vendor relationships and ensures the organization has the goods and services needed for success. As Manager of Strategic Sourcing, you will play a key role during the sourcing strategy and execution across software and engineering categories. You'll use your innovative thinking, analytical and negotiating skills to oversee and lead highly complex negotiations, contract review, and usage forecasting to achieve top-line growth and maximize value to the company. This role encompasses all aspects of the sourcing's responsibilities including category assessment, vendor due diligence, RFx, contract negotiations and vendor management.
Responsibilities
- Guide and influence business through key strategic projects to ensure best outcomes aligned to Zendesk growth.
- Develop and maintain accurate forecasts for usage, licenses, and capacity for key commitment-based contracts, including AWS, Google, MongoDB, Snowflake, and others.
- Collaborate with Engineering, IT, and business units to gather data, validate forecasts, and ensure alignment with company needs and future growth.
- Identify trends and potential risks to inform contract negotiations and prevent over-commitment or unnecessary costs.
- Focus on critical vendor management, integration and vendor strategy aligned to business partner vision.
- Support contract renewals that require precise forecasting of usage, licenses and capacity.
- Capability and expertise to drive accurate forecasts, optimize contracted volumes and prevent costly overages.
- Develop executive level presentations, analysis and forecast reporting for internal partner communications/updates.
- Influence and advise senior leadership on procurement strategy.
- Specific project tasks may include market research & analysis, data collection/management, cost modeling, RFx strategy development, RFx creation and management, supplier communications, negotiations, contracting, and supplier performance management.
- Lead and act as escalation for contract negotiations partnering with Legal, Security, IT and the respective business partners.
- Assist in decision-making and provide informed purchase guidance to business partners.
- Support the execution of spend management projects that accomplish key objectives. These objectives may include savings, process improvement/efficiency, supplier consolidation & management, risk reduction & management, improved transparency & control of expenditures.
- Perform total cost of ownership evaluations, perform supply-market research and conduct pricing audits and impact analysis for the pursuit of continuous cost improvements.
Requirements
- Strong software and engineering strategic negotiation skills.
- Proven team player and ability to build and maintain business partnerships.
- Executive level communication and presentation skills.
- Highly motivated towards achieving cost savings and operational improvement goals.
- Demonstrated subject matter expertise in the functional areas of Technology, product and engineering.
- Proven success leading projects that impact multiple functional areas.
- Flexibility and influence in working in a high growth, high volume environment.
Benefits
- The US annualized base salary range for this position is $106,000.00-$158,000.00.
- This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives.
- Hybrid work experience designed at the team level to give a rich onsite experience while also allowing flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.
