GAQ226R13
The Strategic Technology Sourcing Manager is responsible for leading end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives and managing technology vendor relationships that enable enterprise-wide business transformation. This role develops and executes sourcing strategies across the full spectrum of technology spend — from hyperscaler partnerships and enterprise software agreements to SaaS subscriptions and open-source technologies — while conducting technical due diligence and driving alignment programs with key third-party partners.
Operating across executive, architecture, and cross-functional teams, this role establishes governance frameworks, builds vendor roadmaps, and ensures accountability through structured reporting and stakeholder engagement. A trusted advisor to leadership, the Technology Sourcing Manager brings deep industry insight, strong negotiation expertise, and a commitment to ethical sourcing standards to deliver measurable outcomes across the technology ecosystem.
The impact you will have:
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
- Proactively lead and manage strategic sourcing initiatives supporting the IT organization, including complex negotiations across all technology spend categories — hyperscaler agreements (AWS, Azure, GCP), enterprise licensing, SaaS subscriptions, hardware, and professional services.
- Develop and implement sourcing strategies that support business transformation and align with enterprise technology goals and financial targets.
- Evaluate and recommend strategic sourcing opportunities to leadership, incorporating market intelligence and industry trends by spend category.
- Conduct opportunity assessments independently or with analyst support, maintaining high ethical standards across all sourcing activities.
- Own the full vendor lifecycle from RFx through contract execution, ensuring commercial terms, SLAs, and exit provisions protect the organization's interests.
- Manage and optimize the technology vendor portfolio to eliminate redundancy, rationalize spend, and maximize ROI across the ecosystem.
Vendor & Partner Management
- Develop and manage third-party strategic alignment program structures, driving operating cadence in partnership with cross-functional teams across the organization.
- Create roadmaps and execution plans for technology strategy alignment and continuous improvement with key strategic vendors.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and program success.
- Prepare agendas and key talking points to support executive leadership meetings with third-party partners.
- Serve as the primary point of escalation for vendor performance issues, managing remediation plans and holding partners accountable to contractual commitments.
Technical Due Diligence & Innovation
- Drive technical due diligence and integration planning for key strategic third-party and open-source technologies, including preparing and presenting formal reports and readouts to leadership.
- Stay informed on innovations in software, hardware, and emerging technology domains to proactively identify opportunities that drive competitive advantage.
- Partner with architecture and engineering teams to evaluate technology fit, scalability, and risk profile of prospective vendors and solutions.
Governance, Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement
- Establish and maintain processes for recording decisions, tracking action items, and assigning accountable owners across all sourcing and vendor programs.
- Prepare and present regular status reports and dashboards to drive transparency around current initiatives and hold both internal teams and third parties accountable to milestones and deliverables.
- Collaborate with Legal, Finance, Security, and Compliance teams to ensure all sourcing activities meet regulatory, risk, and policy requirements.
- Develop and maintain a technology spend management framework, including budget tracking, forecasting, and renewal calendars to prevent lapsed agreements or unplanned spend.
What we look for:
Required
- 7+ years of experience in technology sourcing, vendor management, or technology procurement within a complex enterprise environment.
- Proven track record negotiating large-scale technology agreements including hyperscaler contracts, enterprise software, and SaaS.
- Strong understanding of commercial licensing models, cloud pricing frameworks, and software contract structures.
- Experience managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships at the executive level.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex sourcing and vendor topics into clear executive narratives.
Preferred
- Experience with source-to-contract (S2C) platforms such as Coupa, Ariba, or Zip.
- Familiarity with open-source governance, third-party risk management (TPRM), and software asset management (SAM).
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Systems, or a related field; MBA or relevant professional certification (e.g., CSMP, CPSM, ITIL) is a plus.
What Success Looks Like in Year One
- Full inventory and rationalization plan completed for the existing technology vendor portfolio.
- Sourcing playbook and governance framework established and adopted across the organization.
- Measurable cost savings or value optimization delivered through renegotiated or newly structured vendor agreements.
- Executive-level vendor partnership cadences in place for top strategic technology partners.
About Databricks
Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Benefits
At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.
Compliance
If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.