AVP, Vendor Strategy & Cost Management

Ensemble Health Partners•Work at Home - Ohio - Other, OH

11d•$163,600 - $220,400•Remote

About The Position

The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Vendor Strategy & Cost Management serves as the enterprise leader responsible for optimizing vendor-related financial performance across the organization through advanced spend analytics, utilization management, strategic sourcing, and contract negotiations. This role functions as the organization's “cost czar,” providing deep analytical oversight of vendor spend, utilization trends, pricing structures, and commercial performance. The AVP partners closely with Finance, Operations, Revenue Cycle, Information Technology, Legal, Risk, and executive leadership to ensure vendor investments are strategically aligned, economically justified, and delivering measurable value. The AVP leads the organization's most complex sourcing events and negotiations, establishes financial accountability for vendor spend, and challenges business stakeholders to validate utilization, demand, and purchasing decisions. Through fact-based analysis and executive influence, this leader drives cost optimization, margin improvement, and enterprise value realization while maintaining strong business partnerships.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Healthcare Administration, or related field.
10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, vendor management, finance, consulting, procurement, or healthcare operations.
5+ years of leadership experience managing teams, programs, or enterprise initiatives.
Demonstrated success leading complex negotiations with national and enterprise suppliers.
Advanced analytical and financial modeling capabilities.
Experience building executive-level business cases and financial recommendations.
Strong understanding of contract management principles and vendor governance.
Demonstrated advanced usage of AI, success in translating AI into Business outcomes, and the ability to move teams from experimentation to scale.

Nice To Haves

Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management experience.
Experience supporting FP&A, corporate finance, consulting, or value realization functions.
CPSM, CIPS, CRCR, Lean, Six Sigma, MBA, or equivalent advanced certification or degree.
Experience utilizing Power BI, Tableau, Workday, and advanced analytics platforms.
Experience managing large-scale enterprise vendor portfolios.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary leader responsible for enterprise vendor spend transparency and optimization.
Analyze vendor expenditures across all categories to identify savings opportunities, utilization trends, contract leakage, and margin improvement opportunities.
Establish enterprise standards for spend reporting, utilization reviews, and sourcing governance.
Develop executive-level dashboards and reporting that provide visibility into vendor financial performance and emerging trends.
Partner with Finance and FP&A to validate savings opportunities, financial assumptions, and realized value.
Conduct comprehensive price and quantity analysis across vendor portfolios.
Challenge business assumptions and utilization trends to ensure spending decisions are justified and aligned with business priorities.
Review consumption patterns, transaction volumes, staffing models, and operational demand drivers to identify optimization opportunities.
Facilitate discussions with business stakeholders regarding utilization variances, budget impacts, and spend management strategies.
Establish governance processes that promote responsible consumption and cost accountability.
Serve as lead negotiator for the organization's most significant vendor agreements and sourcing initiatives.
Develop negotiation strategies that balance financial, operational, service, and risk objectives.
Lead complex RFPs, RFIs, supplier evaluations, and vendor selection processes.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Risk, and business leaders to structure favorable commercial and contractual outcomes.
Ensure negotiated value is measurable, trackable, and realized throughout the contract lifecycle.
Maintain an understanding of healthcare revenue cycle operations, technology, and vendor landscapes.
Evaluate vendor performance, pricing models, and market competitiveness across Revenue Cycle Management services.
Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance while reducing operational costs and enhancing financial outcomes.
Provide strategic recommendations regarding vendor consolidation, insourcing, outsourcing, automation, and technology investments.
Maintain a strong partnership with Finance through a formal dotted-line reporting relationship.
Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and long-range financial planning activities related to vendor spend.
Validate and track realized cost savings, cost avoidance, and margin improvement opportunities.
Develop business cases supporting sourcing decisions and investment recommendations.
Ensure sourcing initiatives align with organizational financial goals and performance targets.
Influence cross-functional teams through data, insights, and executive communication.
Build strong partnerships across Operations, Finance, Accounting, FP&A, Information Technology, Legal, Compliance, and Executive Leadership.
Foster a culture of accountability, analytical rigor, and continuous improvement.
Mentor sourcing professionals, analysts, and contract managers in financial analysis and negotiation strategies.
Serve as a trusted advisor to organizational leadership on vendor-related financial decisions.