Program Manager, Executive Search Channel & Vendor Strategy

Kyndryl•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Kyndryl is seeking a Program Manager to operate as the single point of accountability for the executive search channel. This role involves shaping how Kyndryl engages with external partners, managing multi-million-dollar search investments, and delivering consistent hiring outcomes across regions. The position requires a blend of strategy development and operational execution, utilizing data, structured governance, and stakeholder alignment to drive measurable improvements in hiring performance. The Program Manager will collaborate with executive stakeholders, Talent Acquisition leadership, Procurement, Legal, and external partners to establish a disciplined, scalable, and insight-driven search model that supports critical leadership hiring.

Requirements

Extensive experience in executive search operations, vendor management, or executive recruitment program leadership.
Demonstrated experience managing complex global programs with multiple stakeholders and regions.
Proven track record of driving delivery performance accountability.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, contracts, and vendor spend.
Experience defining and managing governance frameworks including SLAs, KPIs, and compliance standards.
Advanced analytical capability with experience building dashboards and translating recruiting data into actionable insights.
Experience working with ATS and CRM systems to manage pipelines and reporting.
Ability to influence senior stakeholders through structured recommendations, data insights, and clear decision frameworks.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing or transforming executive search vendor models at a global or enterprise level.
Background partnering with Procurement and Legal on vendor frameworks and contract negotiations.
Experience driving change management initiatives across distributed or global teams.
Familiarity with executive hiring across multiple industries or geographies.
Experience improving recruitment workflows through automation or process optimization.

Responsibilities

Design and lead vendor strategy, including firm selection, segmentation, and deployment.
Establish a clear and scalable vendor operating model to support priority talent pipelines and reduce fragmentation.
Build long-term partnerships with key search firms aligned to business-critical hiring needs.
Govern agency-led search execution, overseeing active executive searches to ensure delivery of high-quality, business-aligned candidate slates.
Monitor search progression, pacing, and outcomes, identifying risks and defining clear intervention actions.
Set expectations with agencies on search briefs, market positioning, and candidate quality standards.
Drive corrective actions, including recalibration, escalation, or vendor replacement, when performance gaps occur.
Manage end-to-end commercial governance, including vendor approvals, engagement models, and adherence to preferred terms.
Oversee SOWs, contracts, purchase orders, and invoicing in partnership with Procurement and Finance.
Ensure all searches are executed through approved vendors within compliant frameworks.
Optimize search spend, balancing cost management with quality hiring outcomes.
Drive performance management and analytics by defining and implementing SLAs, KPIs, and performance standards for executive search partners.
Build and maintain dashboards to track search progress, cycle time, candidate quality, and hiring outcomes.
Analyze vendor performance and ROI to inform vendor selection and ongoing optimization.
Translate data into actionable insights that improve search strategy and execution.
Lead change management and transformation by implementing standardized global governance processes across executive search activities.
Drive adoption of new vendor models and operating practices across regions and business units.
Engage stakeholders through structured communication and clear expectations on ways of working.
Optimize agency workflows and systems enablement by designing and continuously improving end-to-end executive search agency workflows.
Ensure consistent use of Workday ATS and Encore CRM for pipeline tracking, reporting accuracy, and visibility.
Define system usage standards for internal stakeholders and external agencies.
Partner with HR Technology and Operations to enhance automation, reporting, and vendor tracking capabilities.
Identify and remove process inefficiencies to improve agency cycle time, candidate experience, and hiring leader satisfaction.
Establish a feedback loop using system data and stakeholder input to continuously refine workflows and vendor engagement models.

Benefits

Flexible, supportive environment where well-being is prioritized.
Purposeful work that powers human progress.
Dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture.
Be Well programs supporting financial, mental, physical, and social health.
Impactful work from the first day.
Tools to chart career path.
Personalized development goals.
Continuous feedback.
Access to cutting-edge learning opportunities (certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, coaching, hands-on experiences).
Culture that values empathy, restless learning, and shared success.