Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing - AI

EchoStar•Centennial, CO

About The Position

EchoStar’s Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing – AI builds, configures, and supervises autonomous AI agents across the source-to-pay lifecycle. The role balances automated RFP execution, spend analysis, and bid evaluation with strategic negotiation, supplier relationship management, and governance oversight. It uses intelligent automation to expand sourcing capacity while maintaining total cost of ownership optimization, supplier accountability, and corporate compliance. The position is responsible for implementing and integrating an autonomous RFP tool, directing AI-agent workflows, and establishing human-in-the-loop governance. Success includes achieving 20% autonomous sourcing-event execution by the end of 2027 and delivering 10% weighted average cost savings or avoidance across completed sourcing events. The role also streamlines stakeholder and supplier communications, automates status tracking, and enables the department to focus on strategic supplier relationships, innovation partnerships, and complex negotiations. The position is part of EchoStar’s Financial organization, which supports the company’s business lines through finance, accounting, audit, and supply chain management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field.
At least 7 years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, including strong experience leading complex and high-value RFx events.
At least 7 years of experience executing complex RFx events (RFP, RFQ, RFI) and conducting AI-assisted bid analysis.
At least 7 years of experience using AI-based or advanced analytical tools for spend analysis, forecasting, and scenario modeling.
At least 7 years of experience in supplier performance management and commercial contract negotiation.
At least 7 years of experience with procurement technology implementations and source-to-pay platform integration.
Experience managing technically complex direct and indirect supplier spend categories within high-technology and IT supply chains.
Ability to design, configure, and supervise autonomous AI agents for sourcing workflows.
Expertise in evaluating AI-generated recommendations, spend classifications, and bid comparisons for accuracy and auditability.
Strategic prompt-engineering ability to frame complex sourcing scenarios, total-cost-of-ownership models, and risk parameters for AI models.
Ability to design governance and decision-rights frameworks for automated, human-approved, and human-led sourcing tiers.
Ability to map, document, standardize, and continually improve procurement workflows and agent-performance metrics.
Willingness to participate in at least one in-person interview.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree, MBA, or related field.
Familiarity with agentic AI procurement platforms such as GEP, Jaggaer, Coupa, Globality, Zycus, or Mercanis.
Experience with AI governance frameworks or human-in-the-loop workflow design.
Knowledge of procurement technology architecture, spend analytics, and AI integration layers.

Responsibilities

Build, configure, supervise, and refine autonomous AI agents for sourcing workflows, with operational guardrails and escalation thresholds.
Implement and integrate the autonomous RFP tool across functions, targeting 20% autonomous sourcing-event execution by the end of 2027.
Use AI agents for spend analysis, market benchmarking, and scenario modeling to deliver 10% weighted average cost savings or avoidance across completed sourcing events.
Accelerate sourcing execution through automated RFx drafting, continuous bid analysis, and parallel event orchestration.
Establish a three-tier human-in-the-loop governance framework and decision-rights frameworks for automated, human-approved, and human-led sourcing.
Review AI-generated recommendations, spend classifications, and bid comparisons for accuracy and auditability.
Manage strategic sourcing events, supplier performance, commercial contract negotiations, and supplier relationships.
Streamline stakeholder and supplier communications, establish automated status tracking, and incorporate AI-researched insights into agreements.
Map, document, standardize, and continuously refine procurement workflows and AI-agent performance metrics.
Enable the department to focus on high-value supplier relationships, innovation partnerships, and complex negotiations.