Strategic Procurement Manager

Persona•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

We’re looking for a Strategic Procurement Manager to lead strategic sourcing, vendor management, and contract negotiations across Persona. This role will sit at the intersection of Product, Engineering, and Finance, ensuring that our teams have access to the right technology and tools while staying within budget and maximizing value from our vendor relationships. You will report to the Director of Strategic Finance. You will own the full procurement lifecycle for critical technology, infrastructure, and data partnerships, from identifying new vendors and negotiating contracts to managing renewals and ensuring spend is aligned to company strategy. A love of all things data and taking full ownership of the nitty gritty details is an absolute must for this role, as you will be the primary owner of key technology inputs for our product.

Requirements

3+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, or a similar function (preferably in technology, SaaS, or data-heavy environments).
Strong interest in diving deep into contract / vendor structures, understanding how vendor choices impact financials, and taking ownership over the data that leads to procurement decisions
Comfortable partnering with technical stakeholders (engineering, product) and understanding complex requirements.
Analytical mindset with experience in budget tracking and cost optimization.
Excellent project management skills; able to juggle multiple high-impact negotiations and renewals at once.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills — both with vendors and internal partners.
Negotiation and contract management experience, including working closely with legal and finance teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SaaS and data licensing agreements.
Familiarity with privacy, data protection, and compliance considerations (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2, DPA).
Background in scaling procurement processes at a fast-growing tech company.

Responsibilities

Strategic Procurement & Vendor Management
Build and maintain internal vendor tracking systems across all product and platform offerings
Lead end-to-end procurement processes for a wide range of contracts — from niche data vendors to large-scale infrastructure projects
Negotiate commercial and legal terms to secure favorable pricing, SLAs, and risk protections
Partner with legal to drive contract review and manage redlines with vendors.
Collaborate with Product and Engineering leads to understand technical requirements and long-term roadmap needs.
Budgeting & Financial Planning
Work closely with the Finance team to build annual budgets for third-party spend and track costs against forecasts.
Provide visibility to budget owners on spend trends, renewal timelines, and savings opportunities.
Renewals & Contract Lifecycle Management
Own the renewal calendar, ensuring proactive negotiations and alignment with technical stakeholders well ahead of contract deadlines.
Continuously evaluate vendor performance, pricing competitiveness, and opportunities to consolidate or optimize spend.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Act as a primary point of contact for vendors and internal stakeholders
Lead vendor calls and business reviews to ensure alignment on deliverables, service levels, and innovation opportunities.