Corporate, Planning & Management, Strategic Sourcing Manager (AI), Associate, Dallas

Goldman Sachs

81d

About The Position

Professionals in CPM have an analytical mindset, exhibit intellectual curiosity and are from diverse academic backgrounds. This role sits within the Spend Management pillar. The Strategic Sourcing team within Spend Management is responsible for driving the execution of strategic priorities, including firm’s operational efficiency targets, as it relates to the Firm’s relationships with vendors. We partner with a wide range of stakeholders across the firm as we support spend categories across Technology, Professional Services, Legal, Corporate Workplace, Human Resources, and Marketing, among others. As a result, we are actively involved in the entirety of the vendor relationship lifecycle – from procurement to payment. The Strategic Sourcing professional is a highly commercial role that requires extensive internal and external interfacing with a number of constituents, implementation of best practices and sound judgement to arrive at the right outcomes for the firm. This role will sit within the Technology category, where we partner with Engineering leadership as well as other stakeholders across the firm on all artificial intelligence (AI), software/SaaS, cloud compute, hardware, storage, telecommunications, multi-media, and co-location engagements. This role will report into the Software category leader. Goldman Sachs is at the forefront of leveraging AI to transform our operations, client services, and strategic capabilities. We are seeking an exceptional Strategic Sourcing Manager to embed directly within our AI ecosystem, partnering closely with the AI Engineering team. This pivotal role will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive sourcing strategy for our AI and emerging technology stack. The successful candidate will strategically define which supplier technologies we concentrate spend on, actively eliminate "rogue spend" across the firm, and align the best-in-class suppliers to our critical AI strategic use cases, ensuring optimal value, mitigated risk, and accelerated innovation.

Requirements

Education: Relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with an excellent academic record; CPSM certification or MBA a plus
Strategic Sourcing Expertise: Proven track record (3-5+ years) in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiation, specifically within the technology domain.
Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of financial analysis, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), business case development, and budget management. Ability to quantify and articulate financial impact.
Negotiation & Influence: Strong negotiation skills with a demonstrated ability to achieve favorable commercial outcomes while maintaining strong supplier relationships. Ability to influence senior stakeholders across technical and business functions.
Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to build rapport and effectively collaborate with diverse internal teams (technical, legal, business, risk) and external suppliers.
Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex sourcing initiatives simultaneously, meet deadlines, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
AI Technology Landscape Knowledge: Understanding of the AL/ML technology landscape, including key vendors, market trends, architectural components, and common use cases (e.g., NLP, computer vision, predictive analytics).
Cloud & Software Sourcing: Experience sourcing cloud-based services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and enterprise software, with an understanding of various licensing models, consumption-based pricing, and API integration considerations.
Data & IP Acumen: Familiarity with data governance, data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), data security best practices, and intellectual property considerations specifically as they relate to AI models, training data, and algorithms.
Technical Translation: Ability to understand technical requirements from engineers and data scientists and translate them into commercially viable sourcing strategies and contractual terms.

Nice To Haves

Commercial and contract negotiation experience focused on AI/ML
Prior experience with the SAP Spend Management suite of products, including Ariba
Prior experience in the financial services industry or other highly regulated environments
Prior commercial experience with well-known enterprise AI vendors
Prior technical experience or in-depth understanding of technical concepts

Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing for AI/ML Technologies:
Implement proactive, long-term sourcing strategies for critical AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies, including but not limited to: cloud AI/ML platforms (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, Google AI Platform), specialized hardware (e.g., GPUs, AI accelerators), data labeling services, proprietary AI software, MLOps tools, AI model governance solutions, ethical AI tools, and external data sets.
Conduct in-depth market research and vendor landscape analysis within the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem to identify leading-edge solutions and emerging trends.
Collaborate with AI leadership and their engineering teams to translate complex technical requirements and future roadmaps into actionable sourcing strategies and commercial opportunities.
Commercial Negotiation & Contract Management:
Lead complex commercial negotiations for high-value AI technology agreements, ensuring optimal pricing, favorable terms and conditions, robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and clear intellectual property rights.
Navigate critical contractual clauses pertaining to data privacy, data security, data usage, ethical AI principles, and regulatory compliance (e.g., DORA, GDPR, CCPA).
Manage the full contract lifecycle from RFP to contract execution and ongoing performance management.
Spend Optimization & Value Realization:
Identify opportunities for spend consolidation and rationalization across disparate AI technology purchases.
Implement strategies to eliminate "rogue spend" by promoting preferred vendor utilization and standardizing procurement processes for AI-related services and products.
Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis, developing robust business cases to justify investments and demonstrate value.
Proactively identify and secure cost savings and avoidance opportunities while enhancing service levels and innovation from our supplier base.
Stakeholder & Supplier Relationship Management:
Cultivate strong, trusted advisor relationships with key internal stakeholders, including the Head of AI, engineering leads, legal, risk management, cybersecurity, and relevant business units.
Develop and manage strategic supplier relationships, fostering collaboration and innovation to ensure continuous alignment with Goldman Sachs's AI strategy.
Act as the primary interface between the firm's AI leadership and the supplier community.
Risk Management & Compliance:
Ensure all sourcing activities and supplier relationships adhere to Goldman Sachs's stringent third-party risk management (TPRM) policies, regulatory requirements, and internal controls.
Work closely with TPRM and Legal to manage supplier due diligence, risk assessments, and contractual compliance, particularly concerning data governance and intellectual property in AI.