Asset & Wealth Management - Tech Vendor Management - Richardson - Vice President

Goldman Sachs•Richardson, TX

About The Position

The VP of Technical Vendor Management & Due Diligence is responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of external technology partnerships. This leader will drive the strategic engagement with third-party technology companies, ensuring that all external solutions align with the organization’s technical standards, scalability requirements, and long-term product roadmaps. You will be the primary technical authority for evaluating vendor capabilities, conducting rigorous due diligence, and negotiating complex Statements of Work (SOWs) to ensure operational excellence and risk mitigation.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in software engineering, systems architecture, or technical product management
At least 5 years in a leadership role
Proven experience conducting technical due diligence for M&A or large-scale vendor integrations
Deep understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP), microservices architecture, and modern CI/CD pipelines
Exceptional ability to negotiate complex technical contracts and SOWs with global technology providers
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical executive leadership and cross-functional partners (Legal, Finance, Procurement)
Strong data-driven approach to evaluating vendor performance and system scalability
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field

Nice To Haves

MBA or equivalent business experience is a plus

Responsibilities

Define and execute the strategy for engaging with external technology vendors, ensuring alignment with the internal engineering roadmap.
Lead the technical evaluation of potential partners, focusing on codebase quality, architectural integrity, security protocols, and technical debt.
Evaluate vendor product roadmaps to ensure long-term compatibility with internal business goals and emerging industry trends.
Conduct deep-dive evaluations of vendor systems to ensure they can meet the organization’s performance, volume, and growth requirements.
Analyze and define optimal deployment models (SaaS, On-prem, Hybrid, Cloud-native) for integrated third-party solutions.
Ensure external technologies integrate seamlessly with internal APIs, data structures, and security frameworks.
Define and establish rigorous Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that protect the organization’s operational integrity.
Implement frameworks for continuous monitoring of vendor performance against technical and operational benchmarks.
Identify and mitigate technical risks associated with third-party dependencies, including business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
Lead the negotiation of technical Statements of Work (SOWs), ensuring clear definitions of deliverables, milestones, and acceptance criteria.
Partner with Procurement and Legal teams to ensure technical requirements are accurately reflected in Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and commercial terms.
Manage the full lifecycle of the relationship, from initial RFI/RFP through to offboarding or contract renewal.