Sourcing Manager V

Our client is seeking a Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management Program Manager to support the onboarding, contracting, and ongoing management of vendor partners that provide human-annotated data for AI and Generative AI initiatives. This individual will serve as a key liaison between business stakeholders, sourcing teams, and external vendors, ensuring efficient execution from vendor selection through contract completion and program launch while driving supplier performance, governance, and compliance.

Job Title: Sourcing Manager IV
Schedule: Hybrid (3 days onsite)
Employment Type: 6 month contract (possibility for extension)
Location: New York, New York
Compensation: $100-105/hr W2

Job Summary

Our client is seeking a Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management Program Manager to support the onboarding, contracting, and ongoing management of vendor partners that provide human-annotated data for AI and Generative AI initiatives. This individual will serve as a key liaison between business stakeholders, sourcing teams, and external vendors, ensuring efficient execution from vendor selection through contract completion and program launch while driving supplier performance, governance, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with internal stakeholders to execute sourcing, onboarding, and vendor management activities for AI, GenAI, data annotation, and data collection suppliers.
• Manage the end-to-end vendor engagement lifecycle, from vendor selection and evaluation through contract execution and operational launch.
• Lead commercial contract negotiations to achieve favorable pricing, service levels, quality standards, and business outcomes.
• Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships while monitoring performance against established KPIs and service level agreements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure supplier compliance, governance, and operational excellence.
• Analyze vendor proposals, pricing structures, and cost models to identify savings opportunities and maximize return on investment.
• Provide market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and sourcing recommendations to leadership and business stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize vendor performance, quality, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Prepare executive-level presentations, summaries, and business updates regarding sourcing initiatives and supplier performance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, outsourcing, procurement, vendor management, or supplier program management.
• Proven experience negotiating complex contracts and managing external supplier relationships.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrated success negotiating pricing, volume discounts, service levels, quality metrics, and delivery commitments.
• Experience managing cross-functional programs involving internal stakeholders and third-party vendors.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and project management skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and communicate recommendations to executive stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience sourcing vendors supporting machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), Generative AI (GenAI), or large language model (LLM) initiatives.
• Background managing large-scale data annotation, labeling, or data collection programs.
• Experience working with BPO providers, crowdsourcing platforms, freelance talent networks, or specialized data services vendors.
• Understanding of vendor cost structures, financial modeling, and ROI analysis.
• Experience supporting AI research, model training, or data operations functions within a technology organization.

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