Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager– Marketing (Creative Production & Events)(NO C2C OR 3RD PARTY VENDORS!!!)
Location: New York, NY 10007 (Hybrid) open to SFO
Work Arrangement: Hybrid (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in Office)
Contract Duration: Through End of Year with Potential Extension
Pay Rate: $102.20 - $112.42/hour
Schedule: Monday-Friday (8:00 AM-5:00 PM or 9:00 AM-6:00 PM)
About the Opportunity
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager – Creative Production & Events to join a growing Strategic Sourcing team supporting global marketing initiatives. This is a high-impact opportunity for a sourcing professional with deep expertise in creative production, marketing procurement, agency management, and experiential events.
This role will help expand the team's capacity to capture untapped sourcing opportunities, optimize marketing spend, and drive strategic vendor partnerships. The ideal candidate will have the experience and independence to immediately lead sourcing initiatives, negotiate complex agreements, and influence stakeholders across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
- Drive category strategies across Creative Production, Marketing Services, and Experiential Events.
- Conduct spend analysis, market assessments, and supplier evaluations to identify cost-saving and value creation opportunities.
- Develop and present business cases and cost-benefit analyses to support sourcing recommendations.
- Build sourcing strategies that align with organizational objectives and maximize return on marketing investments.
- Monitor industry trends, supplier capabilities, and market dynamics to inform category decisions.
Contracting & Agency Management
- Lead competitive sourcing events including RFI, RFP, RFQ, and other RFX processes.
- Negotiate and manage commercial agreements including:
- Master Services Agreements (MSAs)
- Statements of Work (SOWs)
- Agency rate cards
- Retainer agreements
- Manage sourcing and contracting activities with:
- Creative agencies
- Production companies
- Experiential event firms
- Venues
- Event staffing agencies
- Logistics providers
Cost Benchmarking & Production Operations
- Partner with third-party production cost consultants to review bids and benchmark production costs.
- Evaluate vendor proposals to ensure competitive pricing and optimal value.
- Support bid review processes and production cost governance initiatives.
- Develop insights and recommendations to improve marketing spend efficiency.
Stakeholder & Vendor Performance Management
- Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders, marketing leaders, agency partners, and suppliers.
- Lead vendor performance management activities and support achievement of category KPIs.
- Drive project implementation and change management efforts.
- Communicate sourcing progress, risks, and recommendations to leadership teams.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 4+ years of direct hands-on experience in Creative Production sourcing and procurement.
- Proven experience independently managing end-to-end sourcing initiatives.
- Experience leading:
- Supplier negotiations
- Competitive sourcing events (RFXs)
- Contract negotiations
- Experience negotiating with:
- Creative agencies
- Production vendors
- Experiential event suppliers
- Strong understanding of commercial models including:
- Firm-bid pricing
- Cost-plus arrangements
- Hourly rate cards
- Retainer structures
- Demonstrated experience conducting spend analysis and supply market assessments.
- Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to develop business cases and cost-benefit analyses.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
- Ability to operate independently with minimal oversight from day one.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting Creative Production and Events categories within a marketing procurement environment.
- Supplier performance management experience.
- Change management and project implementation experience.
- Advanced Excel, analytics, and presentation skills.
- Experience working in highly matrixed organizations.
- Familiarity with industry organizations such as:
- ANA
- WFA
- AICP
- AICE
- Experience with SOW and contract lifecycle management tools.
- Exposure to production cost consultancy, bid review, or pricing benchmark programs.
What Success Looks Like
- Delivers measurable spend optimization across production and event categories.
- Successfully negotiates agency and vendor agreements that improve value and reduce risk.
- Builds strong cross-functional partnerships across marketing, procurement, finance, legal, and operations.
- Provides immediate operational leadership and sourcing expertise.
- Expands the team's capacity to pursue strategic opportunities while maintaining strong vendor governance.
Why Join?
This is an opportunity to join a lean, high-impact strategic sourcing team where your expertise will directly influence sourcing strategy, supplier performance, and marketing investment outcomes. We're looking for a seasoned professional who can hit the ground running, provide immediate value, and serve as a trusted advisor across a wide range of stakeholders.