Manager, Strategic Sourcing- Indirect Categories

About the role

The Strategic Sourcing team is a dynamic, collaborative group that partners with leaders across the organization to drive decisions that maximize value and impact. We combine market insight, strong supplier relationships, and strategic sourcing practices to ensure every dollar we spend advances the College Board's mission. Our work strengthens operations, promotes sustainability, and ensures that the organization's resources are used thoughtfully and effectively in service of students everywhere. The Strategic Sourcing team at College Board is embarking on an exciting transformation, shifting from transactional procurement to a model centered on strategic engagement. This role will join a team of sourcing leaders dedicated to delivering meaningful, measurable value to the organization, directly supporting our mission and the students we serve. The Manager, Strategic Sourcing- Indirect Categories will lead enterprise-wide procurement initiatives, supplier relationship management, and contract management activities across multiple categories of spend . In this role, you will develop and implement sourcing strategies, conduct market and supplier research, manage RFI/RFP/RFQ processes, oversee supplier evaluation and selection, and drive contract negotiations. You will work within the S trategic Sourcing team and will be responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies for Marketing and Professional Services related products and service s ( e.g. Advertising & Media Buying, Creative & Content Services, Print & Production Services, Consulting Services, Legal & Advisory Services ) . This role also supports enterprise-wide AI Technology initiatives and ensures that the College Board obtains the best value while mitigating risk and maintaining compliance with security standards. You will also partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders including Engagement and Reach and Global Policy and External Relations, as well as partners in Governance Risk and Compliance, Legal, Finance, and suppliers to align sourcing strategies with organizational goals, mitigate risk, manage supplier relationships and ensure compliance with policies and regulations. This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to foster supplier and stakeholder partnerships that drive measurable value to College Board. In this role, you will: Strategic Sourcing & Category Management (70%) Lead the development and execution of sourcing strategies to optimize spend, reduce risk, and enhance value in alignment with organizational objectives . Identify , evaluate, and make recommendations on selection of suppliers and Marketing & Professional Services related products and services. Understand the current supplier landscape and identify opportunities to consolidate demand and drive cost savings while maintaining service quality. Proactively update sourcing strategies based on market analysis and risk assessment, aligning with organizational goals and industry trends Supplier & Contract Management (15%) Lead supplier selection , performance management, and relationship development in partnership with internal stakeholders. Lead negotiations of commercial terms, service-level agreements (SLAs), and licensing models to achieve favorable cost, risk, and performance outcomes. Partner with Legal, GRC and Information Security teams to ensure all security and business term requirements are included in contracts. Manage ongoing supplier relationships, performance reviews, and escalation processes. Data & Process Excellence (10%) Gather and analyze spend data to benchmark and identify opportunities for savings and efficiency. Create category specific cost models, including TCO analyses, to support data driven sourcing recommendations and track impact against organizational goals and metrics. Adopt and leverage existing Procurement tools and platforms, as well as enterprise AI tools, to deliver value driven insights and recommendations Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration (5%) Proactively engage with stakeholders to understand their goals and planned initiatives, translating insights into category sourcing strategies that anticipate needs, align with enterprise objectives , and deliver strategic value. Serve as a trusted advisor to business units on category related procurement and sourcing matters, delivering market insights, improving supplier performance, and ensuring contract and policy compliance. About You To qualify for this role, you must have: Bachelor's degree required 4 + years of exper