Engineering and IT Vendor Manager

This role owns the full vendor lifecycle for Cloud, IT, Security, Dev, and Product spend — and serves as a technical advisor to the Spend Management Lead, translating vendor complexity into clear commercial decisions. It requires equal strength in procurement and technology: someone who can negotiate contracts and challenge spend, and who can evaluate vendor proposals, assess platform risk, and hold their own in a room with Engineering or IT stakeholders

Vendor Lifecycle & Commercial Governance

• Own end-to-end vendor management for Cloud, IT, Security, Dev, and Product — intake through offboarding.

• Challenge stakeholders and vendors on cost, scope, and business justification for all new requests and renewals; drive consolidation and savings across the portfolio.

• Manage the renewal calendar with Procurement; initiate business owner outreach six months out.

• Help maintain CLM documentation and PO records.

Technical Advisory

• Review vendor proposals and roadmaps with the Spend Management Lead — flag technical risks, assess vendor claims, and translate findings into procurement recommendations.

• Engage directly with Engineering, IT, and Security stakeholders; prepare the Spend Management Lead for vendor negotiations and technical conversations.

• Evaluate AI/ML platforms, cloud tooling, and security products for fit, lock-in risk, and alignment with CentralSquare's architecture.

Intake & Governance

• Triage all IT and engineering vendor requests. Flag all AI tool requests for AI Council review.

• Enforce the single front door — no vendor spend proceeds via email or verbal channels.

• Review reporting with other members of Procurement, Finance, and key business partners on portfolio performance, renewal pipeline, and spend trends.

Experience

• 5–8+ years across procurement/vendor management and a technical environment — cloud, infrastructure, engineering, or security.

• Track record managing multi-category vendor portfolios: SaaS, cloud, developer tooling, security, or AI platforms.

• Prior direct experience with Engineering, IT, or Product stakeholders — either embedded in a technical org or through a prior technical role.

Technical

• Working knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) sufficient to evaluate proposals and assess dependencies. Associate-level certification strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with developer tooling, enterprise security categories (endpoint, IAM, SIEM), and AI/ML commercial models and governance requirements.

• Can read and critically evaluate vendor technical proposals — knows what to challenge and where the risks are.

Procurement & Commercial

• Fluent in SaaS, cloud, and AI vendor pricing models; able to build TCO analyses and lead negotiations independently.

• Experience with Smartsheet, NetSuite, and CLM tools. CPSM, CIPS, or equivalent certification a plus.

Attributes

• Technically credible with Engineering; commercially assertive with vendors — effective in both contexts.

• Translates complex vendor proposals into concise executive summaries; discusses architecture trade-offs with solutions engineers in the same meeting.

• Proactive and a close working partner to the Spend Management Lead — keeps them informed and well-prepared.