Manager, Technology Strategic Sourcing

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery... the stuff dreams are made of. Who We Are... When we say, "the stuff dreams are made of," we're not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD's vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what's next... From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive. Your New Role The Manager of Technology Strategic Sourcing (TSS) will collaborate with our global internal clients across the global WBD Technology, Advertising, and Marketing organizations to execute sourcing and procurement strategies that drive value creation and improved business capability. The Manager will be responsible for managing technology acquisitions from WBD's mid-tier and top-tier technology partnerships, with a primary focus on deal negotiation and strategy in the ad tech, mar tech, data and related fields. Responsibilities will include managing sourcing & competitive events for more complex technology acquisitions, contract planning and negotiation, creating and implementing category strategies and development of sourcing and relationship management policies. Your Role Accountabilities Manager will manage sourcing projects and will handle business and technical contract negotiations for mid-tier and top-tier technology transactions, including: Gathering requirements from relevant WBD stakeholders. Reading, interpreting, understanding, and communicating technology contract terms. Partnering with legal to understand legal concepts and challenges, and problem solve to overcome challenges. Working with Finance and Business Stakeholders to identify budgetary constraints and develop desired set of commercial terms. Negotiating pricing and other commercial terms, as well as Statements of Work, Service Level Agreements, and other technical/operational documents. Owning overall responsibility for delivering finalized agreements in accordance with applicable timing requirements and other relevant factors. Serving as negotiation lead on deal terms including presenting position, counters, and developing fallbacks to produce material savings, improved terms and conditions, and risk reduction for WBD. Managing the request for proposal/quote/information (RFX) process and the competitive bid process for technology vendor selection, where applicable. Deliver cost savings through daily work and through driving proactive cost savings initiatives as part of WBD's Technology Sourcing team The Manager will be responsible to lead the technology vendor and procurement strategy , including: Act as liaison for Technology Business Unit Stakeholders across Legal, Finance, Security, and Procurement and other WBD departments throughout contract negotiation and relationship management process. Implement knowledge of sourcing, contract negotiation and relationship management best practices and industry trends. Identify areas of opportunity in partner categories e.g., supplier and technology rationalizations Manager will act as an WBD business representative conducting relationship management for WBD mid and top tier technology vendors, including: Managing WBD's business relationships with vendors, focusing on business issues, escalations, and other non-operational matters. Planning and managing vendor business reviews; analyzing and rating key vendors. Developing supplier debriefing materials to address performance issues and identify opportunities to improve relationships Preparing and delivering briefing documents, status reporting, and other data/reports on key WBD's technology relationships for senior management. Advising and consulting with clients on market trends, technology, new products, and training. Building strong internal client relationships and serve as a trusted advisor and partner. Maintaining accurate contracting data, vendor records, and transaction information. Manager will provide support to the processing and operations functions of the TSS team, including: Overseeing the request for proposal/quote/information (RFX) process and the competitive bid process for technology vendor selection, where applicable. Identifying and assessing technology vendors/products from a strategic perspective, to ensure that vendor/product selection is aligned with WBD's Technology objectives and strategies. Assessing impact of technology purchases on other parts of the WBD organization, domestically and globally Ensuring compliance with WBD's sourcing & procurement policies. Identifying areas for process improvement, providing recommendations, and working within cross-functional teams to implement changes and improvements to create operational efficiency, savings, improve WBD partner relationships, or mitigate risks. Qualifications & Experience 5+ years strategy, operations and sourcing experience in a sophisticated sourcing environment with demonstrated people management experience. Solid experience and highly developed subject matter expertise in Technology, Advertising or Media. Bachelor's Degree in related field; advanced degree JD/MBA a plus. Experience in the Advertising, Media & Entertainment industry with exposure Technology. Professional accreditation in sourcing / procurement preferred. Advanced negotiation skills and deal analysis. High EQ. Natural and proactive problem solver. Exceptional negotiation skills for both internal and external negotiations and the ability to coach and develop others to do the same. Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Develops financial models, including present mode of operation (PMO) and future mode of operation (FMO), to determine business case for deal or comparison between multiple vendors. Exercises impartial judgment in selecting methods and evaluation criteria for obtaining results or evaluating supplier responses to RFXs. Identify opportunities that could benefit multiple business units by understanding the landscape and impact of supplier's collective business across WBD. Stays current on market intelligence to assist in negotiation effectiveness. Must be flexible and adapt to the ever-changing business needs of technology and advertising clients, be able to work well under pressure in a fast-paced and evolving environment. Ability to own and drive deals to execution and will need to build collaborative relationships in multi-functional teams and have a problem-solving mindset to do so. Team player, self-starter, and quick learning with interpersonal and solution-oriented attitude and an ability to effectively operate with high energy and flexibility in a fast-paced cross functional environment; able to prioritize tasks and projects accordingly. Keen analytic, organizational, and problem-solving skills that enable sound decision making. Ability to identify and deconstruct issues to overcome obstacles. Exceptional written and verbal communications/interpersonal skills, research/analytical skills, and presentation communication skills. Highly organized, with strong attention to detail, clarity, accuracy, and conciseness. Ability to work across global teams and work non-traditional hours, as needed Advanced proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint. Experience using Ariba, CLM tools, SpendHQ, and Scout preferred How We Get Things Done... This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find /guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview. Championing Inclusion at WBD Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law. If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page ( for instructions to submit your request. In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, location, skill set, experience, and/or performance. Base pay is just one component of Warner Bros. Discovery's total compensation package for employees. Pay Range: $78,610.00 - $145,990.00 salary per year. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, an employee wellness program, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and sick time and vacation.

Created: 2024-10-25