Digital NA Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Performance Manager
4 days ago
Herndon
The Digital NA Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Performance Manager at Airbus is a senior and critical role responsible for owning the strategy, performance, and regional harmonization of the digital vendor ecosystem for Digital North America. You will act as the primary Digital business partner to the North American Procurement team and as the critical coordination point with our Corporate headquarters in Europe (specifically Central Digital Governance and Procurement teams). This role needs to ensure that all North American digital contracts, Statements of Work (SOWs), and supplier engagements are strategically aligned and harmonized regionally and with the global master agreements and standards established in Europe. This position requires familiarity with modern digital technologies (Cloud, SaaS, AI/ML, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity), complex software asset management (SAM), and the ability to manage supplier performance to maximize value, innovation, and service quality for Airbus Digital in North America. Primary Responsibilities: Harmonization & Contract Strategy: 40% • Serve as the lead Digital-side authority for North America on all global vendor agreements and Digital-related procurement policies, as well as software asset management (SAM) principles, • Liaise directly with Central Digital Governance and Procurement teams to maintain a deep understanding of the portfolio of existing Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and preferred supplier lists., • Drive the harmonization of all North American Digital contracts. Proactively review new and existing regional agreements to ensure they are executed as SOWs or Service Orders under the established European global contracts wherever possible., • Lead MFT teams to provide regional technical and business requirements in collaboration with back to European teams to influence future global contract negotiations, ensuring North American needs are met., • Lead the regional management of software licensing (e.g., perpetual, subscription, Enterprise License Agreements - ELAs) to identify consolidation opportunities and ensure compliance with global SAM policies., • Lead analysis of Digital licence and supplier spend data to identify opportunities for consolidation, cost reduction, and process improvements., • Spearhead commercial and contractual negotiations with key digital suppliers. Secure best-in-class terms focusing on scalability, innovation, risk mitigation, and long-term value, not just initial cost., • Act as the primary IT subject matter expert and strategic partner to the North American Procurement team., • Translate the Airbus Digital North America technical roadmap (e.g., Cloud, AI, Data, software) into a forward-looking vendor strategy., • Drive efforts for technical requirements, scopes of work (SOWs), and critical Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for new Digital initiatives., • Collaborate with the NA Procurement team, who will lead the commercial RFPs and negotiation process. This role will own the technical evaluation of supplier proposals, assessing them for architectural fit, technical merit, and long-term value., • Own the post-contract supplier relationship from a Digital operations and performance perspective., • Drive value, mitigate risks, optimize total cost of ownership (TCO), and ensure that our Digital vendor partnerships align with the company's strategic and technological objectives., • Establish and manage a formal Vendor Performance Management (VPM) program, in addition to monitoring software license utilization, consumption, and audit compliance., • Define, track, and report on vendor scorecards, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and adherence to contractual SLAs, ensuring suppliers meet both service and software compliance obligations., • Develop and maintain dashboards to track and report on key metrics, including cost savings, spend under management, and vendor performance., • Lead and chair Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) focusing on technical performance, service delivery, risk management, software asset optimization, and innovation. Education: Required • Minimum of 10+ years of experience in an IT environment, with at least 5+ years focused on IT Service Management (ITSM), performance analysis, or process improvement., • Minimum of 8-10 years in a senior IT role such as IT Vendor Management, IT Strategy, Software Asset Management (SAM), or Technical Program Management., • Demonstrable experience managing relationships and performance for major enterprise software suppliers (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Siemens, Dassault Systmes) as well as key digital/cloud providers (AWS, Google, etc.). Citizenship: Authorized to Work in the US Clearance: NA Qualified Skills: Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities: Required • Analytical Mindset: Exceptional analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail., • Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the bigger picture and connect IT performance metrics to strategic business outcomes., • Experience in large scale, high risk, or strategic project sourcing, with a background in a procurement environment in a large global enterprise., • Demonstrated experience in managing issues, scope and quality while bringing projects to successful completion within the cost and time requirements., • Cost conscious and cost reduction / optimization mindset., • Knowledge of Business Case Analysis & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Approach., • Excellent "maneuvering' skills in a demanding, multi-functional and multinational environment., • Excellent Communication Bilingual (spoken and written) in French, English and Networking skills are essential and a strong ability to influence., • Customer-oriented mindset, adaptive., • Understanding of complex enterprise software licensing models (ELA, subscription, consumption-based, perpetual) and SAM principles., • Technical knowledge of modern IT stacks (Cloud, SaaS, PaaS, AI, Data)., • Strong understanding of IT contract structures, SLAs, SOWs, and software audit processes., • Data Analysis & Visualization: Expertise in data analysis and reporting tools like Qlik Sense, Google Studio, Tableau, • Technology ecosystem understanding: must grasp how various IT componentshardware, software, and servicesinteract and integrate within the company's overall technology framework., • Knowledge of IT categories: understanding of a wide range of technology categories, including: Software (enterprise applications, SaaS, etc.), Hardware (servers, networking equipment, user devices), Telecommunications, Data centers and cloud services., • IT infrastructure concepts: Familiarity with IT infrastructure principles, such as network architecture, security protocols, and data storage, enables them to evaluate vendor solutions on a technical level., • Identify root causes of main performance gaps for Digital NA N+1: HO Digital NA Governance Transformation & US PM Direct Reports: Is this a people manager? No of Exempt Reports: 0 of Non-exempt Reports: 0 Job Dimensions: • International environment with very different culture and mind-sets., • Diverse company products portfolio and highly complex products: commercial