Strategic Sourcing Manager, Marketing & Advertising

Aquent is partnering with an industry-leading retail brand that is redefining the consumer experience. This innovative company is dedicated to delivering exceptional value and experiences to its customers, and you will play a pivotal role in shaping its future. Join a team where your expertise will directly influence strategic partnerships, optimize critical operations, and drive significant impact across a highly visible organization, making a tangible difference in how this brand connects with its audience.

Unleash Your Strategic Impact in Marketing & Advertising Sourcing

Are you a dynamic individual ready to step into a pivotal role that directly influences a brand's market presence and commercial success? We are seeking a visionary professional to join a highly visible Strategic Sourcing team, where you will be instrumental in managing crucial marketing and advertising relationships. This is your chance to drive efficiency, value, and strategic alignment, ensuring every partnership resonates with the brand's mission and connects powerfully with its audience. You'll contribute to key initiatives by optimizing how the company engages with its market, shaping future strategies, and delivering exceptional value.

What You'll Do

• Lead comprehensive sourcing and commercial activities across diverse marketing and advertising categories, with an immediate focus on agency contracts, renewals, scopes of work, and stakeholder support.
• Manage complex contract negotiations, renewals, commercial terms, and agency agreements, collaborating seamlessly with legal and shared-services teams to streamline approval processes.
• Support the finalization of critical sourcing events, including creative and immersive agency engagements, and facilitate the smooth transition of awarded business into contract execution and ongoing supplier management.
• Cultivate strong, collaborative relationships across the Marketing organization, effectively communicating intricate sourcing and commercial considerations to creative teams, business leaders, and senior executives.
• Prepare executive-ready materials, including concise deal summaries, in-depth rate analyses, insightful reports, and compelling presentations that clearly articulate financial impact, risks, tradeoffs, and necessary strategic decisions.
• Utilize advanced analytical tools to rigorously evaluate agency rates, commercial models, supplier performance, and market benchmarks, proactively identifying new sourcing opportunities that drive value.
• Collaborate closely with senior management to develop robust category plans, innovative supplier strategies, and identify significant savings opportunities for long-term marketing and advertising sourcing priorities.
• Identify and proactively communicate potential contractual, commercial, project, and supplier risks, offering clear, actionable solutions and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Provide consultative and highly responsive support to stakeholders across a fast-paced and highly visible organization, consistently driving exceptional service and fostering strong partnerships.

What You'll Bring (Must-Have Qualifications)

• Approximately five or more years of cumulative experience in Marketing, Advertising, agency management, marketing procurement, sourcing, strategic partnerships, or related functions.
• Direct, hands-on experience working with Marketing and Advertising categories, gained potentially from an agency, brand, retailer, or consulting environment.
• Proven expertise in priority marketing categories such as social media, influencer marketing, creative agencies, media, immersive or experiential agencies, external communications, PR, content production, print, or direct mail.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating or managing marketing-related contracts, agency agreements, MSAs, SOWs, renewals, rate structures, and commercial terms.
• Exceptional ability to understand and communicate effectively with creative and marketing teams, building instant credibility with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Comfortable working with and presenting to senior leaders, including VP-level stakeholders and above, with poise and clarity.
• Exceptional attention to detail, capable of managing multiple concurrent workstreams, complex contracts, detailed deal summaries, presentations, and reports with unwavering accuracy.
• Strong analytical and presentation capabilities, including advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint for sophisticated rate analysis, commercial comparisons, and executive-facing materials.
• A Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

What Will Set You Apart (Nice-to-Have Qualifications)

• Extensive experience with supplier negotiations, RFx processes, category strategy development, spend analysis, robust supplier management, sourcing tools, or advanced procurement processes.
• Previous consulting, agency, or other high-touch client-service experience, demonstrating a strong client-centric approach.
• A high degree of adaptability, comfortable taking ownership of work quickly in a fast-paced environment with a high volume of contracts and competing priorities.

Occasional travel may be required for this role. This position is initially focused on supporting immediate business needs, with potential for extension based on business requirements, budget, and performance.