Strategic Sourcing Manager, Marketing & Advertising

Aquent is thrilled to partner with an industry-leading retail brand that is shaping the future of consumer experiences. This company is renowned for its innovative approach and commitment to excellence, and you will play a pivotal role in driving its continued success. Join a dynamic team where your strategic vision and hands-on expertise will directly influence how this beloved brand connects with its audience, making a tangible impact on its marketing and advertising initiatives.

We are seeking an experienced Strategic Sourcing professional to join our client's Marketing and Advertising organization. This highly visible role offers a unique opportunity to shape key commercial relationships and optimize spend across a broad portfolio of marketing services. You will be instrumental in bridging the gap between creative vision and commercial execution, ensuring that every marketing dollar delivers maximum value and impact. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can balance strategic thinking with detailed execution, this is your chance to make a significant contribution to a leading retail brand.

What You Will Do to Make an Impact

• Lead and support end-to-end strategic sourcing activities across Marketing and Advertising categories, including agency/vendor intake, requirements gathering, market assessment, RFx activity, supplier evaluation, negotiation, contracting, implementation, and ongoing supplier management.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of marketing-related contracts, renewals, Statements of Work (SOWs), agency agreements, commercial terms, and supplier requests, handling all detailed administrative and coordination work from intake through execution.
• Negotiate commercial terms, agency fee structures, rate cards, SOWs, renewals, and other supplier agreements in close partnership with Legal, Finance, Marketing, and shared-services teams.
• Lead or support RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes for marketing services, encompassing requirements development, supplier outreach, bid analysis, evaluation governance, award recommendations, and implementation.
• Support a wide array of Marketing and Advertising categories, such as creative agencies, media, social media, influencer marketing, content production, experiential or immersive agencies, PR and external communications, print, direct mail, branded materials, and related marketing services.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with Marketing and creative stakeholders, effectively translating business needs into clear scopes, robust sourcing strategies, sound commercial recommendations, and executable agreements.
• Prepare executive-ready materials, including deal summaries, rate comparisons, spend analyses, supplier recommendations, savings opportunities, risk considerations, and presentations for senior leadership.
• Analyze agency rates, commercial models, supplier performance, spend data, and market benchmarks to identify significant savings opportunities, enhance value, and inform critical category decisions.
• Contribute to the development of category strategies, sourcing roadmaps, supplier strategies, preferred-vendor approaches, and longer-term Marketing procurement priorities.
• Monitor supplier performance and actively support supplier relationship management, including conducting business reviews, facilitating performance discussions, resolving issues, and driving ongoing optimization.
• Identify and communicate contractual, commercial, supplier, project, and operational risks, working cross-functionally to develop practical and effective solutions.
• Balance strategic work with hands-on execution, including contract administration, renewals, SOW coordination, tracking, reporting, supplier follow-up, and other day-to-day sourcing needs in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

What You'll Bring to the Team (Must-Have Qualifications)

• Approximately five or more years of cumulative experience in Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Category Management, or a closely related function, with direct responsibility for Marketing and Advertising categories.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience sourcing marketing services, such as creative agencies, media, social or influencer marketing, content production, experiential/events, PR/external communications, print, direct mail, branded merchandise, research, or related agency services.
• Experience leading or supporting end-to-end strategic sourcing processes, including requirements gathering, supplier identification, RFI/RFP/RFQ activity, bid evaluation, supplier selection, negotiation, contracting, and implementation.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating or managing marketing-related contracts, agency agreements, Master Service Agreements (MSAs), SOWs, renewals, rate structures, agency fee models, and commercial terms.
• Strong understanding of how agencies and Marketing organizations operate, with the ability to communicate naturally and credibly with creative, marketing, procurement, finance, legal, and supplier stakeholders.
• Ability and willingness to balance strategic sourcing work with hands-on execution and administrative responsibilities, including renewals, contract and SOW coordination, tracking, reporting, supplier follow-up, and day-to-day stakeholder support.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills with the ability to work across complex organizations and present recommendations, risks, financial considerations, and sourcing decisions to senior leadership when needed.
• Strong analytical skills, including experience with spend analysis, rate comparisons, supplier evaluations, savings opportunities, commercial models, or other sourcing-related analysis.
• Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint, including the ability to create clear analyses, comparisons, reports, and leadership-ready presentations.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple sourcing initiatives, contracts, stakeholders, and deadlines simultaneously.
• A Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

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

• Experience developing Marketing category strategies, sourcing roadmaps, spend plans, preferred-supplier strategies, or supplier consolidation initiatives.
• Experience with agency fee models, rate-card benchmarking, production economics, media or agency commercial models, or other Marketing-specific cost structures.
• Experience delivering measurable savings, cost avoidance, spend optimization, supplier consolidation, or improved commercial terms.
• Experience with supplier relationship management, Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), supplier scorecards, diversity initiatives, sustainability considerations, or supplier-risk management.
• Experience using sourcing, procurement, or contract-management platforms such as Coupa, Ariba, Ironclad, SAP, GEP, or similar tools.
• Previous agency-side, brand-side, consulting, CPG, consumer, entertainment, media, technology, apparel, or retail experience.
• Previous experience working directly within or closely supporting a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or Marketing organization.
• A consultative, service-oriented approach and the ability to work effectively with both highly creative stakeholders and commercially focused partners.
• Ability to move comfortably between detailed execution and senior-level communication without losing attention to either.