About the Role  

We are seeking a highly experienced, commercially aggressive Global Partner Manager to serve as the procurement authority and strategic sourcing engine for our massive distributed workforce. You will be responsible for fueling the global operations by building, optimizing, and managing our global network of resource partners. 

You will act as the absolute owner of all external commercial agreements, rate negotiations, and vendor RFPs. This role requires a unique combination of strategic foresight to build a global talent ecosystem, the operational agility to pivot with fast-moving project demands, and the rigorous discipline to strictly enforce commercial boundaries across the organization. 

Core Responsibilities 

Commercials & Contract Ownership 

• Absolute Commercial Authority: Act as the sole owner of all external commercial negotiations. You will enforce strict internal boundaries to ensure Operations and Program teams remain focused on delivery, keeping them completely removed from rate discussions and contracting. 

• Aggressive Rate Negotiation: Drive hard, sustainable rate negotiations across all domains and global geographies. Lock in rates that remain valid for 3+ years, incorporating strategic Economic Cost Adjustments (ECA) to ensure long-term cost stability. 

• SOW & MSA Management: Draft, negotiate, finalize, and enforce all Master Services Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs) with our partner network. 

End-to-End RFP Management & Execution 

• RFP Leadership: Lead the creation, distribution, and rigorous evaluation of RFPs across the global network. Analyze proposals to ensure technical capabilities, cultural fit, and commercial scoring are transparent and aligned with project needs. 

• Requirement Gathering: Partner closely with internal Operations and Program Management teams to translate upcoming project scopes and complex technical requirements into executable vendor sourcing strategies. 

• Rapid Down-Selection: Drive a highly efficient evaluation process to quickly identify the best-fit partners for complex, fast-moving AI data projects. 

Partner 360, Sourcing & Ecosystem Intelligence 

• Ecosystem Visibility: Develop, own, and maintain a centralized "Partner 360" ecosystem—the single source of truth for all active partners, supported domains, language capabilities, geographic footprints, and expert headcount/capacity. 

• Global Expansion: Continuously identify, vet, and onboard new partners across critical global geographies (e.g., SEA, IND, USA, EU) and technical domains to ensure we always have scalable capacity. 

• Tiering & Preferred Partners: Establish and manage a "Preferred Partner" program. Segment partners by capability, historical performance, and operational agility to streamline future vendor selection. 

Strategic Alignment & Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Frontier Ops Support: Act as a strategic collaborator for the Frontier Ops teams, proactively surfacing new capabilities from the partner community to unlock unprecedented opportunities and revenue streams. 

• Cross-Platform Integration: Serve as the integration point for feedback from Operations, Talent Acquisition, and Product teams, consolidating vendor performance and quality metrics into actionable vendor scorecards. 

What We’re Looking For 

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in global procurement, strategic sourcing, or vendor management, specifically handling complex BPO, staffing, or outsourced operational partnerships. 

• Master Negotiator: Proven track record of securing highly favorable commercial terms. You know how to drive a hard bargain while maintaining strong, mutually beneficial long-term partner relationships. 

• Process Discipline: You are comfortable establishing firm rules of engagement. You have the backbone to tell internal teams to step back from commercial discussions and trust your process. 

• Agility & Speed: You understand that in the AI space, speed is a feature. You are adept at cutting through procurement red tape to move at the speed of a hyper-growth startup. 

• Risk & Compliance Acumen: Deep understanding of global labor laws, data privacy standards, and vendor compliance frameworks to protect the business. 

The Reality of the Role 

We believe in absolute transparency about how success is measured in this role. You will be expected to drive: 

• Cost Efficiency: Achieve and maintain a 10%+ reduction in blended partner rates through strategic rate cards, continuous market testing, and rigorous RFP negotiations.