Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Marketing (Agency Category)

You want more out of a career. A place to share your ideas freely — even if they’re daring or different. Where the true you can learn, grow, and thrive. At Verizon, we power and empower how people live, work and play by connecting them to what brings them joy. We do what we love — driving innovation, creativity, and impact in the world. Our V Team is a community of people who anticipate, lead, and believe that listening is where learning begins. In crisis and in celebration, we come together — lifting our communities and building trust in how we show up, everywhere & always. Want in? Join the #VTeamLife.

As our Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Marketing, you will lead the end-to-end commercial strategy and execution for Verizon’s global Agency category—spanning Creative, Media, Public Relations, Brand, Experiential, and Production agencies.

Operating in a fast-evolving marketing landscape where Generative AI, dynamic creative optimization, and omnichannel delivery are transforming traditional agency models, you will be responsible for driving maximum value, performance, and innovation across our agency network.

In this role, your mission is to build a high-performing agency ecosystem that pairs our internal capabilities with elite external talent. Acting as a key commercial partner to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Marketing VPs, Creative Directors, and business leadership, you will serve as a commercial catalyst who inspires curiosity, proactive ideas, and innovative approaches through agency partnerships, while championing solutions, opportunities, and breakthrough work.

You will directly manage a team of sourcing professionals based in Ireland, working hand-in-hand with marketing executives to drive modern agency models that elevate work by embedding AI purposefully to maximize value and drive operational efficiency. This includes partnering directly with agency executives and business leadership to co-create fit-for-purpose, zero-based staffing models unencumbered by past requirements.

What you will be doing:

• Executive & Business Collaboration: Partnering closely with the CMO, Marketing VPs, Creative Leads, and Finance leadership to align agency commercial strategies directly with brand ambitions, campaign roadmaps, and business growth targets.
• Team Leadership & Development: Recruiting, mentoring, and leading a team of sourcing professionals; setting clear operational goals, conducting performance evaluations, and building tailored development plans to cultivate a high-performing category team.
• Agency Ecosystem Strategy & Governance: Developing and executing multi-year category strategies to assemble an elite external agency roster. Restructuring agency models to reflect shifts in AI-driven content generation, digital asset rights, and omnichannel campaign delivery.
• Modern Commercial Models & AI Integration: Partnering with Marketing leadership to co-create fit-for-purpose, zero-based staffing models unencumbered by past requirements, ensuring agency structures are agile and lean. Driving initiatives that elevate creative work by embedding AI purposefully to maximize value and drive operational efficiency.
• Breakthrough Partner Management: Driving strategic relationships that inspire curiosity, proactive ideas, and innovative approaches, positioning agency partners to champion solutions, opportunities, and breakthrough work for Verizon.
• Contracting & Commercial Negotiations: Leading complex negotiations for Master Services Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), agency rate cards, performance incentive models, and payment terms (DPO90). Partner with Legal and business leads to enable rapid access to AI-driven creative and digital tools.
• Commercial Performance & Agency Benchmarking: Establishing robust performance tracking (QBRs/SLA monitoring), conducting agency rate benchmarking, and managing agency portfolio spend against budgets alongside Marketing Finance to drive total cost of ownership (TCO) optimization.
• Process Modernization: Streamlining procurement lifecycles through sourcing tools (Ariba, SAP, Google Workspace) and automated contracting templates.
• Travel: Occasional travel may be required to support agency partner reviews and business alignment.

What we’re looking for...

You’ll need to have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a relevant discipline.
• Proven experience in Strategic Sourcing, or commercial leadership within a large global ad agency.
• Direct experience managing people or leading project-based sourcing or commercial negotiation teams.
• Hands-on experience negotiating and managing Marketing Agency contracts (creative, media, PR, production, or digital agency models) with strong stakeholder engagement across business leadership.
• Valid right to work in Ireland.

Even better if you have:

• A Master’s degree or MBA in a related field.
• Track record of building strong working relationships with C-suite and VP-level Marketing stakeholders (CMO, Brand VPs).
• Deep knowledge of global advertising agency holding structures, zero-based staffing models, production rate cards, and emerging AI-enabled content workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to build agency ecosystems that balance internal agency resources with elite external creative talent.
• Strong background in commercial negotiations, agency fee benchmarking, and working capital optimization (e.g., DPO90 extensions).
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and executive presentation skills.
• Proficiency in enterprise sourcing platforms (Ariba, SAP) and Google Workspace.

Why Verizon?

Verizon is committed to maintaining a Total Rewards package which is competitive, valued by our employees, and differentiates us as an Employer of Choice.

* We are a ‘pay for performance’ company and your contribution is rewarded through competitive salaries and performance-based incentives. We create an opportunity for us all to share in the success of Verizon and the value we help to create through this broad-based discretionary equity award program.

* Your benefits are market competitive and delivered by some of the best providers.

* You are provided with a full spectrum of health and wellbeing resources, including a first in-class Employee Assistance Program, to empower you to make positive health decisions.

* We offer generous paid time off benefits to help you manage your work life balance and opportunities for flexible working arrangements*.

* Verizon provides training and development for all levels, to help you enhance your skills and develop your career, from funding towards education assistance, award-winning training, online development tools and access to industry research.

* You will be able to take part in volunteering opportunities as part of our environmental, community and sustainability commitment.

*Benefit packages are tailored to the specific country where a position is based.

If Verizon and this role sound like a fit for you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every “even better” qualification listed above.

Verizon is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, gender, disability or any other legally protected characteristics.