Principal Vendor Management

Position Overview Autodesk is seeking a strategic vendor management leader to shape and manage our global infrastructure supplier ecosystem. This role is critical to enabling secure, resilient, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure services that support Autodesk's business operations and long-term growth. Reporting to the Manager, Technology Vendor Management, this role will serve as a strategic business partner to key stakeholders and will own a portfolio of suppliers across network, data center, storage, telecom, hardware, and related infrastructure services. Responsibilities - Develop and execute vendor management strategies aligned with Autodesk's enterprise priorities, with a focus on resilience, service quality, compliance, and cost optimization. - Manage a strategic portfolio of suppliers across network, data center, storage, telecom, and infrastructure-related services. - Lead supplier governance through business reviews, performance evaluations, contract renewals, and executive-level engagement. - Partner cross-functionally with technology, sourcing, legal, finance, security, and business stakeholders on supplier selection, RFx processes, requirements gathering, and commercial evaluations. - Monitor supplier performance against SLAs, KPIs, scorecards, and contractual commitments, and drive issue resolution and continuous improvement. - Identify and mitigate supplier-related risks, including operational, commercial, supply chain, service continuity, and compliance risks. - Deliver commercial value through pricing reviews, benchmarking, contract optimization, and negotiation of favorable business terms. - Build strong internal and external relationships, acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders and a strategic point of contact for key suppliers. - Contribute to the continued maturity of Autodesk's Vendor Management function by improving governance, processes, reporting, and operating models. - Work closely with the Senior Manager, Technology Vendor Management to strengthen infrastructure supplier governance and improve how suppliers are selected, measured, and managed across the enterprise. - Serve as the primary point of accountability for supplier performance, service delivery, issue management, and stakeholder communication within assigned categories. Minimum Qualifications - 10+ years of progressive experience in vendor or supplier management within technology or infrastructure environments. - Demonstrated experience managing complex supplier portfolios across network, telecom, data center, storage, infrastructure hardware, or related services. - Proven success managing strategic and enterprise-scale suppliers in global environments. - Strong commercial acumen, including experience with contract structures, service agreements, pricing models, renewals, and vendor negotiations. - Experience building and managing supplier governance frameworks, including SLAs, KPIs, scorecards, business reviews, and escalation models. - Strong influencing, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders and supplier executives. - Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive outcomes without direct authority. - Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred. Preferred Qualifications - Experience managing infrastructure suppliers in a global, highly regulated, or large-scale enterprise environment. - Category expertise in one or more of the following areas: enterprise networking, telecom, colocation/data center services, storage infrastructure, or hardware lifecycle management. - Strong understanding of infrastructure service delivery models, hardware supply chain risks, lead times, and operational dependencies. - Track record of improving vendor management processes and driving transformation within a supplier management function. - Ability to navigate ambiguity, solve complex business problems, and balance strategic priorities with operational execution.