Technology Vendor Manager - Infrastructure

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you'll experience this powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career. Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

How will you make an impact in this role? 

Looking to join a team in Technology that is dynamic, fast-paced and forward-looking? American Express is continuing to grow its Technology Vendor Management (TVM) team and capabilities to ensure our most critical third-party relationships deliver optimal value, resilience, and risk management at enterprise-scale. 

This Phoenix-based role will be responsible for the ongoing governance and oversight of strategic third parties covering a full spectrum of infrastructure.  

We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in negotiations, vendor management or third-party risk management (specifically focused on technology) to develop effective strategies to engage with external infrastructure vendors with the objective of achieving optimal performance and value.  

The role operates as a key relationship lead with decision authority, partnering closely with Engineering, Global Supply Management (Procurement), General Counsel’s Office (Legal), and Technology Delivery teams. The successful candidate will develop negotiation strategies and partner with internal business stakeholders to execute complex contract negotiations. They will also collaborate with business units to build demand forecasts, manage vendor performance, and drive cost optimization while maintaining strong vendor relationships. 

 Responsibilities:   

• Own end-to-end vendor strategy for Infrastructure partners, including commercial positioning, performance governance, cost optimization, and value realization aligned to Technology and enterprise objectives. 

• Lead complex sourcing events and contract negotiations, including network Request for Proposals, Statements of Work, and Master Service Agreements, translating technical and business requirements into optimized contractual structures, pricing models, and performance terms. 

• Serve as the primary relationship owner for strategic infrastructure vendors, leading Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), enforcing governance standards, and holding partners accountable to delivery, quality, and financial commitments. 

• Provide your expertise and engage with external research companies to understand trends in the industry and create a point of view on competitive pricing, delivery locations, and emerging opportunities/risks.   

• Interpret contractual language to support stakeholder requests and issue/dispute resolution. 

• Develop a framework to assess capability/strengths of existing and potential vendor partners to support sourcing decisions. 

• Deliver executive-ready updates, insights, and recommendations to senior Technology and enterprise leadership. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• 5-8 years of experience managing enterprise-scale network infrastructure vendor engagements, including RFPs, contract negotiations, and ongoing vendor governance. 

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