Procurement Operations Business Partner, R&D

About Anthropic

Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About Anthropic

Anthropic's mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About the Role

We are seeking an R&D Strategic Sourcing Business Partner to lead strategic sourcing initiatives that enable our cutting-edge research and development capabilities. This role will develop and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies for compute infrastructure, cloud platforms, human data annotation services, and emerging research technologies. You'll build strategic supplier relationships that go beyond cost optimization to drive innovation, competitive advantage, and operational excellence. As a key strategic partner to R&D leadership, you'll translate research objectives into sourcing strategies that accelerate breakthrough AI development while building sustainable supplier ecosystems.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Category Management

• Develop comprehensive sourcing strategies for R&D categories including compute infrastructure, cloud platforms, human data annotation, research software, and emerging AI technologies
• Conduct market analysis and competitive intelligence to identify optimal supplier strategies and emerging opportunities
• Create total cost of ownership models for complex R&D technology investments and strategic partnerships

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with key technology suppliers including cloud providers, GPU manufacturers, research platform vendors, and data annotation services
• Negotiate complex, multi-year agreements that optimize cost, innovation, and strategic value
• Establish supplier innovation programs and collaboration frameworks to accelerate R&D capabilities

Strategic Procurement Leadership

• Lead sophisticated RFP processes for high-value, complex R&D infrastructure and services
• Manage strategic contract negotiations including master agreements, enterprise partnerships, and innovation collaborations
• Develop supplier performance management frameworks and strategic scorecards

Market Intelligence & Innovation

• Continuously monitor emerging technologies, supplier capabilities, and market trends relevant to AI/ML research
• Identify opportunities for strategic supplier partnerships that drive competitive advantage
• Evaluate and onboard innovative suppliers that can accelerate research capabilities

Strategic Business Partnership

• Partner with R&D leadership to align sourcing strategies with research roadmaps and technical objectives
• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, and Security teams to ensure strategic sourcing supports business objectives
• Present strategic sourcing recommendations and business cases to executive leadership

You may be a good fit if you have:

• 5-7+ years of strategic sourcing experience with focus on technology, infrastructure, or R&D services
• Demonstrated experience developing category strategies and managing complex supplier relationships
• Proven track record of negotiating high-value, strategic technology agreements (multi-million dollar contracts)
• Experience with strategic supplier relationship management and innovation partnerships
• Strong analytical skills for market analysis, total cost of ownership modeling, and strategic business case development
• Executive communication capabilities with experience presenting to senior leadership
• Experience in high-growth technology companies or AI/ML environments
• Strategic thinking ability with talent for translating business objectives into sourcing strategies

Strong candidates may have:

• MBA or advanced degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
• Professional certifications in strategic sourcing or procurement (CPSM, CSCP)
• Experience with cloud platform strategic sourcing and enterprise-scale infrastructure agreements
• Background in human data annotation strategic sourcing and quality management frameworks
• Knowled