Manager, Procurement

The Opportunity:     

Vivid Seats is seeking a Procurement Manager to lead and continuously evolve our procurement function. This role will manage and optimize existing procurement processes, vendor relationships, and sourcing strategies, with a primary focus on technology and SaaS vendors. 

As an e-commerce marketplace with a cloud-based technology stack, procurement plays a critical role in driving cost efficiency, managing risk, and enabling business teams to move quickly with the right partners in place. This role partners closely with stakeholders across Technology, Product, Finance, Legal, Security, and Operations to ensure procurement practices remain consistent, effective, and aligned with business needs. 

How your role contributes to the success of Vivid Seats:  

• Drive a consistent, enterprise-wide sourcing and procurement approach
• Lead negotiations for new contracts and renewals, delivering meaningful cost savings and favorable commercial terms
• Monitor vendor usage to ensure alignment with contracted commitments and prevent overages
• Identify vendor consolidation and alternative solutions where appropriate
• Proactively manage renewals, usage thresholds, and contractual commitments and lead RFPs when needed
• Strengthen vendor governance, due diligence, and risk management in partnership with Legal and Security 

What You’ll Do 

• Own end-to-end procurement for technology, SaaS, and select non-IT categories 
• Negotiate pricing, contract terms, SLAs, data protection provisions, and renewal structures
• Develop and maintain visibility into vendor spend, contracts, and renewal timelines
• Lead RFPs, vendor evaluations, and bid analyses when needed
• Collaborate with Legal on contract execution and compliance with internal standards
• Build scalable procurement processes, templates, and playbooks as the function matures 

How your role expectations will progress as a Procurement Manager in the first 30, 90, and 180 days:   
  
30 days in  

• Complete onboarding and gain a deep understanding of Vivid Seats’ business, culture and values
• Build relationships with key stakeholders across the organization  
• Learn the current contracting, approval and vendor management processes.
• Compile and inventory of key vendors, contracts, spend levels and renewal dates.
• Understand usage tracking and current pain points across major tools and platforms
• Acclimate to existing tools we use (contract management system, ERP, P2P) 

90 days in  

• Take ownership of vendor relationships and procurement workflows
• Track cost savings and procurement impact
• Begin developing a vendor strategy, including consolidation and optionality opportunities
• Proactively identify upcoming renewals, opt-out dates and negotiation opportunities
• Partner with Legal and Security to strengthen vendor due diligence and onboarding standards
• Assume ownership of the corporate travel program 

180 days in  

• Deliver tangible cost savings and improved contract terms across key vendors 
• Implement a scalable procurement strategy and enterprise-wide process  
• Lead RFPs, negotiations, and vendor transitions as needed
• Establish ongoing vendor performance monitoring (SLAs, usage, compliance)
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business partners on vendor selection and spend decisions
• Are proactive and comfortable flagging areas of concern as well as opportunities.
• Have developed great working relationships with key constituencies across the organization.  

What You’ll Bring:   

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of procurement, sourcing, or vendor management experience, with a strong focus on IT and SaaS procurement
• Required experience working within a P2P platform (e.g. Coupa, Ariba, Zip) to support procurement operations from requisition through payment.
• Proven experience negotiating complex SaaS contracts and renewals  
• A collaborative and outgoing style and takes initiative to build strong relationships with stakeholders across the organization
• Strong business acumen and financial mindset, with the ability to quantify savings and tradeoffs
• Motivated self-starter who can take ownership of and continue to evolve an important function
• We believe in harnessing emerging technology to power performance and unlock creativity. As part of our culture of innovation, we actively embrace the use of AI tools to enhance decision-making, improve workflows, and product better outcomes for our customers.

Vivid Seats Pay Transparency Disclaimer: Full time offers from Vivid Seats include annual bonus incentives and equity for all employees; FLEX PTO; mental health days; medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401K matching; monthly credits and discounts for attending live events; and a variety of additional workplace perks. The typical starting salary within the full salary range for this position can vary. Factors which may affect starting salary include geographic market, relevant skills/experience, education, and other qualifications.

Salary Range: $110,000 - $150,000 USD

Location: Chicago, IL  

We believe in a hybrid 3 days/week in-office working model, which provides employees the flexibility to take advantage of in-person and remote collaboration. Check out our brand new HQ office, bursting with the energy of live events fandom and the vibrancy of Chicago’s rising tech scene.