Project Manager III

Project Manager III – Vendor Strategy & Enterprise Portfolio Operations –Initial 5–6-month contract- this is role is only open to candidates in the PST timezone.Position Overview:

Our client is seeking an experienced and strategic Project Manager III – Vendor Strategy & Enterprise Portfolio Operations Lead to support enterprise portfolio governance and vendor ecosystem strategy within a large-scale technology and fintech environment. This role is responsible for managing and optimizing an enterprise vendor portfolio, driving governance frameworks, improving financial forecasting alignment, and operationalizing vendor strategy across a complex, multi-million-dollar portfolio.

The ideal candidate is a strategic portfolio leader with deep experience managing enterprise vendor portfolios, building scalable governance models, and aligning vendor strategy with business and financial objectives. This role requires strong enterprise portfolio management experience, financial acumen, and the ability to influence stakeholders across engineering, finance, sourcing, and business operations.

This is a strategic portfolio operations role—not a tactical vendor manager position—and plays a critical role in strengthening vendor governance, improving forecast accuracy, and enabling scalable enterprise vendor operations.Key Responsibilities:

Enterprise Portfolio Strategy & Governance

• Manage and optimize a large-scale enterprise vendor portfolio supporting technology and engineering initiatives
• Design and implement portfolio governance frameworks to improve vendor allocation, intake processes, and operational consistency
• Develop scalable operating models to support portfolio prioritization, vendor engagement, and financial alignment
• Establish prioritization and decision-making frameworks to improve portfolio performance and operational efficiency

Vendor Ecosystem Strategy & Optimization

• Lead vendor allocation and portfolio planning processes across enterprise engineering and technology portfolios
• Operationalize structured RFP processes and vendor selection frameworks aligned with enterprise strategy
• Optimize vendor ecosystem structure to improve vendor leverage, reduce fragmentation, and enhance operational performance
• Align vendor rate cards, commitments, and engagement strategies with annual business planning cycles

Financial Portfolio Management & Forecast Alignment

• Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to improve forecast accuracy and align vendor spend with business priorities
• Build financial visibility across vendor portfolio allocation, utilization, and spend
• Support financial modeling, forecasting alignment, and budget planning processes
• Improve portfolio-level financial governance and reduce budget variance risk

Vendor Performance Management & Portfolio Visibility

• Establish vendor performance scorecards based on cost, quality, SLA adherence, and delivery performance
• Lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with strategic vendors and internal stakeholders
• Develop executive dashboards and reporting to provide visibility into vendor portfolio health, spend, and performance
• Improve vendor accountability and performance management across enterprise portfolio

Cross-Functional Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering, Finance, Strategic Sourcing, and Business Operations teams to align vendor portfolio strategy with enterprise objectives
• Support executive-level decision-making through portfolio insights, reporting, and strategic recommendations
• Influence stakeholders to drive adoption of governance frameworks and vendor strategy processes
• Drive operational clarity, structure, and discipline across enterprise vendor portfolio operations

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in enterprise portfolio management, vendor strategy, strategic sourcing, engineering operations, or portfolio governance
• Proven experience managing large-scale enterprise vendor portfolios ($30M+ strongly preferred; larger portfolios highly valued)
• Strong experience designing and implementing enterprise portfolio governance frameworks
• Experience managing vendor allocation strategy, portfolio planning, and vendor ecosystem optimization
• Strong financial acumen, including forecasting alignment, vendor spend analysis, and portfolio financial oversight
• Experience managing enterprise vendor relationships, rate cards, and vendor performance frameworks
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and portfolio management skills
• Ability to operate independently in fast-paced, complex enterprise environments

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting SaaS, Fintech, Engineering, or regulated enterprise environments
• Experience managing enterprise vendor ecosystems supporting engineering or technology portfolios
• Experience implementing RFP processes, vendor allocation strategies, and governance models
• Experience supporting enterprise transformation, consulting, or portfolio optimization initiatives
• Strong financial modeling and forecasting experience
• Experience working in large enterprise organizations with complex vendor ecosystems

Core Competencies:

• Enterprise portfolio management and governance
• Vendor ecosystem strategy and optimization
• Financial portfolio planning and forecasting alignment
• Vendor allocation and performance management
• Strategic sourcing and governance framework implementation
• Executive stakeholder engagement and influence
• Data-driven portfolio performance optimization
• Cross-functional enterprise operations leadership