American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Senior Manager, Sourcing and Subcontracts

US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or 9+ years of equivalent experience.
  • Experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, and subcontract administration.
  • Familiarity with compliance-driven environments, especially U.S. Federal Government contracting.
  • Legal background or experience in contract drafting and negotiations; J.D. or procurement certifications are a plus.
  • Proficient with e-sourcing platforms and contract management systems.
  • Knowledge of procurement regulations and risk management principles.

Responsibilities

  • Lead strategic sourcing initiatives and complex procurements (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs).
  • Develop sourcing strategies and manage procurement risks to optimize outcomes.
  • Provide oversight and guidance to Subcontract Administrators during pre- and post-award activities.
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex subcontract administration issues.
  • Ensure compliance with procurement policies and maintain audit-ready documentation.
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team, promoting engagement and accountability.
  • Drive continuous improvement of procurement processes and tools.

Benefits

  • Flexible remote work options within the U.S.
  • Opportunities for professional growth and development.
  • Supportive team culture focused on innovation and high-quality service delivery.
  • Access to a comprehensive Total Rewards Program.
Full Job Description
AIR's Contracts, Grants & Procurement (CGP) team is seeking a talented Senior Manager, Sourcing and Subcontracts, to join it's forward-thinking and supportive team. This role will lead enterprise-wide strategic sourcing initiatives and provide functional leadership and oversight for subcontract administration throughout the entire project lifecycle, from proposal development through project execution and closeout.

This role will serve as a key advisor on complex procurement and subcontracting matters, leading a high-performing team while driving sourcing strategies, supporting negotiations, ensuring regulatory and contractual compliance, and delivering reporting and insights that align with organizational objectives and client requirements. The position plays a critical role in strengthening procurement and subcontract management practices, mitigating risk, and fostering effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Subcontracts & Procurement, this position is focused on strategic procurement leadership, subcontract administration, and sourcing excellence. It is distinct from transactional purchasing functions and emphasizes strategy, governance, compliance, and operational impact at an organizational level.

This position has the flexibility to work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories. Occasional travel required for meetings, training sessions, and conferences.

Key Responsibilities:

The key responsibilities for the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Leadership
  • Lead strategic sourcing initiatives and complex competitive procurements (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs) that support both client-driven and enterprise-wide business needs.
  • Develop sourcing strategies, lead negotiations, and proactively manage procurement risks to optimize cost, quality, compliance, and business outcomes.

Subcontract Oversight
  • Provide functional oversight and guidance to Subcontract Administrators across pre-award and post-award activities.
  • Participate in proposal and project kickoffs to determine subcontracting strategies and subcontract administrator engagement requirements.
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex subcontract administration issues, risks, and negotiations.
  • Support subcontract negotiations, contract formation, modifications, and issue resolution.
  • Develop and maintain subcontracting templates, tools, and standard operating procedures to drive consistency and effectiveness.

Compliance, Risk Management & Reporting
  • Ensure compliance with procurement policies, subcontract requirements, and applicable regulations while supporting audits and maintaining audit-ready documentation.
  • Monitor and escalate procurement and subcontract risks, and provide management reporting on operational activity, compliance metrics, key issues, resolutions, performance trends, and process improvement opportunities.

People Leadership & Team Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop a talented team, promoting engagement, accountability, and professional growth.
  • Set performance expectations, provide ongoing feedback, and support talent development, and knowledge sharing across the team.
  • Foster a collaborative, customer-focused team culture that drives innovation, adaptability, and high-quality service delivery.

Process Improvement & Operational Excellence
  • Lead the standardization and continuous improvement of procurement and subcontract administration processes, tools, templates, and best practices to drive efficiency and consistency.
  • Promote operational excellence through streamlined processes, enhanced stakeholder experience, transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management
  • Partner with program teams, business development, proposals, legal, compliance, finance, and purchasing to develop and execute effective sourcing and subcontracting strategies.
  • Advise stakeholders on procurement best practices, supplier performance, risk mitigation, and issue resolution to support organizational and project objectives.

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time based on evolving business needs.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience
  • Bachelor's degree or a minimum of nine years of equivalent professional experience.
  • Demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, subcontract administration, and contract lifecycle management.
  • Experience working in compliance-driven environments, preferably within the U.S. Federal Government contracting space.
  • Legal background or experience supporting contract drafting, review, and vendor negotiations; J.D. and/or procurement-related certifications (e.g., CPSM, CIPS, CPP) are a plus.
  • Proficiency with e-sourcing platforms, procurement technologies, and contract management systems.
  • Knowledge of procurement regulations, compliance requirements, risk management principles, and subcontracting best practices.

Skills
  • Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships and engage effectively across all organizational levels.
  • Strong strategic sourcing, procurement, and subcontract administration expertise, including competitive procurements, supplier management, and contract negotiations.
  • Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate risks, interpret data, and support informed decision-making.
  • Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to coach, mentor, motivate, and develop a high-performing team while fostering collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
  • Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, complex procurements, and competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, ensuring high-quality documentation, reporting, and compliance.
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including OneDrive, SharePoint, Excel (advanced), Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat Pro, Copilot, and other AI tools.

Disclosures: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

#LI-MP1 #LI-REMOTE

AIR's Total Rewards Program, is designed to reward our staff competitively and motivate them to achieve our critical mission. This position offers the anticipated annual salary as listed. Salary offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the annual salary range for candidates that are based in the United States.

Anticipated Annual Salary Range

$130,000-$160,000 USD

About American Institutes for Research (AIR)

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research, evaluation, assessment, and technical assistance organization based in Washington, D.C. AIR was established in 1946 as a behavioral and social science research organization. AIR's mission is to conduct and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving people's lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. AIR has more than 2,000 employees and offices across the United States and abroad.
Learn more about American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1946

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