Principle, Vendor Insights & Operations , San Diego, CA

Play Station isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in entertainment producing The Play Station family of products and services including Play Station®5, Play Station®4, Play Station®VR, Play Station®Plus, acclaimed Play Station software titles from Play Station Studios, and more.

Play Station also strives to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome and encourage everyone who has a passion and curiosity for innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team.

The Play Station brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.

Overview

This Principal-level role is responsible for shaping and driving enterprise vendor insights, commercial optimization, and One Sony initiatives across Sony Interactive Entertainment and, where appropriate, the wider Sony Group.

The Principal, Vendor Insights & Operations focuses on identifying opportunities to maximize value from strategic vendors, including contract consolidation, cross-OpCo leverage, and improved commercial outcomes. The role synthesizes vendor spend, utilization, contract structures, and performance data into executive-level insights that inform vendor strategy, investment decisions, and negotiation posture.

Operating as a senior individual contributor and trusted advisor, this role partners closely with vendor owners, procurement, finance, corporate planning, and Sony Group stakeholders to influence decision-making in complex, matrixed environments. The emphasis is on enterprise value creation and strategic alignment, rather than day-to-day vendor management.

This role leads enterprise-level vendor value and insight initiatives, partnering closely with vendor management and vendor performance teams who retain ownership of day-to-day vendor execution, SLA management, and operational performance oversight.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify, shape, and drive One Sony initiatives related to strategic vendors, including opportunities for contract consolidation, commercial leverage, and standardization across operating companies
• Act as a senior SIE representative in cross-OpCo discussions with Sony Group Corp, Sony Corp America, and other Sony operating companies
• Assess enterprise-wide vendor relationships to identify opportunities to maximize value, reduce duplication, and improve commercial terms
• Support strategic vendor negotiations by providing insight-led analysis and recommendations grounded in spend, utilization, and performance data

Contract Consolidation & Commercial Insights

• Analyze vendor contracts, spend patterns, and engagement models across SIE to identify consolidation opportunities and value leakage
• Partner with procurement and vendor owners to inform renewal, renegotiation, and consolidation strategies
• Develop structured insight packs to support executive decision-making related to vendor strategy, investment prioritization, and risk management
• Translate complex commercial and operational data into clear, actionable insights for senior stakeholders

Vendor Performance Insights & Executive Reporting

• Define standards for strategic vendor insight reporting, leveraging KPI, SLA, utilization, and financial data
• Synthesize vendor performance outputs into enterprise-level insights, focusing on value, risk, and commercial leverage
• Ensure performance insights inform One Sony initiatives, consolidation strategies, and negotiation posture.
• This role does not own operational KPI/SLA monitoring or vendor escalations, which remain the responsibility of vendor performance owners.

Senior Stakeholder Influence & Thought Leadership

• Operate as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, vendor owners, and cross-functional partners
• Influence enterprise decision-making through insight, commercial acumen, and executive-level communication
• Contribute thought leadership to the evolution of SIE’s vendor management, value realization, and One Sony capabilities

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years in vendor management, procurement, commercial operations, business insights, or a related…