Lead, Vendor Governance

Shopify Inc.; Canada; Remote; CAD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible remote work

Health & welfare benefits

Family-friendly policies

Job summary

Shopify Inc. is seeking an experienced governance professional to own commercial governance for its BPO partnerships.

You will lead RFPs, contract reviews, statements of work and change orders, while driving financial oversight and accountability using data and AI. You will collaborate with Delivery, Security and Risk teams to define metrics, enforce targets, and implement governance that reduces friction and protects sensitive information.

Qualifications

• Own commercial governance across RFPs, contract reviews, statements of work and change orders.
• Develop financial oversight and vendor accountability through data-driven insights.
• Apply AI tools to reduce manual work and improve audits and governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead commercial governance, RFPs, contract reviews and change orders within approved financial and legal parameters.
• Own BPO OPEX planning, forecasting and invoice oversight; surface risks early with recommendations.
• Develop clear metric definitions, baselines and scorecards; align targets with Delivery teams.
• Collaborate with Information Security, IT and Third-Party Risk on privacy and risk controls.
• Turn cross-functional priorities into implementable governance changes; drive delivery.

Skills

Vendor governance

Contract reviews

Data analytics

AI in operations

Job description

Shopify exists to make commerce better for everyone. Our global vendor and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partners help us deliver on that mission for merchants around the world.

We're looking for someone who knows what excellent vendor governance looks like, and wants to build it. You'll bring commercial depth, sound judgment and the ability to turn a good idea into a working solution. You'll own complex contracts, financial oversight and partner accountability, while finding better ways to do the work with data and AI.

This is not about maintaining a playbook simply because it exists. It's about understanding the problem, challenging assumptions and creating governance that makes great work easier: clear expectations, trusted information, strong safeguards and fewer unnecessary obstacles.

You'll have clear objectives, trust and room to shape the approach. In return, we'll expect you to take ownership, seek feedback, ask for help when needed and follow through. Success is measured by stronger vendor outcomes and merchant experiences, not the number of meetings, reports or approval steps you introduce.

This is an individual contributor role. You'll lead through expertise, influence and ownership of outcomes, not through direct reports.

What you'll do

Own commercial governance. Lead RFPs, contract reviews, Statements of Work and change orders. Improve rates, service commitments and bonus/penalty structures, working within agreed Legal and financial approvals.

Make financial performance clear. Own BPO OPEX planning, forecasting and invoice oversight. Understand the drivers, challenge discrepancies and surface risks early, with a recommendation (not just a spreadsheet).

Turn evidence into accountability. Develop clear metric definitions, baselines and scorecards. Partner with Delivery leaders on approved targets and consistent enforcement, connecting commercial commitments to the outcomes that matter.

Protect trust and enable progress. Work with Information Security, IT and Third-Party Risk on privacy, vendor tools and incidents. Make risks explicit and proportionate; preserve essential controls while removing steps that do not improve the outcome.

Lead change through to delivery. Turn cross-functional priorities into changes that work across BPO partners. Clarify owners and decisions, test an approach, learn from the results and finish the work.

Strengthen workforce governance. Use WFP planning evidence to guide staffing decisions and govern vendor hiring and cohort readiness. Audit staffing efficiency, attendance, attrition and training standards, working with Delivery on follow-through and respecting agreed decision rights.

Build better systems, not more administration. Use approved AI tools, automation and analysis to reduce manual work, improve audits and make information easier to find. Validate outputs, protect sensitive data and measure whether the change actually helps.

Build direct, productive partnerships. Work confidently with vendor executives and internal teams. Communicate context clearly, have difficult conversations constructively and resolve governance escalations without becoming an unnecessary gatekeeper.

You’ll work alongside our Delivery teams, who manage vendor performance and coaching day to day. Your focus is the framework behind that work: governance, commercial discipline and clear ways of operating.

What success looks like: Vendor commitments are clear and consistently enforced, and financial and operational risks surface early. Useful changes make it into day-to-day work, and manual effort and avoidable handoffs decrease without weakening safeguards. Our partners and internal teams know what matters, who owns each decision and how to move forward, and merchants benefit as a result.

How you'll thrive here

Take responsibility, not just an assignment. You notice what needs improving, help shape the direction and move it forward within your decision rights. You don’t wait for a complete playbook, and you raise a blocker with options and a recommendation.

Care about the craft and the result. You can tell the difference between a well-run process and a meaningful improvement. You bring a high bar for quality, along with the judgment to test, learn and iterate rather than wait for perfection.

Be direct with the facts. You surface bad news early, make trade-offs visible and challenge ideas respectfully. You would rather help solve an uncomfortable problem than make a status update look better.

Rethink the solution. You stay attached to the problem, not the existing tool or process. You use AI in real work and are willing to redesign a workflow—not simply automate every step it already contains.

Make others better. You seek feedback, share what you learn and give people the context to act. You build useful capabilities that others can use and maintain, rather than make yourself the only person who can move the work forward.

What you bring

4+ years of hands-on vendor/BPO experience, with evidence of governing complex partnerships in a contact centre, global technology or similarly demanding environment.

A strong commercial track record across contracts, RFPs, negotiation, OPEX forecasting and invoice controls.

Practical experience using data and AI to improve operational work, with clear examples of the result and how you validated it.

Sound knowledge of security protocols, zero-trust principles, privacy and third-party risk in outsourced environments, including when specialist advice or approval is required.

The ability to turn messy information into a clear recommendation and influence people from frontline teams to vendor executives.

Experience delivering operational change, developing useful standards and applying workforce-management principles without relying on heavy coordination or reporting.

Comfort working across global time zones, adapting to changing information and learning alongside people with different expertise.

About the discipline

Support at Shopify

Every discipline at Shopify works close to real merchant problems. You'll join a team that owns meaningful scope, ships to a high bar, and helps millions of entrepreneurs start, run, and scale their businesses.

Growth and rewards

Mastery-matched compensation.

~Mastery

At Shopify, getting better at your craft and increasing your impact is how you grow. Twice a year, we assess both in our ~Mastery cycle, Shopify’s performance review. Achieving higher ~Mastery is a promotion, and when you earn a promotion your total rewards grow with it. Crafter and manager are equal paths, so you can pursue excellence in the craft you’re best at.

Total Rewards

With Flex Comp, your Rewards Wallet gives you agency over your compensation mix. Adjust your mix of cash, restricted share units, and stock options (including programs like Long-Term Equity)* to where it makes sense for you, and mix it up anytime as life and priorities change. Buying a house? Want more skin in the game? Just experimenting? It’s your call.

* Flex Comp program offerings vary based on location, role, and employment type. Full details are set out in our Terms & Conditions and related plan documents.

Built for real life

Room for the rest of your life.

Flexible work, remote by design

A flexible vacation policy means most Shopifolk can take the vacation days they feel they need to recharge.

If a change of everyday scenery is more your jam, Destination 90 means you can work from (almost) anywhere in the world for 90 days of the year.

Your setup

Your battlestation is your home base. Request the desk, chair, and AV gear you need to get shit done.

You need 'em, we've got 'em. Our health and welfare benefits may include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance depending on your country. If you're in a country without a package, you'll receive a monthly allowance. We also offer mental health support for you and your dependents, including immediate and confidential services like counseling and coaching sessions.

Family support

We offer fertility benefits globally, along with paid parental leave to welcome a new family member.

The Life Story is how we understand the themes of your career journey so far, human to human. What you’ve learned, and how you made a difference. Show us the trophies and the bruises: the problems you’ve solved, the challenges you encountered, the decisions you made, and the lessons you learned along the way.