Sr. Director, Analyst - Public Cloud Sourcing Expert Focus (Remote: Canada)

Gartner; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A global research and advisory firm is seeking a Senior Director Analyst to provide insights on Business and Technology within cloud optimization services. This role involves advising clients on vendor negotiations while delivering high-impact research and advisory services in IT procurement. Candidates should possess extensive experience in public cloud contracts and strong analytical skills. Join a vibrant team where your expertise will shape critical business outcomes.

Benefits

World-class benefits

Highly competitive compensation

Supportive hybrid work environment

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Knowledge of public cloud optimization and transformation services.
• Experience negotiating high-value public cloud contracts.

Responsibilities

• Create innovative research content for clients.
• Advise on cloud service provider selection.
• Lead sourcing projects for cloud services.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Cloud market knowledge

Sourcing experience

Client advisory skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Gartner seeks a Senior Director Analyst to provide Business and Technology Insights services to global clients in Sourcing, Procurement, and Vendor Management. The role will focus on public cloud optimization and transformation services (PCOTS), requiring knowledge and experience in sourcing Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services. You will leverage your extensive industry experience to guide clients through their buying journeys for complex IT services, helping them navigate evolving cloud strategies, optimize costs, and achieve transformational business outcomes. In addition to the knowledge specific to the cloud market, this position requires experience in sourcing other IT infrastructure services, such as data center outsourcing, managed security services, and digital workplace services. Additional data and analytics experience and sourcing application services would be a plus.

The candidate will advise Gartner clients on negotiating and administering high-value, multiyear contracts with key cloud vendors such as AWS, Azure, Oracle, and other IT Infrastructure services. This involves leveraging a data-driven approach, combining forecasts derived from internal usage metrics with market intelligence, to secure favorable pricing, flexible commitment terms, and robust service level agreements.

As a Senior Director, Analyst focusing on Public Cloud Sourcing, you will:

• Research and Thought Leadership: Create innovative, thought-provoking, and highly leveraged “must-have research” content to help sourcing and CxO clients achieve required business outcomes from Outsourced IT Services. Demonstrate thought leadership in establishing provocative and pragmatic research positions, collaborating across a team of analysts.
• Advisory Services: Provide high-quality, actionable advice through various media (written responses, presentations, webinars, or inquiry calls). Guide clients in selecting providers for application-led, cloud-native transformation projects and ongoing public cloud managed services.
• Sourcing Strategy and Negotiation: Advise Gartner clients on leading end-to-end sourcing projects for public cloud services. Formulate and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies focused on public cloud services, identifying best-fit solutions among cloud providers. Advise clients on leading negotiations for multiyear contracts, ensuring favorable pricing, volume discounts, flexible commitment terms, and optimal service level agreements (SLAs).
• Contract Management and Risk Mitigation: Advise clients on negotiating optimal contract terms, focusing on cost optimization, vendor performance, and risk mitigation. Identify and address contractual risks such as overly rigid renewal terms, audit clauses, and unfavorable escalation of support fees. Support clients by reviewing client contracts for Outsourced IT Services, identifying gaps in the commercial terms or SLAs.
• Market Intelligence and Analysis: Continuously monitor trends in cloud service pricing, vendor discount programs, and contractual terms, using data sources and benchmark pricing information to drive negotiations.

Education and Experience

• Educational Background: A bachelor’s degree in business administration, supply chain management, computer science, or a related field is required; a master’s degree is preferred.
• Industry Experience: 15+ years of relevant field or industry experience gained either through a sourcing role or within a provider tendering and negotiating the delivery of IT services is required. At least three years of direct experience in IT procurement or strategic sourcing—specifically involving cloud contracts with hyperscale vendors like AWS and enterprise software vendors like Oracle—is also necessary.
• Negotiation Track Record: Proven experience negotiating high-value public cloud contracts, demonstrating success in leveraging competitive bidding and cost optimization strategies.
• Domain Knowledge: Deep knowledge of public cloud optimization and transformation services (PCOTS) is essential, including experience with cloud-native professional and managed services and utilization of hyperscale cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI). Oracle workload expertise (e.g., PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, E-Business Suite) is preferred.

Required Skills and Analyst Capabilities

• The passion, drive, and enthusiasm to help sourcing executives and CxO clients with their IT services sourcing initiatives.
• Intellectual agility to learn new topics and develop the necessary expertise to advise Gartner clients on best practices.
• Demonstrates domain and quantitative expertise: Ability to gather and analyze data to drive insights for new research. Work must reflect in-depth knowledge of the content area.
• Brings provocative, independent insights to ideation sessions, feeding into new research.
• Energized by the challenges of taking on client interactions that are not necessarily their primary coverage area, helping Gartner clients whenever possible.
• Ability to present to small or large audiences in different venues and settings.
• Comfortable presenting in all settings—from 1:1 conversations to large group, cross-functional interactions. Including the ability to pick up a peer’s presentation and deliver it successfully.
• Effectively reframes client problems to identify root causes and potential solutions.
• Organizes Efficiently: Must be able to prioritize and manage workflow independently.
• Consistently keeps work on track to support the goals of the team/business.
• Collaborates Productively: Regarded as a thought-partner and coach across the practice, leveraging their peer network across Gartner Research to co-write and/or co-produce research.
• Takes feedback on board and applies it positively, constantly striving to improve.

Who are we?

At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world.

Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities.

Since our founding in 1979, we’ve grown to 21,000 associates globally who support ~14,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That’s why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here.

What makes Gartner a great place to work?

Our vast, virtually untapped market potential offers limitless opportunities – opportunities that may not even exist right now – for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance.

We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients.

Our teams are inclusive and composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations.

We invest in great leaders who bring out the best in you and the company, enabling us to multiply our impact and results. This is why, year after year, we are recognized worldwide as a great place to work.

What do we offer?

Gartner offers world-class benefits, highly competitive compensation and disproportionate rewards for top performers.

In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive — working virtually when it's productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.

Ready to grow your career with Gartner? Join us.

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