Strategic Software Portfolio Lead

Apple Inc.; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 179,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Discounted products and free services

Educational expense reimbursement

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Software Portfolio Strategist to shape spend, governance, and lifecycle decisions for a multi-million dollar software portfolio within IS&T's Software Asset Management.

You will influence renewals, true-ups, migrations, and strategic planning across the organization. You will build TCO models, lead cross-functional programs, and present recommendations to senior leadership across Legal, Finance, and Procurement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years in software asset management, IT vendor management, technology finance, or strategic portfolio roles.
• 5+ years leading complex cross-functional programs or investment portfolios.
• Strong command of enterprise licensing models (ELAs, subscriptions, perpetual, consumption/token-based, hybrid).
• Demonstrated ownership of multi-million-dollar software budgets and forecasts.
• Track record of presenting strategic recommendations to senior leadership and influencing outcomes.
• Hands-on analytical capability — you build the analysis, not just review it.

Responsibilities

• Own full lifecycle for assigned software portfolios — renewals, true-ups, terminations, migrations — with a strategic lens on every decision.
• Develop and maintain directional lifecycle strategies grounded in spend, criticality, utilization, and market trajectory.
• Lead software rationalization efforts: classify, prioritize, and drive action on portfolio optimization to reduce TCO and increase value delivery.
• Establish and run portfolio steering reviews with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Own multi-million-dollar budget forecasts and 5-year directional plans for your portfolios.
• Build and present build-vs-buy evaluations, TCO models, cost optimization analyses, and scenario planning.
• Identify spend trends proactively — particularly AI-driven consumption growth — and frame them for leadership action.
• Translate complex licensing structures into clear financial narratives that connect software costs to business value for non-technical audiences.
• Lead large-scale programs (migrations, platform transitions, rationalization initiatives) independently.
• Host and drive meetings with product owners, IMT leaders, and executive stakeholders — you set the agenda, not just attend.
• Deliver executive presentations, deal summaries, and strategic recommendations that land with senior leadership.
• Build relationships that make you the person people call when a software decision needs to be made well.
• Establish governance frameworks and policies that scale across IS&T's software estate.
• Lead audit strategy and coordinate responses with Legal, Finance, and Procurement.
• Drive proactive risk identification — licensing exposure, contractual risks, vendor lock-in — before they become escalations.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional leadership

Budget forecasting

Data analysis

Executive communication

Licensing models

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

License management software

ERP/Finance tools

Job description

Apple Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Software Portfolio Strategist to shape spend, governance, and lifecycle decisions for a multi-million dollar software portfolio within IS&T's Software Asset Management.

You will influence renewals, true-ups, migrations, and strategic planning across the organization. You will build TCO models, lead cross-functional programs, and present recommendations to senior leadership across Legal, Finance, and Procurement.