Lead, Vendor Partnerships & Innovation

We're seeking a Lead, Vendor Partnerships & Innovation to join our dynamic, high-performing team focused on AI and Generative AI (GenAI) initiatives. This role is integral to the continued success and advancement of our Generative AI initiatives and strategic technology relationships. The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional experienced with AI technologies, a proven track record of managing partnerships, and the ability to drive innovation within the organization. This individual will be responsible for building trusting and meaningful relationships with our technology executives across multiple functions and ensuring the successful execution of AI-driven projects.

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

You will report directly to the Director of Vendor Partnerships & Innovation in the newly formed Vendor Strategy & Business Management organization. You will work closely with peers in Vendor Strategy, Performance Management, Business Management, and stakeholders in the Global Domain teams alongside functional partners in Legal, Finance, CIS, and Procurement.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for a Lead, Vendor Partnerships & Innovation to join our dynamic, high-performing team focused on emerging technologies, e.g., new market capabilities or AI/GenAI, with both existing and new partners. These initiatives involve some of our most strategic existing partners for NIKE as well evaluating new capabilities, risk, and potential when exploring new partners.This role is crucial for driving the success and progress of our strategic initiatives, with the goal of accelerating growth and delivering exceptional value to Nike shareholders and Nike athletes*.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional with a strong background in technology and innovation, particularly in startups and emerging technologies. As an individual contributor, you will be responsible for managing relationships with emerging technology partners, ensuring we capitalize on advancements while maintaining IP protection, confidentiality, and compliance with Nike standards.

Requirements:

• MBA or Master's Degree preferred in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or similar field, or relevant professional experience, education, and training; advanced degree preferred

• Vendor Management & Commercial Contracts: proven experience in evaluating, driving commercial plans that inform negotiations, or managing vendor agreements or POCs

• Technical Acumen: good understanding of technology landscapes, including AI/GenAI, IoT, and other emerging technologies or SaaS platforms

• Industry Expertise: ability to conduct in-depth market research and analyze technology trends, identifying opportunities to integrate emerging technologies into technical roadmaps

• Strategic Thinking: ability to translate problem statements and align technology partners with long-term business strategies

• Stakeholder Engagement: effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders

• Excellent communication: ability to convey technical solutions and vendor capabilities to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Relationship Management: proven success in managing long-term relationships with key technology partners and vendors

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: ability to effectively work cross-functionally with Engineering, Product Legal, Privacy, and CIS teams

• Agility & Innovation: demonstrated ability to think creatively and thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments

• Executive Presence: excellent presentation and storytelling skills, capable of articulating a compelling vision to executive leadership
• Product Management experience would be nice to have - we don't need an engineer, but experience working with a technology team / technology product team would be helpful
• Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

As a Lead in Partnerships and Innovation, you will serve as a liaison between legal, privacy, technology modernization, and security teams, overseeing processes from NDAs through to technology evaluation agreements and MSAs. You'll drive the evaluation, commercial planning, and the execution of vendor agreements to pilot and scale the latest emerging technologies ensuring accelerated speed to market and business impact. You will also collaborate closely with our Global Technology Domain teams and partners to ensure the selection and alignment of the best-fit capabilities to align with Nike and GT strategic goals.

Your work will involve conducting market research, staying ahead of technology trends, and fostering strategic partnerships to deliver high-impact results. Additionally, you will work closely with the broader Vendor Strategy and Business Management team to ensure consistent value and delivery to our stakeholders.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees and job applicants. We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.