Director Of Research Operations Jobs in Irving, TX

Amazon created one of the most sophisticated supply chains in the world. From the introduction of Amazon Prime to the use of advanced technology for package delivery, Amazon consistently drives change from the front of the pack.

Amazon is now searching for an innovative and results-oriented Sr. Manager, Technical Vendor Management to lead the engineering-focused vendor performance organization within NA Global Engineering Services (GES). This leader will own the full vendor lifecycle for MHE integrators, component suppliers, and construction vendors—from qualification through active project execution, performance accountability, and continuous improvement.

As the Sr. Manager and Leader of TVM, you will build and lead the organization responsible for ensuring Amazon's vendor portfolio delivers safely, on time, and to quality standards. TVM operates across four pillars: MHE Integrator Management, Vendor Development & Qualification, Component Vendor Management & Spec Governance, and Construction Vendor Management. You will set the strategic direction for vendor performance across the NA fulfillment network, build deep relationships with vendor executive leadership, and drive systemic improvements that make Amazon's vendor pool stronger every year.

Successful candidates are natural leaders who bring deep engineering credibility, strategic portfolio thinking, and a track record of building high-performing teams that hold external partners accountable to measurable outcomes. You must be comfortable operating at the intersection of engineering execution, data-driven performance management, and cross-organizational influence.

As a senior manager, you are responsible for establishing the right team structure and overall execution strategy to meet long-term business needs. You partner with business leaders across GES, GPO, RME, D&C, WWDE, and global TVM counterparts to deliver a unified vendor management strategy that reduces risk, improves performance year-over-year, and expands Amazon's supply base.

You must be responsive, flexible, and able to succeed within an open collaborative environment. Amazon's culture encourages innovation and expects leaders to take a high level of ownership in solving complex, cross-functional problems.
Come help us make history!

This role requires up to 50% regional travel on a yearly basis. When not traveling, you must have availability to work from a corporate office. Candidates should either live near or be willing to relocate within a reasonable commuting distance of one of the corporate office locations listed. Relocation assistance may be provided.

Key job responsibilities

• Own the strategic direction and execution of Technical Vendor Management across MHE integrators, component OEM vendors, and construction vendors for the North America fulfillment network
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of engineers and program managers across four TVM pillars: MHE Integrator Management, Vendor Development & Qualification, Component Vendor Management & Spec Governance, and Construction Vendor Management
• Establish and maintain structured vendor performance management frameworks including scorecards, milestone checkpoints, business reviews (WBR/MBR/QBR), escalation protocols, and consequence management
• Build strategic relationships with vendor executive leadership to unlock resource commitments, investment decisions, and sustained performance improvement that site-level teams cannot reach
• Drive vendor portfolio performance improvement year-over-year through data-driven accountability, structured business reviews, and vendor improvement roadmaps
• Own cross-pool cascade management between MHE and construction vendor pools, ensuring bidirectional alerting and proactive risk identification before schedule impacts materialize
• Lead vendor qualification, development, and graduation processes to expand and diversify Amazon's vendor portfolio, reducing single-vendor dependency and building supply base resilience
• Provide performance data and recommendations as scored input to vendor award decisions, closing the feedback loop between execution performance and future allocation
• Govern specification standards for component vendors, ensuring revisions stay on cadence and field feedback is incorporated within one quarter
• Deliver portfolio-level capacity visibility (12-month forward view) and proactively signal Amazon's forward demand to shape the supply base
• Coordinate with global TVM counterparts (International TVM for MHE; EMEA Construction TVM for construction) to establish shared KPIs and consistent vendor governance across regions
• Present monthly Vendor Leadership Updates to leadership and deliver quarterly executive QBRs for top-tier MHE integrators and construction general contractors
• Ensure one unified Amazon voice to vendors—coordinated, consistent communication regardless of which internal function vendors interact with, including joint business reviews with RME Vendor Management
• Drive engineering best practices in vendor performance management and set standards for the Installation Quality Excellence (IQPA) program
• Build sustainable, scalable mechanisms and standard work that enable consistent execution without individual heroics

A day in the life
Global Engineering Services (GES) North America (NA) Technical Vendor Management operates at the intersection of engineering execution and vendor partnership across North America. A day in the life may involve leading a weekly business review with an MHE integrator, reviewing scorecard data to identify systemic performance patterns, conducting a strategic planning session with your pillar leads, or presenting portfolio risk assessments to GES leadership. You will engage with vendor executives, coordinate with GPO on sourcing decisions, align with global TVM counterparts, and drive cross-pillar intelligence that no single project team can see. GES NA TVM is highly collaborative, working daily to make vendor performance consequential, vendor relationships strategic, and Amazon's supply base stronger every year.

About the team
The TVM organization is an engineering and performance-focused function within NA GES. We manage the full project lifecycle of Amazon's vendor relationships for MHE integrators, component suppliers, and construction vendors—from qualification through active project execution, performance accountability, and continuous improvement. TVM exists because vendor performance directly impacts whether Amazon's network launches on time, on budget, and at the quality level operations require. With TVM, vendor performance improves year over year because we make it consequential. We build strategic relationships that unlock decisions site-level teams cannot reach, see patterns across the portfolio that no single project can see, and act on them before they repeat.