Assistant Director - GDS Meetings and Events

Assistant Director - GDS Meetings and Events

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Job Description: GDS Meetings & Events Sourcing Manager

Job Title: Assistant Director – Sourcing – GDS Meetings & Events

The Opportunity

The Manager – Sourcing – GDS Meetings & Events is responsible for leading the strategic sourcing function for Meetings & Events across GDS, providing oversight and direction to the sourcing team while ensuring best-in-class commercial outcomes, supplier performance and stakeholder satisfaction.

This role serves as the primary sourcing leader for hotels, venues, event management agencies, destination management companies, audio-visual providers, production companies, and other M&E service providers. The individual will drive sourcing strategy, supplier negotiations, market intelligence and governance while collaborating closely with the Meetings & Events Program Manager to support broader program objectives.

The successful candidate will combine deep hospitality and procurement expertise with strong leadership capabilities to drive service excellence, optimize costs, strengthen supplier partnerships and deliver value-driven sourcing solutions that align with EY policies, risk requirements and Meetings & Events standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing Leadership

• Lead and manage the Meetings & Events sourcing function across GDS.
• Develop sourcing strategies aligned with business requirements, stakeholder needs and program objectives.
• Provide oversight and direction to sourcing specialists on venue sourcing projects and supplier engagements.
• Establish sourcing best practices, governance standards and operational procedures.
• Partner with the Meetings & Events Program Manager to support strategic initiatives and operational priorities.
• Ensure sourcing activities align with global Meetings & Events program objectives and procurement requirements.

Commercial Review & Negotiations

• Review and approve supplier proposals, quotations, contracts and commercial recommendations submitted by the sourcing team.
• Lead negotiations for strategic, high-value and complex sourcing engagements.
• Drive competitive bidding processes, RFPs, RFQs and supplier evaluations.
• Secure advantageous commercial terms, concessions, value-added benefits and contractual protections.
• Identify opportunities for cost avoidance, cost reduction and supplier consolidation.
• Support supplier renewals and strategic contract reviews while maximizing commercial value for the firm.

Market Intelligence & Industry Expertise

• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of hospitality and event industry trends across key markets.
• Conduct ongoing market research covering:
• Hotels and resorts
• Convention centers and event venues
• Event management companies
• Destination management companies
• Audio Visual providers
• Production and creative agencies
• Transportation and logistics providers
• Benchmark market pricing, supplier capabilities and contracting practices.
• Develop and maintain supplier intelligence databases and preferred supplier resources.
• Provide strategic market insights and sourcing recommendations to stakeholders and leadership.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key suppliers and hospitality partners.
• Serve as the escalation point for supplier-related issues and commercial disputes.
• Lead supplier governance reviews and performance discussions.
• Monitor supplier service levels, contract compliance and stakeholder feedback.
• Drive supplier improvement plans where required.
• Support supplier onboarding, due diligence and risk management activities.

Program Governance & Compliance

• Ensure sourcing activities comply with EY Meetings & Events policies, procurement requirements and contracting standards.
• Promote adoption of approved sourcing processes, supplier frameworks and governance controls.
• Review sourcing recommendations to ensure compliance with legal, procurement, finance, BRIDGE and independence requirements.
• Support audit readiness, documentation standards and supplier governance initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Program Manager to drive operational excellence and policy adherence across the M&E function.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with senior business stakeholders, event sponsors and procurement partners.
• Provide strategic sourcing guidance throughout the event lifecycle.
• Act as a trusted advisor on venue selection, supplier strategy and commercial considerations.
• Collaborate closely with Meetings & Events Program Managers, Event Managers and supporting functions to deliver efficient event outcomes.
• Manage stakeholder escalations and ensure a high standard of service delivery and responsiveness.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach and develop the Meetings & Events Sourcing Specialists.
• Assign meetings, monitor performance and ensure consistent delivery standards across the sourcing team.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Support team capability building through training, mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Establish performance measures and operational goals aligned with program objectives.
• Foster strong collaboration between sourcing, event management and program management team

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Review sourcing activity, supplier performance and commercial outcomes through meaningful reporting and analytics.
• Develop KPIs and performance metrics measuring supplier effectiveness, cost savings and sourcing efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, technology utilization and stakeholder experience.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives impacting sourcing, contracting and supplier management activities.
• Ensure accurate maintenance of sourcing data, Cvent records, Ariba uploads and supplier databases

Skills & Competencies

• Strong expertise in hotel, venue and event supplier sourcing, with a deep understanding of hospitality operations and industry terminology.
• Proven contract negotiation, supplier management and procurement experience with a strong commercial mindset.
• Ability to drive cost optimisation, budget management and data-driven sourcing decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills across all levels.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving capabilities with attention to detail.
• Ability to build and maintain strategic supplier relationships while working independently in a global, fast-paced environment.

Education

• Graduate or Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, Tourism, Business Administration, Procurement, Supply Chain or a related field preferred.
• Hospitality or procurement-related professional certifications are advantageous.

Experience

• 10+ years of proven experience in venue sourcing, hospitality procurement, destination management, corporate event management or strategic sourcing.
• 5+ years’ experience in managing a team of sourcing managers or specialists
• Strong experience negotiating hotel contracts and managing large-scale venue sourcing projects.
• Experience working with global hotel chains, event agencies and hospitality suppliers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of meetings and events operations and procurement practices.
• Experience working in multinational, matrixed and stakeholder-driven environments is highly desirable.

What We Look For

We are seeking a commercially minded sourcing professional with deep hospitality industry expertise and a proven ability to negotiate complex event agreements. The ideal candidate will combine strong market knowledge, supplier relationship management and strategic thinking to deliver best-in-class sourcing solutions while supporting EY's global Meetings & Events programme objectives.

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