IT Vendor Manager - Washington University IT

Company: Washington University in St. Louis
Location: Saint Louis
Posted on: April 10, 2021

Job Description:

IT Vendor Manager - Washington University IT - 51016 Job ID 51016 Location Danforth - Main Campus Full/Part Time Full-Time Regular/Temporary Regular Job Type/Schedule This position is full-time and works approximately 40 hours per week.-- Department Name/Job Location This position is in the Department of Washington University IT. This position is for the Danforth Campus. The work is normally performed in the offices across campus. There will be activities that require trips to many University offices, meeting rooms and offsite locations. Essential Functions POSITION SUMMARY: Lead the execution of the mission, vision, and strategic direction of IT Vendor Management in alignment with the strategic and operational objectives of Information Technology at the University. The successful candidate will act as an advisor to executive leadership and in support of contractual, commercial, and operational working relationships with vendors to ensure effective delivery of committed products and services. The position will report to the Executive Director, Office of the CIO, with a dotted line to the Associate Director for IT Procurement in Resource Management. PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leadership:
• Provide leadership in the execution of the strategic direction, mission, and vision of the IT vendor management capability in alignment with the strategic and operational objectives of the technology organization and the business. For clarity of definition, vendor management incorporates vendor governance.
• Manage responsibilities and activities for IT staff engaging on technology vendor management.
• Provide training and resources for IT staff members who are charged with executing vendor management activities.
• Collaborate with all stakeholders - including IT and business resources, sourcing, and procurement - to establish and implement criteria and best practices for vendor selection, e.g., RFI and RFP processes, standard contractual terms, amendments which relate to specific technologies, e.g., Cloud Services.
• Provide leadership and guidance to IT procurement teams to optimize the cost-effectiveness of negotiations and ensure compliance of negotiated agreements to established vendor management policies and practices (service levels, deliverables, etc.).
• Operational:
• Assist in the establishment and/or approve in conjunction with Resource Management, the internal and external policies, standards, and processes for vendor interaction.
• Manage the development / maintenance / enhancement of tools for use in vendor management, including vendor lifecycle management incorporating selection, vendor tracking, analytics, and performance management tools (scorecards, dashboards, etc.).
• Serve as the point of contact between the vendor organization and IT departments which utilize vendor services and solutions.
• Manage the collection, consolidation and communication of reporting and data on vendor contracts, performance, risk, and relationships to key stakeholders and to the vendors.
• Coordinate with asset management resources to assist in the management and tracking of software and hardware assets to ensure compliance with contractual commitments.
• Contract Management:
• Perform comprehensive review (including redlines and negotiations) of vendor agreements encompassing the product or service being provided and the underlying contract language.
• Oversee the maintenance of agreements with vendors in conjunction with departments and ensure that they remain current and compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
• Manage the creation and maintenance a vendor portfolio to manage all aspects of managing our vendors, e.g., strategic vendor status, key metrics (license volumes, terms, and conditions key dates (expirations, renewals) and to forecast demand.
• Classify and rationalize the vendor portfolio so that focus can be applied to the most strategically important vendor relationships/engagements.
• Maintain an inventory of vendor spend category (software, hardware, telecom, staff augmentation, services, etc.), by cost center and region.
• Relationship Management:
• Manage vendor relationships as the key point of contact between specified strategic vendors and the business.
• Serve as a point of escalation for vendor issues and disputes and drive those issues to resolution.
• Manage the communication process with vendors, including what information should be communicated, when and by whom, to ensure that appropriate leverage is preserved.
• Performance Management:
• Establish and oversee the measurement and reporting of vendor performance, including the development of evaluation tools based on constituent requirements, and the creation of scorecards and dashboards that will accurately present this data.
• Ensure that the metrics used to evaluate performance are properly tied to business outcomes, and that the associated communications around these metrics are clear.
• Maintain vendor risk assessments in cooperation with risk, privacy, business continuity and security functions.
• Partner with Resource Management to track and report on vendor financial viability, business continuity, and compliance.
• Provide leadership to vendor audits where required; arrange and direct departmental activities and schedules.
• Perform other duties as assigned. Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, business, or a related discipline plus seven years with a minimum of five years in a leadership role.
  • Demonstrated track record of helping successfully transforming enterprise business processes that touch multiple disciplines, software, hardware, and infrastructure.
  • Experience leading complex business transformation in a consumer-facing/consumer service industry, preferably in higher education.
  • Experience working with vendors/suppliers. Preferred Qualifications
    • MBA degree is highly desired.
    • Experience performing critical review of vendor contracts and agreements.
    • Experience conducting negotiation of vendor contract terms and conditions.
    • Experience conducting Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) competitive purchasing processes.
    • Pragmatic and outcome-oriented, leveraging data to make decisions.
    • Exemplary planning and organizational skills, along with a high degree of detail orientation.
    • Hands-on and adaptable leadership style with commitment to driving results.
    • Highly collaborative with the ability to build trusting relationships.
    • Ability to analyze and resolve highly difficult problems, to integrate information from multiple sources, to utilize creative thinking, and to exercise considerable judgment and resourcefulness.
    • Ability to collaborate with other teammates to provide assistance, and expertise, as well as to receive expert input and assistance from others delivering the best solution and experience for the customer.
    • Enthusiastic and committed to helping others and exhibit the ability to quickly assess the specific needs of the customer to determine an appropriate course of action.
    • Ability to develop and manage processes that have cross-departmental impacts. Salary Range The hiring range for this position is $90,688 - $120,141 annually. Pre-Employment Screening All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. Current employees applying for a new position within the university may be subject to this requirement. The screenings will include a criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening. Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Keywords: Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis , IT Vendor Manager - Washington University IT, IT / Software / Systems , Saint Louis, Missouri