IT&S Vendor Relations Manager

Summary:
Oversees the contract, performance, relationship, and risk management life cycle for technology vendors/spend for the IT&S Vendor Management Office (VMO). Responsible for development of and adherence to processes which support the same. Develops long-term strategy that aligns with and supports the IT&S road map/vision. Develops and manages complex and business critical contracts/vendor relationships on an ongoing basis, monitoring vendor performance such as SLAs. Ensures alignment to Supply Chain policies and procedures. Provides effective leadership to employees, focusing on training, development, continuous improvement and performance, with an emphasis on leveraging their strengths to achieve maximum outcomes. Responsible for assigning work to ensure technology contracts and purchases are cost effective and timely. Measures and reports VMO performance, using agreed upon metrics. Evaluates, re-designs, and documents VMO/procurement-related processes with the goal of continuous improvement. Partners with Finance to monitor capital and operational budgets and ensure compliance.



Minimum Qualifications:

1. Formal Education Required:
a. Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Procurement, or related discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience.

2. Experience & Training Required:
a. Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience with negotiating and managing contract life cycles, with an emphasis on technology or IT service agreements, that has provided leadership experience with an emphasis on leading cross-functional teams.
b. Experience in managing large complex contracts in one or more IT categories, including hardware, software, service and communications.
c. Direct work experience with software licensing, hardware procurement, and offshore agreements in a purchasing or procurement capacity.
d. Experience working with all key departments (security, compliance, finance, tax, AP, legal and procurement), and knowledge of procurement and vendor management practices and certifications (CIPS, ITIL and COBIT).

3. Other Skills, Competencies and Qualifications:
a. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
b. Solid working knowledge of current IT technologies, including software, hardware and supporting services across a wide variety of areas, including both clinical and non-clinical systems.
c. Ability to understand contract risks and to work with other parts of the organization to develop strategies for risk mitigation.
d. Knowledge of best practices for IT contract negotiation tactics and strategies.
e. Tenacious and creative with effective bartering and negotiation skills.
f. Ability to deal tactfully with vendors, suppliers, and contractors who provide a broad spectrum of products and services.
g. Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of stakeholders and vendors.
h. Strong leadership skills, particularly in the area of influencing without direct authority.
i. Excellent Analytical skills with expert knowledge of word/excel.
j. Ability to effectively interact with populations of patients/customers with an understanding of their needs for self-respect and dignity.

4. Level of Physical Demands:
a. Sedentary: Exerts up to ten pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently