Vendor Manager

Key Responsibilities:

1. Vendor Performance Management Framework set up:

• Together with Procurement, business and expert teams, create a structured standard framework for evaluating vendor performance.

• Such framework should include the definition of a process for data and vendor information collection, analysis, and reporting tailored to the criticality of the vendor and type of service, leveraging on existing tools when and where possible.

• Develop templates/tools to standardize vendor performance assessments and reporting, including requirements for periodic performance reports, incident reports and service delivery reports.

• Maintain awareness of industry best practices and emerging trends in vendor performance management.

• Monitor vendor performance for potential risks and develop mitigation strategies as necessary.

2. Vendor Performance Management deployment:

• Work together with IT and Procurement teams to design and implement a comprehensive performance management process for IT & Sourcing vendors.

• Define objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), penalties and other performance metrics that align with organizational goals (risk-based approach) based on IT vendors' criticality and regulatory requirements.

3. Exit strategy and reversibility plan standard guidance:

• Design exit strategy and reversibility plan standard templates and develop guidance on content to help both Procurement teams and business to define those for critical vendors.

• Ensure that business continuity plans are in place for critical IT vendors, assessing their effectiveness and alignment with internal operational resilience strategies.”

4. Training and Support:

• Provide guidance and train internal teams on vendor performance management to ensure effective implementation.

• Adopt a train the trainer approach with IT Procurement team.

• Develop best practices in IT vendor performance evaluation and management.

• Support internal stakeholders in the contract setting and review exercise when it comes to vendor performance management.

5. Monitoring and Reporting:

• Oversee the implementation of performance monitoring systems to track vendor compliance with KPIs, KCIs and SLAs, including

• Deploy regular performance reports and dashboards for management and stakeholders, highlighting trends and areas for improvement.

• Define audit requirements for vendor performance and compliance, including the frequency of audits and specific areas to be audited based on the vendor's criticality and services provided.

• Define specific reporting requirements for critical IT vendors, including business continuity plans and ICT security reports, and establish a case-by-case analysis to determine what information needs to be collected and the frequency of collection.

6. Continuous Improvement Initiatives:

• Help internal teams to identify opportunities for enhancing vendor performance and recommend actionable strategies.

• Share good practices with internal teams to facilitate regular review meetings with vendors to discuss performance results and collaborate on improvement plans.

• Help to raise the overall maturity of internal teams related to IT vendors’ performance management.

7. Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams:

• Work closely with IT, Procurement, finance, and legal teams to ensure alignment on performance expectations and contract terms.

Qualifications:

• Proven expertise and experience in vendor management, procurement, or performance management, preferably in an IT context.

• Strong understanding of performance management frameworks and best practices.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on data-driven decision making.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders.

• Proficient in vendor/sourcing management and performance monitoring tools.

• Familiarity with IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL) is a plus.

• Certification in procurement or vendor management (e.g., CIPS, CPM, or similar) is a plus.

Context

Client is looking for a professional that can bring strong expertise, experience and best practices to both the Procurement/Sourcing team and business in vendor performance management domain. The mission objective is to first design a vendor performance management framework and start deploying it on a set of IT vendors as a pilot.