IT Vendor Management and Contracts Lead

Rockwell Automation•Milwaukee, WI

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

Rockwell Automation is seeking an IT Vendor Management and Contracts Lead to establish and lead an enterprise capability that maximizes the value and performance of strategic technology vendor relationships. The role develops the IT Vendor Management strategy and operating model, secures executive-level agreement on governance and performance standards, and leads strategic vendor reviews and escalations. It aligns stakeholders across IT and non-IT partners, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, Risk, and IT Asset Management. The role manages vendor relationships holistically across contracts, costs, performance, relationships, risk, and outcomes, acting as an intermediary among the organization, technology vendors, and company partners. It reports to the Director of IT Business Operations and Results Delivery Office. This is a hybrid position based in either the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Cleveland, Ohio office. Employees are expected to work at a Rockwell location at least Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays unless they have a business obligation out of the office.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience.
Legal authorization to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available now or in the future.
Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.
Experience in IT vendor management, supplier relationship management, IT strategic sourcing, contract management, and technology procurement.
Track record of meeting measurable goals related to savings and revenue.
Expertise managing complex, high-value technology vendor relationships.
Knowledge of commercial negotiations, pricing models, statements of work, service levels, renewals, contractual commitments, and performance remedies.
Experience establishing vendor scorecards, indicators, governance forums, executive reviews, and corrective-action plans.
Ability to analyze financial, contractual, operational, performance, asset-use, and risk data.
Experience collaborating with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Cybersecurity and Risk, Enterprise Architecture, IT Operations, and business leadership.
Contract negotiation, facilitation, conflict-resolution, and partner-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, information technology, engineering, computer science, or a related field.
Experience with technology agreements involving software, SaaS, cloud, hardware, telecommunications, IT services, managed services, or professional services.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the IT Vendor Management strategy, charter, operating model, governance framework, and performance standards.
Establish vendor segmentation based on business criticality, relationship potential, spend, risk, performance, and strategic relevance.
Develop vendor strategies aligned with IT, business-unit, and enterprise technology roadmaps.
Lead executive business reviews, strategic vendor reviews, commercial reviews, performance reviews, and escalation meetings.
Partner with IT Strategic Sourcing on sourcing strategies and negotiations with strategic vendors, including spending thresholds, renewals, pricing, statements of work, service levels, and contract changes.
Establish and operate the IT vendor contract-governance process to ensure new agreements, renewals, statements of work, and material contract changes are assessed against CIO-approved Vendor Contract Standards and applicable Design Authority requirements before approval.
Ensure software, SaaS, cloud, managed-service, technology-service, and developer agreements receive a documented conformity assessment, including documentation of deviations from Design Authority principles and detailed design.
Document, review, escalate, and approve material deviations through the appropriate governance process.
Establish controls, reporting, and evidence demonstrating compliance with Vendor Contract Standards, including contract-clause adoption, Design Authority assessments, approved deviations or exceptions, remediation actions, and upcoming renewals.
Manage vendors holistically across contracts, costs, performance, relationships, risk, and outcomes.