IT Vendor Manager

Grant Thornton LLP • Chicago, IL

46d • $104,000 - $168,480

About The Position

Grant Thornton is seeking an IT Vendor Manager to join the team. Approved office locations can be found below. The IT Vendor Manager (individual contributor) will manage vendor relations, provide visibility on vendor performance, establish governance structures, and drive forums to ensure seamless vendor partnerships. This role focuses on driving value, fueling innovation, mitigating risks, and achieving exceptional outcomes in the Information Technology landscape. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, handles high pressure, and manages heavy workloads. Additionally, they should be a positive team player who fosters collaboration and contributes to a supportive work environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in vendor management, procurement, or a related role.
• Strong understanding of IT vendor management principles and best practices.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple vendors and projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage a fast-paced environment, high pressure, and heavy workloads.
• Positive team player who fosters collaboration and contributes to a supportive work environment.

Nice To Haves

• Certification in Vendor Management or related fields.
• Familiarity with vendor segmentation, vendor dashboards, Azure DevOps, and Ariba.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management and SLA management.

Responsibilities

• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, productive relationships with strategic vendors, ensure effective communication, align goals, and manage vendor escalation and governance cadences.
• Performance & Accountability Management: Monitor and evaluate vendor performance, manage SLAs, evaluation scorecards, CSAT assessments, oversee RAID logs, and manage dispute resolutions.
• Contract Lifecycle Management: Participate in contract negotiations, due diligence, change order oversight, ensure contract compliance, and support compliance and certification processes.
• Financial Governance & Compliance: Oversee financial forecasting, credit tracking, invoice audits, assist with budgeting, and manage ARC/RRC monthly audits and approvals.
• Onboarding & Transition: Oversee vendor onboarding/offboarding processes, establish governance model guidelines, develop SLAs, set up collaboration tools, and support transition plans.
• Adhoc Vendor Management Needs & ITVM Roadmap Projects: Assist with adhoc vendor management needs and contribute to ITVM roadmap projects.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees