IT Vendor Manager

Austin Community College • Austin, TX

1d

About The Position

The Vendor Manager is responsible for all IT vendors for Austin Community College (ACC). The Vendor Manager will be charged with implementing, operating, and maturing a vendor management function within the IT department at the college, ultimately owning a combination of IT vendor contract, performance, relationship, and risk management. They must understand contractual, commercial and operational working relationships with IT vendors to ensure effective delivery of committed products, services and solutions. This role will be an integral part of the IT Business Office team, whose mission it is to certify that the Information Technology Department at ACC delivers technology-related services to the college’s expectation and satisfaction. The role will require definition and enforcement of policy and process associated with IT vendor management functions, including collaboration with business units and stakeholders who may be responsible for adherence to or execution for policy and process.

Requirements

• Broad knowledge of the IT industry and the products and services provided by technology vendors
• Working knowledge of contract management and negotiation
• Understanding of the vendor life cycle (sourcing, procurement, vendor management), and how internal roles interact and operate throughout the duration of vendor engagements
• Solid grasp of financial concepts, such as depreciation schedules, capitalization, return on investment, and total cost of ownership
• Ability to effectively interpret and act on data visualizations and analytics, particularly with regard to trends in vendor performance and activity
• Executive presence and comfort interacting with both internal and vendor senior leadership
• Ability to influence without authority and collaborate with internal clients and stakeholders
• Communication of business concepts and needs in technology relevant terms as well as translation of technical concepts into business/nontechnical points
• Relationship skills that will facilitate positive vendor behaviors, establish healthy new engagements and deepen existing ones
• Strong problem-solving ability with a focus on managing to business outcomes through collaboration with multiple internal and external parties
• Thorough understanding of commercial terms (warranties, intellectual property, indemnification) in IT agreements
• 5 or more years of related work experience with at least 3 years managing the technology vendors through various parts of the vendor management lifecycle
• Proven experience managing technology-specific agreements involving service standards, SLAs, licensing and renewal terms, etc
• Bachelor's degree.

Nice To Haves

• Five to seven years of experience in vendor management or a related field
• Proven experience in succeeding in the management of IT vendors/third parties through the entirety of the vendor lifecycle, including, but not limited to, policies, performance, IT vendor risk, relationships, contracts (including negotiations), and issue and dispute resolution
• Experience driving change and facilitating collaboration and action in highly distributed or flat organizations
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Technology or related field
• ITIL Certification Strongly Preferred.
• Any of the following qualifications is a plus: Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) Certified Technology Procurement Executive (CTPE) Certified Professional in Project Management (PMP)
• Must have a valid driver's license

Responsibilities

• Develop functional policies and procedures for technology vendor management.
• Create and maintain training and performance evaluation materials for resources .
• Provide/develop training and resources as needed.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders — including IT, Business resources, and procure-to-pay(P2P) — to develop criteria and best practices for vendor selection.
• Provide assistance to P2P team as needed.
• Establish policies, standards and processes for IT vendor interaction.
• Manage the maintenance/enhancement of tools for use in IT vendor management, including IT vendor tracking, analytics and IT vendor performance management tools.
• Serve as the point of contact between IT vendors and internal customers consuming IT vendor services and solutions.
• Manage the collection, consolidation and communication of reporting and data on IT vendor contracts, performance, risk and relationships to key stakeholders and vendors.
• Oversee maintenance of IT vendor agreements.
• In cooperation with stakeholders and P2P, ensure that technology vendor agreements are current/up-to-date and compliant with state regulations(i.e. TX RAMP for Cloud vendors).
• Manage/oversee the creation and maintenance of a repository of IT vendors in a contract management database or similar solution to track key engagement milestones (expirations, renewals).
• Segment and rationalize the IT vendor portfolio so that appropriate focus can be applied to the most strategically important IT vendor relationships/engagements.
• Maintain an inventory of IT vendor spend by category (software, hardware, telecom, staff augmentation, services), and cost center with the assistance of the IT Budget Coordinator.
• Manage IT vendor relationships as the key point of contact between specified vendors and the business.
• Serve as a point of escalation for IT vendor issues and disputes and drive those issues to resolution.
• Manage the communication process with IT vendors, including what information should be communicated, when and by whom, to ensure that appropriate leverage is preserved.
• Oversee the measurement and reporting of IT vendor performance, including the development of evaluation tools based on stakeholder needs, and the creation of scorecards and dashboards that will accurately present this data.
• With the assistance of the Performance Manager, ensure that the metrics used to evaluate IT vendor performance are properly tied to business outcomes and bias-free, and that the associated communications around these metrics are clear.
• Manage delivery of performance feedback to IT vendor organizations and oversee action plans and corrective measures which may arise from the performance management process
• Maintain IT vendor risk assessments or risk registers in cooperation with risk, privacy, business continuity and security teams.
• Develop or participate in the development of risk frameworks accounting for sensitivity to and tolerance for identified IT vendor risk types (financial, regulatory, operational, reputational, etc.).
• Partner with other areas of the business (P2P, finance) to track and report on IT vendor financial viability, business continuity, and corporate and regulatory compliance.

Benefits

• Benefits include medical, dental, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, retirement plans, and AD&D.
• ACC does not participate in Social Security.
• ACC participates in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) and the Optional Retirement Program (ORP-Faculty and Administrators Only).
• Hourly employees participate in the ACC Money Purchase Plan (ACCMPP) as a retirement program required by federal law.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level