Senior Manager, IT Strategic Vendor Management

UL Solutions•Northbrook, IL

About The Position

This role is responsible for evolving the design and execution of the vendor management strategy framework to evaluate partnerships and provide regular updates on upcoming renewals, opportunities for optimization, and overall vendor performance. The Senior Manager will evaluate potential vendors and service providers, ensuring alignment with IT strategy and goals. This position involves partnering with IT stakeholders and Sourcing to manage and negotiate supplier agreements, and building relationships with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure vendor services meet those needs. The role oversees and manages strategic and large vendor contract renewals, supporting negotiation extensions or terminations as needed. A key aspect is implementing and coordinating a vendor engagement model with strategic vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure vendor performance and alignment with IT strategy. The Senior Manager will establish and implement vendor performance metrics and KPIs, and create and publish IT metrics to ensure quality, timely, and consistent delivery and progress against strategy. This includes organizing and conducting regular performance reviews and audits, addressing and resolving vendor performance risks and issues, and implementing corrective actions. Ensuring vendor compliance with regulatory requirements and company policies, and developing and maintaining a vendor risk management framework are also critical. The role involves managing the tracking of software/hardware assets and consumption of on-premises and cloud-based entitlements in conjunction with asset management resources. Establishing and/or approving internal and external policies, standards, and processes for vendor interaction, and supporting the vendor selection process (including RFPs, RFIs, and vendor assessments) in partnership with IT stakeholders and UL Solutions’ Sourcing organization are also key responsibilities. The Senior Manager will stay current with industry trends and best practices in vendor management, identify opportunities for process improvements, and lead initiatives to optimize vendor performance and value. Finally, this role involves leading, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative global team, managing the performance of direct reports, and ensuring adherence to all policies, including the Underwriters Laboratories Code of Conduct and security practices.

Requirements

Senior Manager level experience in IT Strategic Vendor Management
Experience evolving vendor management strategy frameworks
Experience evaluating vendor partnerships, renewals, optimization, and performance
Experience evaluating potential vendors and service providers for IT strategy alignment
Experience managing and negotiating supplier agreements with IT stakeholders and Sourcing
Experience building and managing relationships with internal stakeholders
Experience overseeing and managing strategic and large vendor contract renewals, extensions, or terminations
Experience implementing and coordinating vendor engagement models
Experience establishing and implementing vendor performance metrics and KPIs
Experience organizing and conducting performance reviews and audits
Experience addressing and resolving vendor performance risks and issues
Experience ensuring vendor compliance with regulatory requirements and company policies
Experience developing and maintaining a vendor risk management framework
Experience managing tracking of software/hardware assets and consumption of entitlements
Experience establishing and/or approving internal and external policies, standards, and processes for vendor interaction
Experience supporting vendor selection processes (RFPs, RFIs, vendor assessments)
Experience staying current with industry trends and best practices in vendor management
Experience identifying opportunities for process improvements and implementing changes
Experience leading initiatives to optimize vendor performance and value
Experience leading, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative global team
Experience managing performance of direct reports (developing accountabilities, establishing objectives, providing counseling, feedback, guidance)
Understanding and adherence to the Underwriters Laboratories Code of Conduct
Adherence to all physical and digital security practices

Responsibilities

Evolve the design and execution of the vendor management strategy framework to evaluate partnerships and provide regular updates on upcoming renewals, opportunities for optimization and overall vendor performance.
Evaluate potential vendors and service providers and ensure alignment with IT strategy and goals.
Partner with IT stakeholders and Sourcing to manage and negotiate supplier agreements.
Build and manage relationships with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure vendor services meet those needs.
Oversee and manage strategic and large vendor contract renewals and support negotiation extensions or terminations as needed.
Implement and coordinate a vendor engagement model with strategic vendor and internal stakeholders to ensure vendor performance and alignment with IT strategy.
Establish and implement vendor performance metrics and KPIs, and create and publish IT metrics to ensure quality, timely and consistent delivery and progress against strategy.
Organize and conduct regular performance reviews and audits to ensure vendors meet or exceed expectations.
Address and resolve vendor performance risks and issues and implement corrective actions.
Ensure vendors comply with regulatory requirements and company policies.
Develop and maintain a vendor risk management framework.
Manage, in conjunction with asset management resources, the tracking of software/hardware assets and consumption of on-premises and cloud-based entitlements.
Establish and/or approve internal and external policies, standards and processes for vendor interaction.
Support the vendor selection process, including RFPs, RFIs, and vendor assessments in partnership with IT stakeholders and UL Solutions’ Sourcing organization.
Stay current with industry trends and best practices in vendor management.
Identify opportunities for process improvements and implement changes to enhance vendor management practices.
Lead initiatives to optimize vendor performance and value.
Lead, mentor and foster a collaborative global team to deliver vendor management services and meet organizational objectives.
Manage performance of direct reports by developing accountabilities, establishing performance objectives, providing career counseling, feedback and guidance and ensuring that all policies are understood and adhered to.
Read and follow the Underwriters Laboratories Code of Conduct, and follow all physical and digital security practices.
Performs other duties as directed.