Vendor Governance Manager

Orion180•Melbourne, FL

85d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Vendor Governance Manager to own the performance management and accountability framework for our strategic delivery partners. The Innovation & Technology organization relies on dedicated partner resources across engineering, architecture, quality, and delivery functions. This role ensures those partners deliver on their commitments by defining SLAs, publishing performance scorecards, conducting operational reviews, and managing escalations. You will be the single point of accountability for vendor performance - the person who knows whether our partners are delivering what they promised and drives corrective action when they’re not. This is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-moving environment. We value leaders who lead from the front - setting direction while staying close to the details. You’ll build the governance framework yourself before you have a team to delegate to.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Information Systems, Supply Chain Management, or related field, or equivalent experience.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship (U.S. Citizen or Green Card Holder).
Minimum 5+ years in vendor management, supplier governance, strategic partnership management, or IT outsourcing management roles.
Demonstrated experience defining SLAs, building vendor scorecards, and conducting formal operational reviews with technology delivery partners.
Experience managing multiple vendor relationships simultaneously with clear performance frameworks.
Strong analytical skills - ability to build scorecards, interpret performance data, and translate metrics into actionable recommendations.
Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
Strong communication skills at all organizational levels.
Experience with technology delivery models including dedicated resource teams, staff augmentation, and blended delivery approaches.
Familiarity with contract management, SOW structures, and SLA frameworks in technology services.
Demonstrated player/coach leadership style - comfortable setting strategy and executing, and building initial versions of processes or reports.

Nice To Haves

Insurance or financial services industry experience is a plus.
ITIL, PMP, or vendor management certifications are a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Define, negotiate, and manage Service Level Agreements with strategic delivery partners, ensuring SLAs cover resource quality, retention, delivery performance, response times, and escalation procedures.
Design and publish monthly vendor performance scorecards, tracking metrics including sprint commitment rates, defect escape rates, resource retention, knowledge transfer milestones, and SLA compliance.
Conduct monthly operational reviews with each delivery partner to review scorecard results, address performance trends, resolve open issues, and align on upcoming capacity needs.
Serve as the primary escalation point for vendor performance issues, driving corrective action plans with clear timelines and accountability when a delivery partner is underperforming.
Monitor delivery partner compliance with contractual obligations including dedicated resource commitments, non-rotation requirements, and security/compliance standards, partnering with legal on contract interpretation and enforcement.
Track the quality and readiness of partner resources, monitoring onboarding milestones, knowledge transfer validation, and resource substitution requests.
Manage governance across multiple strategic partners simultaneously, ensuring all partners are held to the same standards, SLAs, and quality expectations.
Identify and track vendor-related risks, maintaining a vendor risk register and presenting risk status to leadership monthly.
Provide regular vendor performance reporting to leadership, translating complex vendor data into clear, actionable insights.
Analyze vendor performance trends over time, identify systemic issues, and work with delivery partners to implement process improvements and benchmark performance against industry standards.