Vendor Operations Manager (ITIL)

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This isn't usually the tech-heavy role I'd recruit for (just thought I'd throw that out there!) but one of my longest-standing clients has asked me to exclusively source for this, so here we go...

I am keen to speak to experienced Vendor Managers in the North West on behalf of a Global Enterprise in the Financial Services and Banking space. The position is newly created and purely down to growth, offering excellent career opportunities to the lucky candidate (hopefully you!) in both the short and long term. The organisation in question have been going through an enormous company-wide recruitment drive for the last 2 years now and this role is strategically crucial to their Q4 recruitment plans in 2018.

But enough about all of that... lets talk about the role.

Sitting within their 'Global Infrastructure Function', the role will see you take ownership and overall responsibility for the management of vendor contracts... with the official title of the role aptly being 'Vendor Contract Manager'. You will work within a team of 50+, managing vendor performance and contractual compliance on a Global scale. You will be fully respomsibnle for reacting to performance trends and any operational changes to the services delivered, ensuting that said services are consistently delivered in line with vendor agreements.

Long story short, you will basically be tasked with leading all operational elements of vendor commercial delivery and will own and maintain a portfolio of contractual change. You will be expected to liaise with various departments within the business (think 'internal consultant') and the diligent management of vendors will be critical.

In terms of their expectations of you, rather than simply regurgitating the formal JD (I can share that at a later date), I thought it would be better to pick out some of they key things they are hoping to see from prospective applicants:

Stakeholder Management - First and foremost, the stakeholder management piece will form a huge part of this role due to its nature (i.e. engaging with both internal and external stakeholders). You will act as a hub of communication and will be expected to manage vendors throughout, so a proven track record working in a customer-facing role is key.

IT Service Management / Service Desk - Whilst this isnt a 'Service Delivery Manager' role, your role will involve working within their ITSM function so a sound understanding of ITIL practices and vendor management within an ITSM department is crucial. You should be able to demonstrate a wide knowledge of IT support and its exploitation in organisations, as well as being able to clearly articulate IT structure (e.g. functions and services) and how vendor contract management can be applied in such a setting.

Vendor Management - This is an obvious one but you must be able to demonstrate extensive experience in vendor management, including an understanding as to how vendor contracts reflect both current industry best practice and future direction. You should have a proven trach record creating, managing and documenting vendor contractual changes (via 'scope of work) and be able to ensure that vendor contracts adhere to governance, audit and risk requirements. You should also be able to take ownership of vendor billing, demonstrating both an understanding of service credits ('change back model') and the ability to sucessfully negotiate vendor contracts.

Budget Management - Finally, you need to have a track record in budget management and possess excellent commercial awareness. Simple!

So there you have it.... a (relatively) niche requirement but something I do genuinely feel could be an excellent opportunity for the right candidate. Heck... that might even be you!

So if you'd like to discuss this further then give me a shout. You can call me on either 0191 338 7540 (Office) or 07943721308 (Mobile). Alternatively, send me an email to [email protected] or search for 'Liam Haghighat' on LinkedIn - I am pretty easy to find with my surname!

Anything discussed will remain completely confidential and any process will be fully compliant with GDPR.