Partnership and Vendor Management

Job Description/Specification:

We are seeking a Partnership & Vendor Management Lead to manage strategic relationships with vendors, system integrators, technology partners, and service providers supporting a large-scale digital platform initiative.

This role will ensure partners deliver against contractual commitments, architectural standards, and agreed business outcomes. You will work closely with product, project, architecture, procurement, legal, and operations teams to drive vendor governance, performance management, and commercial alignment.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end vendor governance model, including operating cadence, KPIs, and escalation paths
• Manage relationships with strategic vendors, system integrators, and technology partners
• Track vendor performance against milestones, SLAs, and quality standards
• Coordinate with procurement and legal teams on contracts, renewals, and change requests
• Drive cross-vendor coordination for dependencies and integration points
• Lead vendor performance reviews and service improvement plans
• Ensure compliance with governance requirements including security, documentation, and handover obligations
• Support onboarding and evaluation of new partners and technology providers
• Maintain visibility of vendor-related risks and escalate with mitigation plans
• Identify opportunities for optimization, consolidation, and improved commercial models

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong vendor and partner management experience in multi-vendor environments
• Understanding of technology delivery contracts, SLAs, and governance frameworks
• Ability to balance commercial, delivery, and relationship management priorities
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to interpret technical delivery topics and coordinate with engineering teams
• Excellent stakeholder communication and executive reporting skills

Preferred Background

• 7+ years in vendor management, partner management, procurement support, or governance roles
• Experience working with technology vendors, system integrators, or managed service providers
• Familiarity with contract-based delivery models and performance metrics
• Experience in digital transformation, cloud, or platform programs
• Exposure to regulated environments with strong governance requirements
• Experience collaborating with legal, procurement, architecture, and operations teams

Preferred Tools

• Jira, Azure DevOps, Confluence, SharePoint
• Excel, Power BI, MS Project
• Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint
• KPI/SLA dashboards, RAID logs, governance templates

Soft Skills

• Strong negotiation and relationship management capability
• Ability to manage complex stakeholder discussions and resolve conflicts
• Structured thinking and disciplined execution
• Commercial awareness with delivery focus
• Clear and confident executive communication
• High ownership mindset balancing partnership and governance