Vendor Manager IV

Job Title: Vendor Manager IV

Estimated Duration: 3 Months

The Strategic Sourcing Manager is a strategic, results-driven sourcing professional responsible for technology categories including infrastructure, engineering, network services, private and public cloud, data centers, employee enablement tools and storage. Working in collaboration with business partners, technology stakeholders, enterprise control functions, vendor management and suppliers, this role develops and executes sourcing strategies that deliver sustainable value through proactive pipeline planning, market intelligence, supplier selection, commercial negotiation, contract execution readiness and total cost of ownership analysis. The role also supports risk management, governance requirements and enterprise objectives, requiring strong communication, stakeholder management and influencing skills, along with awareness of emerging technology trends, including AI-enabled tools.
CUSTOMER

• Act as a liaison with business partners, providing direction and support to enable client and business-specific objectives and goals
• Present research findings and make recommendations to management that support category and business partner strategies
• Develop sourcing pipelines and category strategies for assigned technology categories in partnership with business, technology, vendor management, risk and enterprise stakeholders
• Lead requirements gathering, supplier evaluation and supplier selection activities to support informed procurement decisions
• Drive value through early engagement, market knowledge, commercial acumen, pricing analysis and total cost of ownership considerations
• Lead RFx, supplier negotiation and deal structuring activities, including commercial terms, contract terms, supplier risk and governance considerations, while driving negotiations to conclusion within required cycle times
• Deliver effective sourcing services to business partners and support timely resolution of sourcing, contracting and procurement-related issues through deal execution

SHAREHOLDER

• Ensure work adheres to enterprise frameworks and methodologies related to overall business management activities
• Lead relationships with corporate and/or control functions to ensure alignment with enterprise and/or regulatory requirements
• Partner with vendor management throughout the sourcing lifecycle to align on supplier risk, approval readiness and transition of executed agreements for post-signature oversight
• Recommend and implement sourcing process improvements that enhance efficiency, transparency, control effectiveness and stakeholder experience
• Stay knowledgeable on emerging issues, trends and evolving regulatory requirements and assess potential impacts to the Bank
• Assess / identify key issues and escalate to appropriate levels and relevant stakeholders and business management where required
• Identify, mitigate and report on risk issues per enterprise policy / guidance and ensure appropriate escalation processes are followed
• Ensure business operations are in compliance with applicable internal and external requirements (e.g. financial controls, segregation of duties, transaction approvals and physical control of assets)
• Lead or contribute to cross-functional / enterprise initiatives as an organizational or subject matter expert helping to identify risk / provide guidance for complex situations
• Protect the interests of the organization – identify and manage risks, and escalate non-standard, high risk transactions / activities as necessary
• Support the facilitation of action plans to address sourcing, risk, governance or approval-related issues identified during the procurement lifecycle
• Maintain a culture of risk management and control, supported by effective processes in alignment with risk appetite

EMPLOYEE / TEAM

• Cultivate and model the Colleague Promise to support a culture of care, make an impact at work and in our communities, and represent client’s brand
• Connect individual contributions with the client Shared Commitments
• Contribute to an inclusive and collaborative environment where colleagues and customers are valued, respected and listened to
• Demonstrate inclusive behaviours by taking meaningful action with intention to support colleagues and customers across all dimensions of diversity and collaboration to drive successful results
• Enable a continuous learning culture by proactively seeking, listening to and actioning feedback from peers and colleagues to continuously improve the colleague experience and grow personal leadership
• Share knowledge, information, skills and subject matter expertise; support timely escalation of issues and collaboration with other functions and teams
• Lead through change by modeling resiliency and flexibility, adapting to changing priorities and supporting innovation

BREADTH & DEPTH

• Engage with professionals across a diverse area of moderate risk, complexity or scope to support project / initiative success and achieve business results
• Ensure an integrated approach with other business areas, broader organization, and enterprise as appropriate
• Coordinate and prioritize multiple initiatives and manage competing timelines
• Establish effective relationships with stakeholders, business sponsors, executives and LOBs
• Provide support and contribute to the overall discipline and strategy for respective areas
• Deep knowledge and understanding of businesses / technology, and organizational practices/ disciplines
• Applies market intelligence and knowledge of external competition, industry trends and technology supplier ecosystems to inform sourcing strategies, supplier decisions and risk considerations
• Demonstrates awareness of AI-enabled tools, vendor capabilities and evolving technology trends, including how AI may be incorporated into technology solutions and the related commercial, risk and scalability considerations
• Operates effectively in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment with moderate to high complexity, multiple stakeholders and evolving business priorities
• Generally reports to a Senior Group Manager, Strategic Sourcing

MUST-HAVE Hard Skills:

• 8+ years of experience within strategic sourcing practices
• Strong Negotiation skills (SOW’s, POC’s, MSA’s, NDA’s, commercial terms, pricing etc.)
• Experience within a highly regulated environment (banking, financial institutions, healthcare are some examples but not a must)
• Strong understanding of contract terms, deal structure, supplier risk considerations and technology procurement lifecycle requirements

SOFT SKILLS:

• Strong communication skills – written and verbal
• Self-starter with a high degree of initiative and who is resourceful
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong stakeholder management
• Strong Time management prioritization

 
NICE-TO-HAVE

• Supply chain certifications
• Banking, financial, Healthcare experience
• Experience with procurement tools such as Ariba and Coupa