IT Vendor and Contract Manager

JOIN THE TEAM THAT’S POWERING PROGRESS Building cities. Driving commerce. Saving lives. For over 100 years, Allison Transmission has powered the vehicles and technology that move our world forward.What powers us? Our employees. From the first person hired by James Allison in 1915 to the thousands across the globe who work for Allison today, we’re driving progress everywhere because we employ top talent worldwide. Learn more about this role and how you can begin driving your career forward! Job Title:IT Vendor and Contract ManagerPay Grade:T4Job Description:

The IT Vendor & Contract Manager will be responsible for effective management of vendor relationships and IT contracts. The position is central to procurement of the global IT products and services in an effective and efficient manner, meeting continuous cost reductions, drive high standards of quality in services, and compliance. The ideal candidate will have experience in the domain of vendor management and proven contract negotiations to drive tangible cost optimization with strong IT systems and services background.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead cross-functional teams to ensure business deliverables.

Identify and select IT vendors that align with the organization’s strategy and requirements.

Develop strong relationships with key vendors to ensure a high level of service and support.

Negotiate and execute contracts with Software and Hardware vendors, System Integrators as well as Application Management Service Providers to meet organizational needs in terms of pricing, terms, and quality of service delivery.

Monitor performance of vendors to address issues or variances on a regular basis and collaborate with IT teams to draft and execute plan of action to remediate the variances on regular basis.

Proactively Implement and manage vendor performance metrics and service level agreements. Conduct regular vendors assessments to identify areas for improvement.

Assess and manage risks associated with IT vendors.

Ensure that the regulatory requirements and company processes and policies are followed.

Maintain a centralized IT contract repository/tool collaborating with global cross-functional teams at all levels of the organization.

Budgeting – Collaborate with IT Finance Management to manage budgets related to vendor contracts (HW/SW/AMS) including forecasting and tracking actuals to ensure spending aligns with financial goals.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Expertise in evaluating the financial implications of contracts and vendor relationships.

Communicate clearly with vendors, internal stakeholders, and senior management on all aspects of contract issues, vendor performance, and procurement strategies.

Stay updated with the latest trends, products, and prices in the IT market.

Key Performance Measures:

Strong Negotiation Skills for new IT hardware, software or service procurement efforts or renewal of IT agreements to drive continuous cost savings that can be effectively measured and reported at executive forums.

Proactive Risk Management and helping cross-functional team to identify and drive mitigation plans with key vendors based on contract SLAs and KPIs

Adherence to SLAs as well as company policies, procedures, and processes.

On time delivery of contract renewals, vendor engagement and addressing risks by effectively collaborating and engaging right team members cross functionally.

Identifying lessons learned and continuously applying lessons learned as part of continuous maturity.

Competencies and Behaviors:

IT Procurement - Effective negotiation techniques, understanding of pricing models and cost structures, ability to achieve win-win outcomes.

Vendor Management – Relationship building, conflict resolution, performance monitoring, dealing with ambiguity and issue resolution.

Contract Management – Contractual knowledge, SLAs, and risk management

Technical Understanding - IT Knowledge: Solid understanding of IT systems, software, and infrastructure to make informed decisions regarding vendor capabilities and service offerings.

Communication - Ability to convey complex technical and contractual information in a clear and understandable manner to both vendors and internal stakeholders. Strong command skills

Presentation Skills – effective in a variety of formal presentation settings in both inside and outside the organization.

Analytical Thinking - Data-Driven Decision Making: Ability to analyze data from vendor performance reports, financial metrics, and other sources to make informed decisions.

Financial Acumen – Budgeting and cost control, financial analysis, and reporting.

Project Management - Planning and Execution: Competency in managing projects related to vendor onboarding, contract renewals, or transitions. Monitoring and controlling project progress.

Resilience - Maintains composure and effectiveness under pressure, especially when dealing with challenging vendor negotiations or contract disputes.

Proactive Approach, Ethical Integrity, Attention to Detail and cross-functional collaboration.

Scope Factors:

Vendor Management - Key Partner, VARs and SOW based vendors (HW/SW/AMS vendors).

Contract Management – Multiple vendor Contracts (new / renewals) working closely with ATI Purchasing and Legal teams.

Cost Savings – Drive year over year savings on contracts and SW/HW procurement

Budget Management - CapEx & OpEx across multiple contracts and IT Procurement

Executive Steering Committee Sessions - Responsible to prepare, present and lead cross-functional quarterly sessions and report on Vendor, Contract, Procurement Management, Budget and Spend details on quarterly basis.

Responsible to lead cross-functional resources in the matrix team to navigate ambiguous situations to drive desired results in agile and expedited manner.

Responsible to make right decisions while interacting with vendors and cross-functional teams that drives cost savings and favorable terms and conditions.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Business Administration or related field. Advanced degree and/or professional certifications, such as PMP, ITIL are a plus.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 Years with 5+ years of Vendor Management, Contract Management, or IT procurement experience, with a proven successful vendor experience, leading to effective vendor negotiations and strong contract administration.

Travel:

Less than 10% travel required.

Primary Location:Indianapolis, INAdditional Locations:Allison Transmission is an equal opportunity employer. We have opportunities for all qualified applicants regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or veteran status.If you are an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran requiring assistance and/or reasonable accommodations reviewing any of the careers information, please contact us at ati+ask4max@service-now.com .Please note that Allison Transmission will make an offer of employment only to individuals who have applied for a position using our official application. Be on alert for possible fraudulent offers of employment. Allison Transmission will not solicit money or banking information from applicants. Allison Transmission is an equal opportunity employer. We have opportunities for all qualified applicants regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or veteran status.If you are an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran requiring assistance and/or reasonable accommodations reviewing any of the careers information, please contact us at 317-242-5000.Please note that Allison Transmission will make an offer of employment only to individuals who have applied for a position using our official application. Be on alert for possible fraudulent offers of employment. Allison Transmission will not solicit money or banking information from applicants.