IT Vendor Manager

At Elanco (NYCE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. We’re driven by our vision of ‘Food and Companionship Enriching Life’ and our approach to sustainability – the Elanco Healthy Purpose – to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today
Busness IT Operations at Elanco is a “global and virtual” organization focused on enabling the Office of the CIO through the VMO (Vendor Management Office), PMO (Project Management Office) , Enterprise IT processes, Financial & HC Management as well as driving IT Communications & Organisational change management.
The primary focus of the role is to be part of the IT VMO group and continue to monitor & measure strong processes and governance with our Vendors to provide the services that Elanco IT needs. As part of this, the role will also oversight the SIAM team which will help ensure operational adherence to commitments.
As this role will lead the SIAM group responsible in designing and implement governance processes that provide key insights on vendor performance, providing the Elanco IT team with a single point of accountability for vendor performance and commitments. Provide leadership and input to the strategic direction, mission and vision of the vendor management office (VMO) in alignment with the strategic and operational objectives of the IT organization and the broader enterprise.
Provide/develop training and resources for internal staff members who are charged with executing vendor management activities.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders — including IT and business resources, sourcing and procurement — to develop criteria and best practices for vendor selection.
Provide assistance to procurement teams and IT stakeholders to optimize the cost-effectiveness of negotiations and ensure compliance of negotiated agreements to established vendor management policies and practices (such as articulation of service levels and deliverables, etc.).
Manage the maintenance/enhancement of tools for use in vendor management, including vendor tracking, analytics and performance management tools.
Manage the collection, consolidation and communication of reporting and data on vendor contracts, performance, risk and relationships to key stakeholders and vendors.
Coordinate with asset management resources to assist in the management and tracking of software/hardware assets and consumption of cloud-based entitlements.
Help drive the IT Business Reviews for key vendors.
Contract management:
Oversee maintenance of vendor agreements and in cooperation with procurement, legal and stakeholders to ensure that they are current/up-to-date and compliant with relevant laws and regulations.
Manage/oversee the creation and maintenance of a repository of vendors in a contract management database or similar solution to track key engagement milestones (expirations, renewals).
Maintain an inventory of vendor spend by category (software, hardware, telecom, staff augmentation, services), cost center and region.
Performance management:
Oversee the measurement and reporting of vendor performance, including the development of evaluation tools based on stakeholder needs, and the creation of scorecards and dashboards that will accurately present this data.
Ensure that the metrics used to evaluate performance are properly tied to business outcomes and bias-free, and that the associated communications around these metrics are clear.
Manage delivery of performance feedback to vendor organizations and oversee action plans and corrective measures which may arise from the performance management process.
Maintain vendor risk assessments or risk registers in cooperation with risk, privacy, business continuity and security teams.
Develop or participate in the development of risk frameworks accounting for sensitivity to and tolerance for identified vendor risk types (financial, regulatory, operational, reputational, etc.).
Partner with other areas of the business (procurement, finance) to track and report on vendor financial viability, business continuity, and corporate and regulatory compliance.
Ensure performance reports are published, analyze the root cause of performance shortfalls against committed SLA performance targets and tracked KPIs to initiate improvements.
Govern the Continual Service Improvement in conjunction with strategy and drive it across Service Providers.
Education and Training
A bachelor’s degree in business, management or a related field is required.
A minimum of five to seven years of experience in vendor management or a related field
Proven experience in successfully leading a team in the management of vendors/third parties, including, but not limited to, policies, performance, vendor risk, relationships, contracts (including negotiations), and issue and dispute resolution
All aspects of the IT infrastructure Operations and critical components and services, including the delivery mechanisms and IT associated with each, and the technical and operations infrastructure.
Experience with ServiceNow, ITIL and SIAM model required.
Broad knowledge of the IT industry and the products and services provided by technology vendors
Familiarity with relevant regulatory and industry requirements
Working knowledge of contract management and negotiation
Solid grasp of financial concepts, such as depreciation schedules, capitalization, return on investment, and total cost of ownership
Ability to effectively interpret and act on data visualizations and analytics, particularly with regard to trends in vendor performance and activity
Working knowledge of ServiceNow & SAP S4/Aiba (P2P, PO/Invoicing)
Experience in IT Change Control processes/procedures
Experience in rapid deployment environments and knowledge of agile methodologies.
Capacity to dive into implementation details and in problem-solving mode when appropriate.
Executive presence and comfort interacting with both internal and vendor senior leadership
Thorough understanding of commercial terms (warranties, intellectual property, indemnification) in IT agreements
Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders, and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, we are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on our local and global communities. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching life and our Elanco Healthy Purpose CSR framework – all to advance the health of animals, people and the planet.