At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative and growing. We invest in our people. We care and make a positive difference.
Summary:
Lead the vendor performance and relationship management capabilities for NM operations and be the NM contact for specified vendor(s). Provide processes, guidance and oversight to operational teams and facilitate governance internally & externally.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
Relationship Management:
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Develop vendor engagement strategy, in partnership with internal teams, based on business needs, supply market dynamics, and changes in marketplace
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Align with the enterprise sourcing strategy and communicate to the business; develop and manage the relationship with the key stakeholders
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Execute vendor governance, relationship, communication, on-boarding & exit activities and multi-service provider integration (if needed) processes
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Responsible for agreeing and implementing vendor scorecards; ensures vendors are working in accordance with these and are supplying appropriate reporting
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Facilitate governance meetings between the vendor, and internal technology teams
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Leverage relationships to address current problems and work towards business objectives
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Measure internal customer satisfaction to ensure ongoing business value creation through vendor management
Performance Management:
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Defines, negotiates and reviews vendor performance metrics (KPI’s, SLA’s and OLA’s)
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Analyzes vendor metrics and produces reporting templates tailored to the needs of the technology teams operational monitoring, strategic vendor management assessment, and for executive stakeholders
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Effectively manages performance governance forums, providing support to the technology operations team to run the periodic performance review meetings (including monthly and quarterly performance review meetings)
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Reviews performance against service levels and agrees on service improvement plans with vendors; Designs and manages improvement initiatives in collaboration with the technology teams
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Addresses and/or escalates issues and risks associated with vendor performance as appropriate
Qualifications:
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Education: Bachelor's Degree with an emphasis in Business, IT or related field preferred OR a significant amount of directly related work experience beyond the minimum required for the position.
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6+ years of previous experience in sourcing and procurement or related tech operations role
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Prior experience in vendor management preferred
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Strong and broad understanding of technology functions (software dev and support, infrastructure, data, information security, etc.) and various delivery methods (agile, waterfall, DevOps, etc.).
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Strong communication skills
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Good financial / analytical skills
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Strong decision making skills
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Strong category and general procurement background
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Knowledge of ITIL and other Performance Management standards
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Demonstrated ability to effectively work with internal and external stakeholders
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Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize workload
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We a re an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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