Technical Vendor Manager

The Technical Vendor Management role is accountable for assessing the readiness of IT vendors through rigorous technical evaluation, proactively managing vendor relationships, and ensuring alignment with organisational goals. The role sits outside Procurement and provides the technical lens that complements commercial vendor management activities. Key activities include conducting vendor assessments, managing performance, optimising provider value, and communicating findings with stakeholders to drive improvement in vendor engagement.

Key responsibilities

Conduct structured technical assessments of prospective and existing IT vendors, evaluating maturity against defined readiness criteria.

Engage proactively with vendors to manage performance, drive continuous improvement, and ensure alignment with organisational standards.

Collaborate with internal stakeholders across IT, risk, and business units to capture requirements and validate vendor capability.

Optimise value from existing vendor engagements through ongoing performance reviews, audits, and improvement planning.

Communicate assessment findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders to inform vendor selection, renewal, and exit decisions.

Stay current on emerging technologies and industry practices that influence vendor capability and readiness expectations.

Generic attributes and behaviours

The generic attributes below describe the level of autonomy, influence, complexity, knowledge, and behavioural factors expected of the role.

Autonomy

Operates with significant autonomy in managing vendor relationships, ensuring alignment with IT compliance and operational standards.

Influence

Actively influences vendor performance and expectations to achieve strategic alignment.

Complexity

Navigates complex vendor ecosystems and assesses maturity against rigorous technical and operational criteria.

Knowledge

Holds comprehensive understanding of IT systems, vendor management practices, and emerging technologies to evaluate readiness.

Facilitates teamwork between internal stakeholders and external vendors, ensuring clear communication of requirements.

Communication

Effectively communicates findings and strategic recommendations regarding vendor assessments to stakeholders.

Continuously seeks improvement in vendor performance and management processes, informed by industry best practices.

Creativity

Applies creative solutions to resolve issues arising from vendor-related challenges, enhancing collaboration.

Decision making

Evaluates multiple technical options and their risks when assessing vendor capabilities and readiness.

Uses digital tools to track vendor performance metrics and manage vendor relationships efficiently.

Leadership

Guides internal teams in aligning vendor capabilities with organisational goals.

Learning and professional development

Engages in ongoing education to remain current on best practices in vendor management and technology.

Planning

Plans and schedules comprehensive assessments for vendor implementation and operational readiness.

Problem solving

Analyses and resolves complex problems that arise in vendor management situations.

Adapts vendor management strategies to align with evolving technical requirements and corporate policies.

Ideal Profile

Must have

Manages vendor performance against key performance indicators, ensuring vendors meet business needs efficiently.

Sourcing

Evaluates and selects vendors based on technical readiness and capability; supports the technical input to sourcing decisions.

Stakeholder relationship management

Systematically engages and manages relationships with vendors and internal stakeholders to create mutually beneficial outcomes.

Audit

Conducts structured audits of vendor performance and compliance with agreed standards, maintaining audit trails and documentation.

Quality assurance

Plans and conducts formal assessments of vendors and parts of the supply chain, determining whether appropriate quality control has been applied. This skill is central to the role's technical readiness assessment purpose.

Plans and implements risk management activities associated with vendor engagement, identifying and mitigating vendor-introduced technical and operational risks.

Nice to have

Emerging technology monitoring

Stays current on emerging technologies that may impact vendor capabilities and their alignment with business needs.

Delivery management

Contributes to delivery management processes for vendor engagements and performance evaluation.

Information assurance

Performs technical assessments of v