Contract Manager – IT Contract

Job Responsibilities

• Lead complex IT procurement files end-to-end and define acquisition strategies in line with the digital roadmap.
• Drive the definition of business needs in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Define purchasing strategies and oversee the drafting of technical specifications.
• Work closely with the internal Procurement department and the relevant IT departments/SMEs.
• Lead or coordinate complex public procurement procedures for goods and services.
• Define the procurement strategy and govern the evaluation process.
• Conduct technical and contractual negotiations in collaboration with internal procurement departments responsible for ensuring compliance with public procurement legislation.
• Ensure complete governance of strategic IT contracts in a multi-vendor environment.
• Monitor contract performance through SLAs and KPIs.
• Identify risks proactively and implement corrective actions to ensure service continuity and value creation.
• Understand internal clients’ needs and conceptualize appropriate contractual solutions, pricing mechanisms, and service monitoring and evaluation systems, including KPIs.
• Manage relationships with strategic suppliers, including escalation management, complex disputes and negotiations up to C-level.
• Manage a portfolio of critical IT contracts and ensure visibility on deadlines, risks, optimization opportunities and associated financial impacts.
• Contribute directly to cost control, contract value optimization, and the management of contractual, financial and regulatory risks.
• Act as a business partner and advisor to the business and management by challenging requirements and guiding strategic decisions.
• Manage multiple complex files and contracts simultaneously, with a direct impact on IT service continuity.
• Be present at the client office up to five days per week, with the required on-site presence subject to change and communication during the assignment.

Must Have Skills

• Minimum 10 years of experience as an IT Legal & Sourcing Manager, specifically in IT legal advisory within Sourcing or Contract Management for IT software-related projects, demonstrated in the CV.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in public sector procurement of software and/or IT services, demonstrated in the CV.
• Experience with IT legal aspects across all stages of the RFP lifecycle and procurement processes, including contract execution.
• Experience drafting procurement documents such as RFPs and specifications, including scope definition, complexity management and stakeholder interaction.
• Experience in project coordination, including timelines, stakeholders and deliverables.
• Strong commercial, legal and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage complex contracts with significant financial and operational impact.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent in English, Dutch and French, with Dutch or French at C1 level and the other languages at least B2 level.

Nice to have

• Experience managing vendor performance frameworks, including SLAs, KPIs, scorecards and remediation plans.
• Experience managing escalations, disputes and senior-level negotiations with strategic suppliers.
• Experience identifying and managing contractual, financial, operational and regulatory risks.
• Experience contributing to cost control and contract value optimization.
• Experience working in a multi-vendor IT environment.
• Experience supporting contract renewals, renegotiations and post-award changes.

What's great in the job?

• Great team of smart people, in a friendly and open culture
• No dumb managers, no stupid tools to use, no rigid working hours
• No waste of time in enterprise processes, real responsibilities and autonomy
• Expand your knowledge of various business industries
• Create content that will help our users on a daily basis
• Real responsibilities and challenges in a fast evolving company