Head of Supplier Management - Technology Services & Solutions (TSS)

We are seeking an experienced and strategic-minded Head of Supplier Management to lead our supplier management capability as part of our Technology team.

The Head of Supplier Management will be responsible for the development and performance of our company-wide Supplier Management capabilities including managing relationships with our technology vendors, ensuring that they deliver products and services that meet our organization's needs and standards and required performance. This role requires strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills, as well as a deep understanding of vendor management best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Relationship Management: Manage the Executive Relationship Management (ERM) framework and governance, which involves ensuring executive-level alignment and buy in to the achievement of strategic vendor relationship plans and KPIs. Maintain the list of key Strategic suppliers up to date with emerging relationships and ensure that executive relationships are nurtured and leveraged strategically to drive mutual value and innovation. Foster open communication and collaboration to ensure alignment with our organization's objectives.
• Exploiting Vendor Innovation Capabilities: Proactively identify opportunities to leverage strategic suppliers' innovation capabilities to drive business value and competitive advantage. Collaborate with them to explore and implement innovative solutions, technologies, and approaches that align with our strategic objectives and enhance our product offerings or operational efficiency.
• Supplier Management Framework: More widely than strategic suppliers, own, develop and implement the suite of policies and standards needed to effectively manage vendors and achieve the measures of success, stakeholder engagement and education of the value of supplier management and stakeholder roles and responsibilities needed for supplier management success.
• Contract Lifecycle Management: Working with procurement to ensure the successful on boarding of new vendors, management of performance and value for money through the life of the contract including benchmarking and leverage of periodic and on-going additional services such as training, and proactive timely intervention for extension or go to market activities before contract expiry.
• Service Performance Management: Oversee the implementation of a framework working with internal Informa contract operational owners to increase vendor performance against key metrics, service level agreements (SLAs), and contractual obligations. Identify areas for improvement and work with vendors and internal stakeholders to implement corrective actions as needed. Define supplier management performance reports to demonstrate overall return on investment and risk mitigation as part of the wider Technology Business reporting framework.
• Vendor Service & Performance Reviews: Ensure periodic reviews of vendor performance are performed, providing feedback and recommendations for improvement. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure that vendor performance meets our expectations and requirements and make interventions and take corrective action where this is not the case.
• Vendor ESG Score: Ensure periodic reviews of vendor ESG compliance with Informa's Code of Conduct and improvements on emissions data are carried out and shared with wider Informa ESG function.
• Issue Resolution: Address any issues or concerns that arise during the supplier relationship, such as delays, quality issues, or scope changes. Escalate critical issues to senior management as appropriate and collaborate with stakeholders to find solutions.
• Vendor Risk Management: Define, implement, and operate the process to assess and mitigate risks associated with vendor relationships, including financial, operational, and reputational risks. Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to minimize potential disruptions to our operations. Work in partnership with software asset management to ensure license compliance and optimised estate. [MS1]
• Mergers & Acquisitions integration: work with M&A function to integrate contracts from acquired entities into existing Informa contracts.
• Enhance data quality and integrity in our contract repository and other systems. Liaise with other Technology functions to ensure supplier data is shared appropriately.

Measures of Success

• Innovation Adoption: Implement a number of innovative solutions or technologies sourced from vendors, resulting in measurable business impact such as increased revenue, improved efficiency, or enhanced customer experience.
• Executive Relationship Management Success: Increase executive satisfaction with vendor partnerships as measured by an annual survey, achieving a score of 4 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Vendor Performance Improvement: Increase vendor performance metrics such as on-time delivery, quality adherence, and customer satisfaction ratings within the first year of tenure.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify and mitigate high-risk vendor-related issues within a given timeframe, minimizing potential impact on operations. Overall vendor risk heatmap with mitigations in place e.g. to ensure continuity of vendor / vendors supply chain services, supported by agreed audit plan.
• Cost Savings: Achieve cost savings through effective in-life optimization of vendor contracts and agreements. Operate successful periodic benchmarking of services to ensure market competitiveness and value for money.
• M&A integration: measure the percentage of new acquisitions utilising shared contracts and vendors.

Qualifications

Experience

• 10-15+ years in vendor management, procurement, or related roles, specifically with a focus on technology vendors.

Skills

• Strong negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in contract management, including negotiation and modification.
• Solid understanding of vendor relationship management best practices and contract law.
• Familiarity with risk management principles.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Project management skills to handle multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Manage executive-level relationships and interactions with key stakeholders.
• Negotiate contracts and optimize vendor performance.
• Implement best practices to improve vendor relationships.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Assess and mitigate risks associated with vendor relationships.

Traits

• Results-oriented and strategic mindset, aligning vendor relationships with organizational objectives.
• Collaborative and adaptable, able to work effectively with cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Committed to ethical conduct and professionalism.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, computer science, or a related field required.
• Certification or training in vendor management, procurement, or related fields is advantageous.

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