Software Applications & Supplier Manager

We are recruiting a Software Applications & Supplier Manager to take ownership of a diverse portfolio of business-critical applications and the third-party suppliers behind them.

Reporting directly to the Head of Digital, you’ll sit at the intersection of technology, suppliers and the wider organisation, ensuring vendors perform, applications continue to meet business needs, and issues are driven through to resolution.

This role could suit someone from an IT supplier management, technology vendor management, partner management, service delivery or applications background. You do not necessarily need to be a traditional Applications Manager, but you must have directly managed technology/software suppliers.

THE ROLE

You’ll work across a portfolio of SaaS and business applications, taking direct responsibility for supplier relationships and working closely with internal stakeholders to improve the services they receive.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing relationships with multiple software vendors and third-party technology suppliers
• Holding suppliers accountable for performance, service quality, SLAs/KPIs and delivery
• Challenging underperformance and driving supplier improvement
• Acting as an escalation point for application and supplier issues
• Working with stakeholders to understand requirements, priorities and areas for improvement
• Supporting application roadmaps, upgrades, releases and lifecycle activities
• Identifying opportunities to rationalise and improve the application portfolio
• Supporting the evaluation, selection and implementation of new software
• Maintaining appropriate application, security and compliance documentation
• Contributing to software procurement, supplier selection and budget management

Deep vendor and supplier management experience across multiple enterprise software applications is a core requirement of this role

Please only apply if you are comfortable with the working arrangements above and have strong hands-on experience managing third-party technology/software vendors and suppliers, alongside good exposure to SaaS or business applications., Direct technology supplier/vendor management experience is essential.

You should have:

• Strong experience directly managing third-party technology, software or SaaS suppliers
• Experience managing multiple suppliers, partners or services simultaneously
• Good exposure to SaaS and business applications
• Experience managing supplier performance through SLAs, KPIs and service reviews
• Confidence challenging suppliers, handling escalations and driving issues through to resolution
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills
• Good commercial awareness
• The ability to manage multiple suppliers, applications and competing priorities

You may currently be working as an IT Supplier Manager, Technology Vendor Manager, IT Partner Manager, Supplier Relationship Manager, Service Delivery Manager or Applications Manager. We are open to different backgrounds where the underlying experience is relevant.Experience with application roadmaps, software development lifecycles, ITIL, software procurement, supplier selection or budget management would be beneficial but isn’t essential.