Senior IT Supplier Manager

The Senior IT Supplier Manager leads and develops the IT Vendor Management function to ensure effective management of IT suppliers across the International firm. The function’s remit is to drive value from suppliers, including establishing, maintaining, monitoring and evaluating suppliers to optimize spend, reduce risks, drive supplier performance improvements, deliver greater levels of innovation and help deliver competitive advantage to DLA Piper.

A key part of the role is to upskill the team and colleagues across IT, setting the required standards to promote excellence in Vendor Management. As a key stakeholder in the selection, design and implementation of new processes and solutions, the role will be pivotal in the modernisation and transformation of the IT operating model.

This is a fixed-term contract role for approximately 12 months.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Accountable for the overall Vendor Management Plan
• Implementation of an enhanced Vendor Management Governance Framework, including a revamped toolkit with templates (such as agenda, risk register, scorecard, service improvement plan, etc) to help colleagues manage suppliers more effectively
• Coach and develop colleagues in best practice Vendor Management enabling a culture of service excellence, ensuring services are monitored effectively and delivered in line with contractual obligations (contractual remedies applied where appropriate) and that services continue to provide value for money with minimum risk to DLA Piper
• Evaluate, identify and reduce supplier risk
• Support colleagues to articulate service requirements (including SLA’s, performance monitoring and reporting) for inclusion in contracts
• Optimise external spend and drive cost avoidance and cost saving initiatives throughout the service lifecycle
• Lead on Vendor Management activities for some key strategic partners including driving innovation and continuous improvements
• Designated IT Lead for some complex, commercial negotiations
• Rationalisation of the supplier base, with the aim of fewer suppliers and more partnering
• Management and development of the IT Supplier Manager and the IT Service Excellence Manager
• Prime point of escalation within IT for contract and supplier management disputes, engaging at Director level with suppliers and working with colleagues across the firm including IT, Infosec, Data Privacy, Procurement and Legal as required
• A key contributor in the simplification and improvement of the IT operations lifecycle

About you

• Extensive experience in IT Vendor Management and IT Operational Management, preferably gained in a global professional services company
• In-depth market knowledge and experience of multiple IT categories
• Able to negotiate complex commercial contracts and service levels
• Experienced in operating model design and implementation
• Supplier Assurance and Risk Management experience
• Previous budget management experience (capital and revenue)
• Proven ability in the achievement of significant cost savings
• Excellent communication skills via all communication channels
• Strong stakeholder managements skills
• Ability to work proactively with considerable autonomy, to set vision and engage
• Good attention to detail
• Strong Project Management/Project Office skills
• Team player, able to work cross functionally
• Degree or equivalent experience
• ITIL (desirable)
• MCIPS (desirable)

About us

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

Our values

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative - we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold - we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional - we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

Diversity and inclusion

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

Hybrid working

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That's why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

Pre-engagement screening

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.

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