Manager, Digital Vendor Management

Employment Type: Contract;

Contract-to-Hire

Duration: 6 months CTH

Preferred

Location:

Milwaukee Area, hybrid onsite 3 days a week

This role is responsible for defining and executing VMO strategy across the corporate division, with a strong focus on vendor performance, contract and pricing negotiations, vendor risk management, and RFP execution.

• Establish and lead Digital Vendor Management Office (VMO), including governance models, policies, standards, and operating procedures.
• Define and execute corporate-wide vendor management strategy aligned with IT and Digital roadmaps.
• Develop standardized vendor intake, onboarding, performance management, renewal, and exit processes.
• Ensure compliance with IT standards, security, data protection, and regulatory requirements.
• Leadership Skills
• Proven leadership experience, including building, coaching, and developing teams, setting performance expectations, and driving accountability.
• Own oversight of IT and Digital vendor contracts, ensuring consistency, transparency, and accountability.
• Partner with Legal to negotiate optimal commercial terms, mitigate risk.
• Lead contract renewals, renegotiations, and competitive rebids to drive cost optimization and performance improvement.
• Lead pricing and commercial negotiations, including licensing, rate cards, SLAs, credits, and incentives.
• RFP & Sourcing Execution
• Lead and govern RFP/RFI/RFQ processes for major IT and Digital initiatives.
• Develop sourcing strategies, requirements, and evaluation criteria in partnership with stakeholders.
• Vendor Performance & Relationship Management
• Define and implement vendor performance metrics.
• Manage standardized processes for strategic vendor relationships and executive-level engagements.

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Business, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in IT and/or Digital vendor management, strategic sourcing, and technology procurement.
• Demonstrated experience leading or operating within a Vendor Management Office (VMO) or equivalent governance model.
• Extensive experience negotiating technology contracts, pricing models, and commercial terms for hardware, software, cloud, SaaS, managed services, and professional services.
• Strong understanding of IT vendor commercial structures including licensing, subscription models, consumption-based pricing, and SLAs.
• Experience with vendor management systems (VMS), contract lifecycle management (CLM), or sourcing tools.
• Proven experience leading RFPs/RFIs/RFQs for complex IT and Digital initiatives.
• Strong analytical, financial, and risk assessment skills related to vendor performance and total cost of ownership.
• Ability to influence senior leadership and partner effectively across IT, Digital, Legal, Finance, and HR teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level presentation skills.

• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, or related field.
• Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPM, ITIL, CISM, or equivalent.
• Experience implementing or maturing an enterprise VMO or vendor governance framework.