Vendor Manager

Job Title: IT Technology Vendor Manager

Location: Oakland, CA – Hybrid 2–3 days/week; Wednesday mandatory. San Ramon may also be a possibility for occasional short problem-solving meetings.

Duration: 12 Months Contract

Core Requirement:

This is a Vendor Management-heavy Technology VMO role, focused on managing enterprise technology vendors and ensuring the organization receives the right technology, services, scope, pricing, performance, and value.

The candidate must have strong hands-on Technology Vendor Management experience. This is not a Project Management or project delivery role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage approximately 8–10 technology vendors

• Vendor performance management and performance issues/escalations

• Manage vendor/product roadmaps and ensure access to the latest technology/services

• Evaluate technology delivery, scope, pricing, and consistency

• Support cost reduction and operational efficiency

• Ensure technology purchases align with business/technology requirements

• Coordinate with multiple internal teams and technology stakeholders

• Extensive reporting, documentation, and presentation

• Support technology delivery from a VMO/vendor management perspective

Mandatory Candidate Profile:

• Strong Technology Vendor Management / VMO experience

• Broad enterprise technology knowledge

• Experience managing large, well-known technology vendors

• Understanding of technology products/services such as:

o Dell

o VMware

o Cybersecurity

o Infrastructure/software and other enterprise technology solutions

• Ability to assess whether the company is receiving the latest and most valuable technology/services

• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills

• Strong PowerPoint and Excel skills

• Strong Microsoft Suite experience

• Microsoft Copilot hands-on experience is highly preferred and could be a differentiator

• Strong reporting and documentation experience

Industry Background:

Candidates from the Technology/IT industry are strongly preferred because the role requires understanding of enterprise technology vendors and products.

Prefer: Candidates from established, well-known technology or enterprise organizations who have managed major/reputable technology vendors.

Avoid:

• Retail-focused Vendor Managers

• Candidates from small companies without exposure to major enterprise vendors

• Generic Vendor Managers without technology expertise

• Project Managers / Program Managers

• Business Analysts focused on requirements

• Project delivery professionals

• Candidates primarily focused on budgeting

Interview Requirement:

The candidate will need to prepare a 4–5 slide PowerPoint presentation.

They can select any technology product/vendor they have previously managed and explain:

1. The technology/product and vendor

2. Their vendor management responsibilities

3. How they managed vendor performance

4. Challenges/issues and how they resolved them

5. How they ensured the organization received the right technology, service, scope, pricing, and value