IT - Manager Vendor Management- Digital Technology Services - Hackensack Meridian Health

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

The Manager, Digital Technology Services (DTS) Vendor Management provides programmatic oversight of vendors who are delivering Information Technology (IT) products (hardware or software) or IT services (consulting, application development, infrastructure, etc.) to Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH). This role will serve as a strategic advisor to DTS leadership and oversee a team of analysts responsible for full IT vendor lifecycle management including but not limited to stakeholder engagement, RF(x) events, contract review, and performance management.

This is a Hybrid position, and will work up to 25% onsite in the Edison, NJ office. The ideal candidate will be a leader who can strategically navigate the IT vendor landscape while fostering collaborative partnerships and driving process optimization within their team. IT experience is required and healthcare experience is strongly preferred.  

A day in the life of a Manager, Digital Technology Services (DTS) Vendor Management at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the DTS Vendor Management Office (VMO), aligning its mission and vision with the strategic and operational objectives of DTS and HMH.
• Assist delivery leadership in making strategic vendor decisions including highlighting key risks to relationships between the organization and its vendors.
• Collaborate with Network Purchasing teams to implement leading IT sourcing strategies to optimize vendor spend and drive cost savings within the DTS. 
• Review vendors and technology spend across the HMH to identify cost-saving opportunities and develop vendor negotiation strategies.
• Review, revise and negotiate IT vendor agreements focusing on commercial and operational provisions using knowledge of a client's needs and industry standards to ensure that contracts contain clear descriptions of services and products purchased and that all commercial terms meet department objectives.
• Serve as an advisor with Purchasing in vendor negotiations to ensure favorable contract terms and conditions, leveraging contractual rights to consolidate offerings and reduce spend.
• Bridge communications between the IT and business organizations, with a focus on developing an understanding of how to structure contracts to deliver against business needs and goals.
• Collaborate with DTS Financial Operations lead to conduct financial analysis to prioritize cost-saving initiatives and assess their impact on budgets. 
• Monitor and manage vendor contracts, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and internal policies.
• Review vendor compliance with existing contracts and address non-compliance issues, including service level adherence. 
• Identify opportunities for consolidation and cost savings, develop business cases for potential IT initiatives and analyze RFP outcomes for vendor selection.
• Partner with DTS leadership, Network Purchasing and HMH stakeholders in the selection of IT vendors based on business and technology needs. 
• Advise and/or lead in the implementation of systems designed to monitor IT vendor performance against key performance indicators (KPIs), addressing issues promptly, and working towards building strategic partnerships. 
• Assess and mitigate risks associated with vendor relationships, establishing governance frameworks for ethical vendor practices.
• Build relationships with internal stakeholders to align vendor management activities with organizational goals, facilitating initiatives across the IT department and coordinating with other departments to achieve compliance and cost savings.
• Cultivate positive relationships with key vendors, ensuring ongoing communication of progress against program objectives.
• Identify and implement process improvements within the VMO, establishing and enforcing governance frameworks to ensure operational excellence and enterprise value through strategic supplier management.
• Establish and optimize best practices for vendor management, including processes, tools, templates, and systems. 
• Responsible for the training, scheduling, performance and overall results of team. 
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned. 
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Economics, Finance, Computer Science or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in IT vendor management, contract management, procurement, strategic sourcing, or delivery roles. 
• Experience negotiating XaaS, Software, Hardware, Network, Maintenance, Professional Services, and Managed Service contracts.
• Strong communication and problem solving skills including the ability to work with senior leaders and stakeholders to solve business problems from strategy to delivery.
• Customer focused leadership approach inclusive of ability to communicate effectively with IT users, legal and procurement teams, and business leaders to craft contracts that align complex needs with contractual requirements to achieve business outcomes.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships within and across departments in the organization.
• Ability to drive transformation as evidenced by a well defined and communicated vision, development of multi-year strategic plans, and demonstrated progress achieving or exceeding program milestones. 
• Experience leading a variety of large, high-profile, and complex programs involving people, processes, vendors, business and technology teams, and project teams.
• Exceptional analytical skills, including financial cost analysis, and expertise across multiple functional areas (e.g., Finance, Purchasing, Technology). 
• Knowledge of contracting trends, licensing models, and traditional and emerging contract and vendor performance models.
• Strong presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts to cross-functional audiences.
• Apply internal controls and ethical practices effectively.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Master's degree in business administration or related field.
• Experience in healthcare industry.
• Minimum of 5+ years of managerial experience.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• ITIL Foundation Certification at hire or must be obtained within six (6) months of hire. 

If you feel that the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!