Vendor Performance Management Lead

Job-ID: 202605821Category: Systems ArchitectureLocation: Charlotte, NC, United States; Philadelphia, PA, United States; United States; Nashville, TN, United States; Chicago, IL, United StatesSchedule: Full timePosted: 2026-09-18The RoleThe role has four parts: governing a small set of strategic suppliers, owning the data-led analysis of the technology portfolio, turning that insight into commercial strategy, and automating processes wherever possible.Govern: run the supplier governance rhythmRun the governance cadence for a small portfolio of strategic technology suppliers — two to five at the outset. You own the calendar, chair the meetings, set the agenda and hold the action log.Establish Quarterly Business Reviews where they do not yet exist, and raise the standard where they do: the right agenda, the right people in the room, a pack worth reading, and actions that actually close.Partner with vendors to produce the packs behind those meetings — KPI and SLA performance, spend and commitment position, open risks and issues, and progress against prior actions.Support the named Business Supplier Owners in meeting their obligations under our Supplier Risk Management framework: service review documentation, action and issue tracking, and evidence that stands up to audit.Analyze: turn technology data into commercial insightPartner with Software Asset Management to analyze technology tooling, licensing and consumption data to show what is being used, what it costs, and where value is being lost through duplication, low adoption, overprovisioning or idle capacity.Build forward-looking analysis for renewals and commercial events, combining usage, demand, contract and pricing data to test requirements, expose options and improve the negotiating position.Identify rightsizing, consolidation, and consumption-optimization opportunities across cloud, software and other technology services, and quantify the financial and operational impact of acting on them.Maintain trusted analytical models and reference data, document assumptions and caveats, and investigate the drivers behind movements rather than simply reporting that they occurred.Advise: turn insights into strategySurface consolidation opportunities, duplication and concentration risk, and turn them into recommendations leadership can act on.Support balance-of-trade analysis and the technology procurement deals calendar, so that renewals are anticipated rather than reacted to.Provide the analysis behind negotiations, benchmarking and business cases, working alongside Procurement, Supplier Risk Management and Finance.Automate: make it repeatableApply AI to the Vendor Performance Management practice to automate data processing, dashboards, and collecting context.Extend and maintain data pipelines for smooth reliable, and consistent monthly reporting.Build reporting that allows stakeholders to answer their own questions instead of requesting extracts, and automate the repeated manual work in supplier reporting and governance.Core business hours for this role are centered around Eastern time. QualificationsThe RequirementsEssentialTypically [5]+ years in vendor or supplier management, third party/contractor governance, or a commercial and analytical role within a technology function.Strong understanding of technology, terminology, and concepts.Experience chairing supplier governance meetings including service reviews, QBRs or equivalent. History of producing the materials, and driving actions to closure with people more senior than you.Strong analytical ability with large and imperfect commercial datasets: advanced Excel, and the patience to reconcile data that does not tie.Commercial judgment. Much of the analysis turns on decisions where there is no single right answer. You will need to make those calls and defend them.Working understanding of supplier risk and governance frameworks, contract lifecycle, and the practical mechanics of renewals and business reviews.Genuine breadth. This role moves between chairing a review, building a data model and drafting a leadership paper, often in the same week.Clear written and verbal communication, including presenting performance and risk to senior stakeholders.Organised and self-directed — able to hold a governance calendar and a reporting cycle to date without being chased.DesirableClaude Cowork, M365 Cowork or similar for data analysis, scripting.Comfortable leveraging Python for data processing and automation.Power BI or similar — data modelling and report building, not just consuming dashboards.Experience with cloud or major software suppliers, and familiarity with cloud commercial constructs such as enterprise agreements, consumption commitments and reservations.Exposure to third-party or supplier risk frameworks, and to procurement platforms such as Ariba.Experience with supplier benchmarking or balance-of-trade analysis.What success looks likeIn your first year, we would expect to see:A predictable governance calendar for your suppliers, with actions closed rather than carried forward.QBRs established for each supplier in scope, with a pack that both WTW and the supplier take seriously.The monthly and quarterly KPI set delivered on time, with movements explained rather than noted.Note: Employment-based non-immigrant visa sponsorship and/or assistance is not offered for this specific job opportunity.Compensation and Benefits Base salary range and benefits information for this position are being included in accordance with requirements of various state/local pay transparency legislation. Please note that salaries may vary for different individuals in the same role based on several factors, including but not limited to location of the role, individual competencies, education/professional certifications, qualifications/experience, performance in the role and potential for revenue generation (Producer roles only).Compensation The base salary compensation range being offered for this role is $130,000.00-$140,000.00 USD annually. This role is also eligible for an annual short-term incentive bonus.Company BenefitsWTW provides a competitive benefit package which includes the following (eligibility requirements apply):Health and Welfare Benefits: Mental health/emotional wellbeing (including Employee Assistance Program), medical (including prescription drug coverage and fertility benefits), dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Commuter Accounts, Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, company-paid life insurance, supplemental life insurance, AD&D, group accident, group critical illness, group legal, identify theft protection, wellbeing program, adoption assistance, surrogacy assistance, auto/home insurance, pet insurance and other work/life resourcesLeave Benefits: Paid holidays, annual paid time off (includes state/local paid leave where required), company-paid disability (short-term and long-term disability), other leaves (e.g., bereavement, FMLA, ADA, jury duty, military leave, and Parental and Adoption Leave), Paid Time Off (only included for Washington roles)Retirement Benefits: Qualified contributory pension plan (if eligible) and 401(k) plan with annual nonelective company contribution. Non-qualified retirement plans available to senior level colleagues who satisfy the plans’ eligibility requirements.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.This position will remain posted for a minimum of three business days from the date posted or until sufficient/appropriate candidate slate has been identified.EOE, including disability/vetsResponsibilities-