Principal IT Vendor Manager

Job Description Blue Cross NC is seeking a Principal IT Vendor Manager to manage strong, ongoing relationships between assigned IT vendors and internal stakeholders. This role ensures vendors meet contractual obligations and service level agreements while serving as the primary point of contact for vendor-related matters. The Principal IT Vendor Manager will influence outcomes across all levels of the organization, including executive leadership, and serve as a strategic partner for complex vendor engagements. This individual will help resolve issues, anticipate risks, co-develop mitigation plans, and apply strong program and technical knowledge to support successful vendor performance. What You’ll Do Manage the overall vendor relationship and governance for complex or high profile/critical IT suppliers within a dedicated portfolio. Serves as an escalation point for vendor-related issues. Establish and monitor vendor oversight plans, in alignment with contractual obligations and other defined criteria, to realize value and minimize vendor related risk to prevent operational and organizational disruption. Facilitate formal business reviews, in accordance with vendor guidelines, with assigned vendors to discuss customer feedback, compliance, performance, service level agreements, other contractual expectations, relationship health and corrective action plans (when necessary). Establish and maintain influential relationships with Executive Sponsors, Business/Service Owners, Vendor Service Delivery Manager for assigned vendors for ongoing management and oversight of the dedicated vendor portfolio. Responsible for ensuring ongoing vendor adherence to standard procedures and contracted deliverables and obligations; including change management, business continuity, liabilities, financial health, data access, and security. Partner with business leads to evaluate and assess current vendors relative to expectations, changing capabilities, competitiveness and organizational goals and communicate with vendor to improve or enhance capabilities. Collaborate with Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, and business units to influence RFPs, vendor contract negotiations, SLAs, results and, compliance to align business strategy. What You Bring Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required) 8+ years of experience in related field. In lieu of degree, 10+ years of experience in related field. Bonus Points Experience working in IT and IT governance Experience managing Technology vendors, including services, hardware, and software Expertise in developing collaborative stakeholder relationships What You’ll Get The opportunity to work at the cutting edge of health care delivery with a team that’s deeply invested in the community. Work-life balance, flexibility, and the autonomy to do great work. Medical, dental, and vision coverage along with numerous health and wellness programs. Parental leave and support plus adoption and surrogacy assistance. Career development programs and tuition reimbursement for continued education. 401k match including an annual company contribution. Learn more Where You’ll Work Our Hybrid Flex approach is built on presence with a purpose – giving you flexibility to work remotely with intentional in-person connection – that supports a workplace that’s flexible, connected, and future focused. In a Hybrid-Flex role, you’ll work in the office at least two days a week for collaboration and connection. In a Remote Flex role, you’ll work virtually, with a few in-office visits each year for meaningful moments that matter. Whether your role is Hybrid Flex or Remote Flex depends on the nature of the work and distance from our Durham headquarters. We welcome candidates from outside the local area and in any states listed on this job posting. Onsite expectations will be discussed during the interview process. Salary Range At Blue Cross NC, we take great pride in a fair and equitable compensation package that reflects market-price and our starting salaries are typically planned near the middle of the range listed. Compensation decisions are driven by factors including experience and training, specialized skill sets, licensure and certifications and other business and organizational needs. Our base salary is part of a robust Total Rewards package that includes an Annual Incentive Bonus*, 401(k) with employer match, Paid Time Off (PTO), and competitive health benefits and wellness programs. *Based on annual corporate goal achievement and individual performance. $107,901.00 - $172,642.00 Skills Budgeting, Category Management, Communication, Competitor Analysis, Contract Management, Contract Negotiations, Leadership, Negotiation, People Management, Process Improvements, Relationship Building, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Strategic Sourcing, Vendor Contract Negotiations, Vendor Coordination, Vendor Management _____________________________________________________________________ JOB ALERT FRAUD: We have become aware of scams from individuals, organizations, and internet sites claiming to represent Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in recruitment activities in return for disclosing financial information. Our hiring process does not include text-based conversations or interviews and never requires payment or fees from job applicants. All our career opportunities are published on If you have already provided your personal information that you suspect is fraudulent activity, please report it to your local authorities. Any fraudulent activity should be reported to: View email address on click.appcast.io.