IT Vendor Management Specialist, 80% (ID2134)

The AO Foundation is a medically guided, not-for-profit organization and a global network of surgeons specializing in the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. The IT department provides information technology services to maintain and oversee computer infrastructure across the AO Foundation.

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve the AO’s vendor management framework, including policies, governance, and lifecycle management.
• Drive vendor consolidation and support changing vendors' delivery method from staff augmentation to a managed work approach.
• Lead the full lifecycle: sourcing, evaluation, onboarding, contracting, performance management, productivity, renewal, and offboarding.
• Ensure compliance with AO information security and regulatory requirements, including periodic vendor audits and assessments.
• Lead contract negotiations in cooperation with IT procurement to secure cost-effective and high-quality services.
• Manage vendor-related budgeting, financial forecasting, spend tracking, and cost optimization.
• Ensure alignment of all contracts with AO legal, procurement, and compliance requirements.
• Define service levels, KPIs, OLAs, and performance measures for all external providers.
• Conduct structured performance reviews with vendors, including escalations and corrective action plans.
• Ensure transparency of service quality through standardized reporting and dashboards.
• Ensure that all vendors adhere to AO’s Information Security Policy, IAM requirements, data-protection standards, and incident-response expectations.
• Work with the IT Security Manager to manage vendor-related risk assessments, security audits, and continuous improvement measures.
• Maintain a vendor risk register and ensure mitigation actions are implemented.
• Coordinate administrative and organizational activities within IT, maintain documentation and governance materials, and support planning of meetings, presentations, workshops, and reports.
• Serve as a central coordination point for IT leadership, stakeholders, and partners; track initiative progress, highlight priorities and risks, and prepare briefings to support decision-making.
• Assist with partner coordination, meeting documentation, and action tracking while ensuring clear communication and strong relationships with vendors and service providers.
• Identify workflow inefficiencies, propose improvements, support digital tools and automation, and help monitor costs and performance to drive operational excellence.