IT Contracts Manager

Position: IT Contracts Manager

Location: Mayo, (Hybrid)

Type: Contract

Length: 12 months

Important: This role is only open to Stamp 4, EU or Irish citizens

The IT Contracts Manager will support the technology procurement and vendor relationship activities by combining technical insight with strong supplier oversight and commercial acumen. In this role you will ensure that contracts are executed effectively, vendors meet agreed service levels, and technology investments deliver maximum value.

This includes applying procurement rules and internal governance to all sourcing activities, while collaborating closely with IT and business stakeholders to drive continuous service improvements.

Supplier and Contract Management

• Oversee Supplier Performance: Manage and monitor technology vendors and their contracts to ensure deliveries meet established KPIs and service levels. Regularly review supplier status and performance reports, and promptly address any shortfalls or compliance issues.
• Governance and Reviews: Maintain a structured framework of supplier governance (e.g. scheduled service reviews, performance reporting, issue tracking, and escalations). This ensures performance problems are identified early and resolved in coordination with the supplier, often involving cross-functional teams as needed.
• Relationship and Accountability: Build positive working relationships with vendors while upholding commercial accountability. Engage confidently with technical suppliers to challenge assumptions, costs, and delivery plans if they deviate from expectations.
• Issue Resolution: Lead the resolution of supplier-related issues – including service delivery gaps, quality defects, contract disputes, and change requests – by coordinating between suppliers, internal stakeholders, and (if needed) legal or procurement advisors.
• Feedback and Improvement: Collect feedback from business users and IT teams on supplier performance. Use this feedback to identify areas for service improvement or efficiency gains, and work with suppliers to implement corrective actions.

Technology Procurement and Contract Renewals

• Public-Sector Sourcing: Lead and assist in competitive procurement processes for technology solutions (e.g. RFPs, tenders) in compliance with applicable public procurement regulations and governance policies. Ensure all purchasing activities adhere to laws, regulations, and internal rules.
• Procurement Documentation: Prepare clear, structured procurement documents – including requirements specifications, evaluation criteria, and related materials – to guide vendor selection and evaluation. Clearly define the outcomes and technical needs so vendors can respond accurately.
• Vendor Evaluation: Support the assessment of supplier proposals, verifying that proposed solutions are technically suitable and commercially sound. Work with evaluation committees (often including IT, finance, legal, and business representatives) to score vendors consistently and transparently.
• Renewal Planning: Maintain a forward-looking contract and renewal schedule to track all upcoming expirations. Proactively initiate renewal discussions well in advance (often 3–6 months before contract end dates) to allow time for negotiation and avoid unwelcome auto-renewals or service gaps. Use automated alerts or dashboards where possible to ensure no key renewal is missed.
• Handover and Mobilization: After awarding new contracts, work with procurement and operations teams to transition agreements into service. Ensure operational teams have the information they need to manage and onboard new suppliers effectively.

Commercial, Financial and Risk Management

• Value and Cost Control: Monitor spending on technology contracts, change orders, and renewals to ensure costs align with budgets and represent good value. Challenge supplier pricing and effort estimates where they seem excessive, and negotiate concessions or alternative solutions.
• Budget Oversight: Collaborate with finance and procurement colleagues to track budgets and report on contract spend. Identify significant variances or overspends early and escalate any commercial risks (e.g. budget overrun, contract non-compliance) to senior management.
• Risk Mitigation: Help develop contingency plans for critical technology services (e.g. backup suppliers or emergency support arrangements) to safeguard continuity in case of supplier failure or disruption. 
• Performance Benchmarks: Ensure contracts include clear performance benchmarks, audit rights, reporting requirements, and exit clauses. According to best practices, integrating these risk controls into contracts and monitoring them helps mitigate financial exposure and strengthens overall governance.

Governance, Documentation and Continuous Improvement

• Process and Templates: Develop and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) and reusable templates for supplier and contract management – for example, standard clauses for SLAs/KPIs, service credit models, exit clauses, and procurement planning tools. Use central repositories (or contract management systems) to store signed contracts and related documents, with automated alerts for key dates (renewals, notices, reviews).
• Communication: Ensure that all relevant teams understand the terms of active contracts. Communicate key contractual obligations and performance metrics to stakeholders (IT, business users, finance, etc.) so everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
• Governance and Reporting: Establish consistent governance forums and reporting processes for supplier and procurement activities. For example, schedule regular contract review meetings and produce dashboards or reports on supplier performance and compliance. These reviews should involve procurement, legal, business, and IT stakeholders in line with cross-functional best practices.
• Continuous Improvement: Periodically audit and review active contracts to verify compliance and to spot improvements (e.g. negotiating better terms on renewal, consolidating duplicate services). Best practices suggest using regular contract audits to identify inefficiencies or opportunities for cost savings. Encourage innovations in supplier management and procurement processes such as adopting new tools or refining evaluation methods  to enhance overall performance.

Key Skills and Qualifications

• Supply and Contract Management Experience: Demonstrated experience overseeing IT suppliers and contracts in complex organizations. Comfortable managing service delivery across technology domains (infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity, cloud, etc.) and enforcing contractual commitments.
• Procurement Expertise: In depth knowledge of procurement rules, with experience leading or supporting technology sourcing events. Skilled at drafting requirements, evaluation criteria, and contract terms, and familiar with approval workflows and legal compliance.
• Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of IT services and solutions. Able to engage with technical teams and vendors, evaluate proposed solutions, and question whether recommendations align with business needs and technical standards.
• Commercial Awareness: Proven ability to analyse supplier proposals, pricing, and change requests. Comfortable challenging quotes and negotiating terms to achieve competitive value. Experience in budget monitoring and ensuring spending aligns with financial plans.
• Analytical and Detail Oriented: High attention to detail in preparing and reviewing documents (contracts, SLAs, reports). Capable of organizing multiple priorities, managing deadlines, and producing clear, accurate documentation for decision-makers.
• Communication and Influence: Excellent stakeholder management skills. Effective at building relationships with suppliers and internal teams, and influencing others through clear communication and negotiation. Able to lead discussions, present findings, and reach consensus across business, technical, procurement, and finance groups.
• Leadership and Collaboration: A self-starter who operates independently while fostering teamwork. Demonstrates strong relationship-building and project-management abilities. A results-oriented leader who meets deadlines, drives actions to completion, and is willing to have candid conversations to ensure accountability.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please drop me a message, forward your CV using the apply button or reach out to me directly via Colin.foley@cpl.ie

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