Head of IT Vendor and Procurement Management

The Head of IT Vendor and Procurement Management is accountable for establishing and leading the enterprise capability that governs how IT vendors are selected, onboarded, managed, measured, renewed, exited and commercially optimised across Dis-Chem. Reporting to the Group CIO, this role ensures that technology sourcing, vendor performance, contract governance, procurement execution and commercial decision-making are aligned to business outcomes, enterprise architecture, security requirements, risk appetite, financial discipline and Group Procurement policies. The role acts as the single point of accountability within IT for vendor lifecycle management, IT procurement governance, technology sourcing discipline, commercial performance and vendor value realisation. It partners closely with IT Infra and Ops, Legal, Finance, Enterprise Architecture, Security, Risk, platform heads and business stakeholders to ensure IT sourcing decisions are transparent, compliant, commercially sound and strategically aligned. This role ensures that vendor relationships are managed as strategic assets rather than transactional purchasing events. It creates visibility of technology spend, vendor performance, contract obligations, commercial risk, renewal exposure, third-party dependencies and value delivery across the IT portfolio. Responsibilities Vendor strategy and lifecycle management

• Define and lead the IT vendor management strategy, operating model, standards and governance practices across the CIO organisation. • Segment vendors by strategic importance, business criticality, spend, risk, operational dependency and innovation potential. • Establish clear vendor lifecycle practices covering vendor selection, due diligence, onboarding, relationship management, performance management, renewal, rationalisation, transition and exit. • Maintain visibility of strategic vendors, preferred suppliers, tactical vendors and high-risk vendor dependencies. • Ensure vendor strategies are aligned to Dis-Chem’s enterprise architecture direction, platform roadmaps, security requirements, commercial priorities and operating-model principles. Vendor performance and relationship governance

• Establish and manage vendor performance frameworks, including SLAs, KPIs, service credits, scorecards, governance forums, QBRs and escalation paths. • Ensure strategic vendors are managed through clear governance cadences with documented performance outcomes, issues, risks, decisions and improvement actions. • Monitor vendor delivery, service quality, responsiveness, contractual adherence, value contribution and stakeholder satisfaction. • Drive corrective action where vendors underperform against contractual, service, delivery, security or commercial commitments. • Act as the senior IT escalation point for vendor performance, relationship, commercial and contractual issues. IT procurement and sourcing governance

• Lead IT procurement and sourcing activities in partnership ensuring compliance with procurement policy, governance standards and regulatory requirements. • Plan and execute IT sourcing processes, including RFIs, RFPs, tenders, market scans, proposal evaluations and commercial negotiations. • Ensure sourcing strategies are informed by prioritised demand, platform roadmaps, enterprise architecture, security standards, business value, total cost of ownership and vendor market capability. • Coordinate evaluation of vendor proposals, balancing cost, capability, risk, delivery confidence, strategic fit and long-term value. • Prevent shadow procurement and fragmented vendor engagement by enforcing clear decision rights, process discipline and procurement governance. Contract and commercial management

• Lead commercial negotiation for IT contracts, renewals, extensions, amendments and major sourcing initiatives in partnership with IT Org, Legal and Finance. • Ensure contracts include appropriate service levels, performance measures, pricing structures, risk allocation, security obligations, data protection requirements, audit rights, renewal controls and exit provisions. • Maintain oversight of the IT contract lifecycle, including renewal dates, termination windows, commercial commitments, obligations, dependencies and escalation requirements. • Ensure total cost of ownership, implementation cost, support cost, licence utilisation, exit cost, switching cost and vendor lock-in risk are considered in procurement and renewal decisions. • Drive cost transparency, cost optimisation, demand aggregation, licence rationalisation, commercial leverage and value realisation across IT spend. Third-party risk, compliance and dependency management

• Work with Information Security, Third Party Risk Management, Legal, Risk and Compliance to ensure vendor risk is assessed, documented and managed throughout the vendor lifecycle. • Ensure vendor onboarding includes appropriate due diligence, security assessment, data protection review, financial viability consideration, regulatory compliance and operational criticality assessment. • Maintain visibility of vendor concentration risk, operational dependency, critical service exposure, renewal risk, commercial risk and exit readiness. • Ensure vendor engagements comply with Dis-Chem policies, contractual obligations, procurement controls, security standards and relevant regulatory requirements. • Support audit, assurance and risk reporting related to IT vendors, procurement decisions and third-party technology services. Stakeholder engagement and cross-functional collaboration

• Partner with IT Demand and Delivery to ensure procurement and vendor activity is aligned to prioritised demand and approved delivery commitments. • Work with Enterprise Architecture to ensure sourcing decisions align to technology standards, platform strategy, integration principles and reuse objectives. • Work with platform heads and service-unit leaders to ensure vendors support delivery outcomes, service stability, operational resilience and continuous improvement. • Work with Finance to support budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, spend reporting and value tracking. • Work with Group Procurement and Legal to ensure sourcing, negotiation and contract decisions are commercially sound, compliant and defensible. Reporting and continuous improvement

• Provide regular reporting to CIO and relevant governance forums on vendor performance, spend, renewals, contract risk, procurement pipeline, savings, value realisation and vendor-related issues. • Develop dashboards and management information covering strategic vendors, contract lifecycle, SLA performance, commercial exposure, procurement status, vendor risk and dependency concentration. • Continuously improve IT vendor and procurement management practices to increase commercial discipline, reduce risk, improve vendor accountability and optimise technology spend. • Identify opportunities to rationalise suppliers, consolidate spend, improve licence utilisation, strengthen contractual protections and increase value from strategic partnerships. • Promote a mature vendor management culture that balances commercial discipline, partnership quality, speed, compliance and innovation. Key skills Core competencies

• Strong leadership experience in IT vendor management, technology procurement, commercial governance, contract management and strategic sourcing.
• Deep understanding of enterprise IT operating models, multi-vendor ecosystems, managed services, SaaS, cloud services, software licensing, hardware procurement and professional services sourcing.
• Strong commercial acumen with proven ability to negotiate complex IT contracts, renewals and sourcing arrangements.
• Strong understanding of vendor lifecycle management, performance management, sourcing governance, procurement compliance, third-party risk and contract lifecycle management.
• Ability to balance cost, risk, delivery confidence, strategic fit, security, architecture alignment and