Supplier & Governance Manager (AVP)

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

This role is to mature our governance practices, performance oversight and engagement approaches of the organisation’s technology supplier ecosystem. Operating within the OCIO, the role ensures that commercial frameworks, performance measures and relationship structures align with enterprise priorities, risk appetite and technology transformation objectives.

The role provides enterprise‑wide visibility and informed decision support across the supplier landscape, strengthening strategic partnerships, enhancing value, mitigating risk and ensuring the technology portfolio remains commercially effective and operationally resilient.

Business Area

• Reports to: Business Manager (Office of the CIO)
• Supports: IT Service Management Lead (with a dotted‑line reporting relationship)
• Location: London (Hybrid)
• Department: ITSD

Position Description

Supplier Governance

• Strengthen supplier strategy and resilience by supporting technology sourcing approaches that reduce dependency, avoid lock-in, and maintain innovation and operational stability.
• Establish structured supplier governance through tiering suppliers appropriately and applying the right engagement models and governance oversight.
• Support commercial and contractual effectiveness by partnering with Procurement and Legal on selection criteria, contract structures, negotiations, and SLA frameworks aligned to enterprise outcomes.

Commercial & Financial Governance

• Maintain an enterprise view of supplier spend, consumption patterns, and cost drivers across technology.
• Collaborate with IT Planning and TPM on approval and oversight of rate cards, commercial change requests, renewals, and invoice validation.

Performance Governance & Service Assurance

• Drive and maintain the enterprise multi-supplier performance governance framework.
• Lead supplier improvement agendas, ensuring suppliers deliver improvement roadmaps and resolve chronic or systemic issues.
• Provide oversight of operational service reviews run by Service Management, ensuring risks, themes and escalations are surfaced to OCIO.
• Support monitoring of SLA trends, incident management behaviours, and post‑incident communications from a strategic perspective.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Develop relationships with key suppliers and act as a point of contact for escalation, alignment and executive governance.
• Support structured engagement with business and technology stakeholders to ensure supplier strategies align to business needs and investment priorities.Support maintenance of the supplier improvement backlog and leverage trend insights (e.g., heatmaps, SLA data) to guide decision‑making.

Risk, Compliance & Security Alignment

• Support issue remediation with suppliers across cybersecurity, resilience, continuity, regulatory exposure and geopolitical factors.
• Work with Security, Risk and Legal to ensure contracts embed required controls.

Supplier Lifecycle Governance

• Track and report the delivery of strategic outcomes, value commitments and realised benefits from key supplier partnerships.
• Support the approach to supplier onboarding, exit planning and transitions, ensuring readiness and continuity.
• Ensure renewals are proactively governed to avoid poor-value auto‑renewals or misalignment to strategy.

Continuous Service Improvement

• Support the supplier improvement backlog at an enterprise level, ensuring alignment to strategic outcomes.
• Use trend insights (e.g., vendor heatmaps, risk trends, SLA patterns) to drive decisions.
• Drive relationship maturity improvements and provide insights to inform CIO decision‑making.

Knowledge, Skills and Qualifications

Required Experience and Skills

• Experience in supplier management, commercial governance or related roles.
• Understanding of technology operating models, sourcing approaches and multi‑vendor environments.
• Ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong commercial awareness, analytical capability and familiarity with financial governance processes.
• Understanding of technology risk, security considerations, operational resilience and regulatory expectations.
• Ability to produce clear strategic reports, analyse trends and communicate insights effectively.

Helpful but Not Essential

• Experience in financial services or another regulated industry.
• Knowledge of SIAM, ITIL or similar service management practices.
• Familiarity with contract structures, service levels and transition considerations.
• Understanding of technology portfolios, service maps or enterprise architecture concepts.

Competencies

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working 
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance 
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services  
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities 
• Ambitious remuneration package

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!!