Head of Global IT Sourcing and Vendor Management

Job Purpose

• The Department Lead for Global IT Strategic Sourcing sets the global strategic direction for IT procurement, standardizing category management, sourcing, contracting, and asset management to deliver best value, cost efficiency, and risk management for AHM IT and Honda.
• The role leads a globally distributed team and partners with global/regional IT leaders and Indirect Procurement to drive supplier performance, ensure software compliance and license optimization, and support complex negotiations that enable business outcomes.
• The role also provides governance and performance oversight for outsourced IT vendors and the internal Global Capability Center (GCC) to ensure service quality, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

• Planning and strategy:
  • Set the global IT strategic sourcing vision, strategy, and operating model aligned to Honda s business objectives, technology roadmap, and financial targets.
  • Develop and maintain multi-year category strategies and roadmaps (software, services, infrastructure, and emerging needs) in partnership with IT leaders and Global/Regional Indirect Procurement.
  • Define standard processes, templates, and governance for category planning, sourcing, contracting, and software asset management to enable repeatable execution across regions.
  • Translate strategy into measurable outcomes (value, cost, risk, and service) and communicate progress to executive stakeholders.
• Advanced leadership:
  • Lead global and regional sourcing initiatives to optimize IT spend through rationalization, consolidation, and demand management; monitor market trends to identify savings and improvement opportunities.
  • Lead complex negotiations and executive-level stakeholder alignment to secure best value, service levels, and contractual protections (commercial, legal, information security, and delivery).
  • Drive disciplined contract lifecycle management for strategic suppliers, including renewals, performance remedies, and change control, to reduce disruption and improve outcomes.
  • Represent Global IT Strategic Sourcing as a trusted advisor to IT and business leaders, influencing decisions on sourcing models, supplier strategy, and investment trade-offs.
• Vendor assessments:
  • Establish supplier performance management across global and regional vendors by defining KPIs/SLAs, scorecards, and review cadences (QCD, risk, compliance, and customer outcomes).
  • Increase spend and contract visibility through consistent categorization, supplier segmentation, and analytics to identify improvement, consolidation, and risk-reduction opportunities.
  • Lead vendor business reviews and executive escalations; drive corrective actions and continuous improvement through PDCA, including remediation plans where performance gaps exist.
  • Provide governance and performance oversight for outsourced IT vendors and the internal Global Capability Center (GCC) to ensure service quality, compliance, and alignment to business needs.
  • Define and enforce service management expectations (roles, escalation paths, reporting, and root-cause analysis) to address incidents and recurring issues.
  • Ensure vendor/GCC delivery aligns with contract scope and outcomes; coordinate changes in demand, scope, and pricing through formal governance.

Key Accountabilities (Contd.)

• Resource management:
  • Own department business planning and budget governance (long-range, mid-year, and annual), including target setting, forecasting, and performance tracking aligned to IT and business strategy.
  • Partner with Finance and IT leaders to balance demand, capacity, and cost; provide insight on investment trade-offs and total cost of ownership (TCO).
  • Provide governance for IT sourcing and supplier/contract management by partnering with Technology, Information Security, Legal, and Procurement to ensure policy adherence, regulatory compliance, and effective risk management.
  • Own contract and supplier portfolio health by establishing controls for renewals, entitlements, licensing compliance, audit readiness, and vendor risk assessments.
  • Enable effective resourcing and delivery by clarifying roles/decision rights (RACI), standardizing intake/prioritization for sourcing support, and removing barriers that delay execution.
  • Track and report progress against savings/value targets, contract obligations, and financial commitments to ensure transparency and informed decision-making
• People and team management:
  • Lead and develop a high-performing, globally distributed strategic sourcing organization through coaching, capability building, staffing, and consistent performance management.
  • Set clear goals and expectations aligned to the sourcing strategy; create accountability through routines, standard work, and transparent performance reporting.
  • Build a collaborative culture across regions and functions, ensuring effective communication, knowledge sharing, and continuity across time zones.
  • Develop succession and talent pipelines by identifying skill gaps, supporting training plans, and creating opportunities for team members to lead initiatives.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

• Minimum educational qualifications:
  • Bachelor s degree in Business Management, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field of study and/or equivalent work experience. A Master s Degree / MBA Preferred.
  • Other relevant industry certifications will be a plus.
• Minimum Experience: 
  • At least 15 years of relevant demonstrable work experience with In-depth knowledge of sourcing and procurement principles and best practices
  • 5 or more years negotiating IT Contracts and Services for large multinational companies with spend exceeding $100M annually on IT Software and Services.
  • 5 to 8 years relevant leadership experience.
• Other Job-Specific Skills: 
  • The successful candidate will possess strong leadership abilities, exceptional negotiation skills, technology knowledge, and a deep understanding of global supply chain dynamics. In addition, experience working with financial, risk management, and/or technology organizations is a plus.
  • Experience collaborating across Global and Regional IT organizations, business partners and stakeholders; operate in an ambiguous environment, think beyond the current boundaries, and question the status quo structure/functions and recommend and effect changes.
  • Strong leadership, management communication, and presentation skills with experience managing and influencing relationships with internal business customers at executive and senior management levels.
  • Demonstrated expertise in process management, platform strategy development, and standardization of global sourcing and procurement processes and standards.
  • Ability to evaluate existing local and regional IT supplier spend and recommend global standardization and consolidation to realize cost efficiency and service quality improvements.
  • Experience developing strategic sourcing strategies and business plans and preparing and delivering executive-level presentations.
  • Experience developing and managing large global budgets.
  • Experience developing and managing strategic partnerships with global and regional vendors.

Workstyle

• This is an onsite job. One remote workday per week may be possible with prior departmental approval.

Visa sponsorship issues

• This position is not eligible for work visa sponsorship.