Director, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Program

Wanted: dynamic and creative individuals ready to connect with a like-minded team. You’ll enjoy all the autonomy you need to help our clients make their digital infrastructure faster and more effective. Free reign for free spirits doesn’t mean you’ve got to go it alone. Over 1400 teammates from around the globe are eager to help you out when things get down to wire. Their expertise will put you on the winning path and keep you there.

Position Overview

About the Role ISG is seeking a dynamic CLM Director to lead enterprise vendor and contract lifecycle management solutions for our clients. You will set strategy to maximize value from third‑party relationships while managing cost, risk, and compliance. The role spans end‑to‑end contract lifecycle (selection through exit), cross‑functional alignment (Procurement, Legal, IT, Security, Finance, and Business Units), and innovation through strategic partnerships. Success requires deep expertise in software (cloud and on Prem), hardware, licensing negotiations, cost modeling, scenario analysis, opportunity identification, benchmarking, and pricing analytics. You will lead client engagements for mid‑size to large enterprises across software and hardware portfolios and bring strong analytical, problem‑solving, conceptual thinking, organization, and communication skills supporting solutions that include divestitures, acquisitions and mergers programs

Responsibilities

• Lead CLM and vendor elements of merger, acquisition, and divestiture programs.
• Define and execute enterprise CLM/VMO strategy aligned to business objectives, risk appetite, and budgets.
• Establish governance frameworks, policies, vendor segmentation, and tiering models.
• Set standards for executive review cadence (QBRs/steering committees).

Lifecycle Management

• Oversee onboarding, due diligence, contracting, performance management, renewals, and offboarding.
• Partner with Sourcing/Procurement on competitive events, negotiations, and category strategies.

Performance and Value Delivery

• Implement KPI/SLA monitoring, drive remediation plans and continuous improvement for teams
• Deliver measurable value: cost savings/avoidance, contract compliance, and innovation outcomes.

Financial Management

• Own vendor spend visibility, budgeting, forecasting, and contract value tracking.
• Reduce leakage and maverick spend; optimize licenses, entitlements, and unit economics.

Relationship Management

• Build executive relationships with strategic suppliers; resolve escalations and disputes.
• Drive joint roadmaps, co‑innovation initiatives, and continuous improvement programs to enable M&A program

Operating Model and Enablement

• Design and mature the VMO/ Purchasing organization, roles, and competencies; recruit and develop talent.
• Standardize processes and templates; implement enabling tools (CLM, SRM, risk platforms, analytics).

Stakeholder Engagement and Reporting

• Serve as the enterprise point of contact for vendor and contract topics.
• Provide executive‑level reporting and align vendor/contract plans with business unit priorities and transformation initiatives.
• Experience with managing Stranded Costs with Divestiture programs.

Required Skillsets

• 7+ years in vendor/supplier management, procurement/strategic sourcing, or IT/business operations; with 5+ years leading teams.
• Experience in complex, regulated environments is preferred.
• #### Technical/Domain Knowledge:

• Contract law fundamentals, commercial terms, and negotiation.
• Third‑party risk frameworks; security and privacy controls.
• Category expertise in IT/software/SaaS, hardware, and related services (e.g., BPO, marketing, facilities).

• #### Tools:

• CLM (e.g., Icertis, DocuSign CLM), SRM/Procure‑to‑Pay (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, Ivalua), risk platforms (e.g., OneTrust, ProcessUnity, BitSight), analytics/BI (e.g., Power BI, Tableau), ITSM (e.g., ServiceNow).

Core Competencies

• Strategic planning and operating model design
• Executive influence and stakeholder management
• Commercial acumen and complex deal structuring
• Risk management and regulatory awareness
• Data‑driven decision making and financial analysis
• Continuous improvement and change leadership
• People leadership and talent development
• Strong presentation and communication skills across senior client stakeholders
• Ability to clearly define project objectives, scope, timelines, and resource assignments

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Spend under management, contract coverage rate
• Cost savings/avoidance; unit cost optimization
• Contract compliance; leakage reduction
• Third‑party risk scores; remediation cycle time
• Time‑to‑contract and onboarding cycle time
• Innovation and value realization (joint initiatives delivered)
• Stakeholder satisfaction/NPS; dispute resolution rate

Education

• Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in a technical or scientific field
• MBA or another advanced degree (s) desirable

• ITIL, PMP, CRVPM/TPRM or equivalent desirable

At ISG, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our clients, and our communities. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. ISG is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The more diverse and inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

The duties and responsibilities described in this job description may not be a comprehensive list. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time and/or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

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