Alberta Blue Cross® is an Alberta based organization dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experience and community leadership. We’re committed to providing the best health coverage to over 1.8 million members and take an active role in promoting wellness. We believe in what we do—and place trust in our employees to deliver our vision.
Working at Alberta Blue Cross® means having a career where you’ll be recognized for your contributions. We value diversity, encourage our team members to maintain a healthy work-life balance and provide opportunities for career growth.
OVERVIEW:
Reporting to the Director, Head of Procurement, Facilities & Corporate Services, the VMO Lead is responsible for establishing, operating and continuously evolving Alberta Blue Cross’ IT Vendor Management Office, initially focused on project-delivery vendors and subsequently expanding to critical operational technology vendors. The role owns the VMO operating model and post-contract vendor-performance governance, including decision rights, reporting, accountability and value realization.
Working with a high degree of independence, the VMO Lead formulates solutions to complex vendor delivery and relationship issues, aligns senior stakeholders with divergent interests, and negotiates corrective actions and resolutions with vendors. The role’s analysis and recommendations directly inform project governance, remediation, renewal, sourcing, risk and executive decision-making.
This is a hybrid position that will require occasional travel to our corporate offices in Edmonton and/or Calgary.
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
VMO Governance & Operating Model
- Design, implement and operate the IT Vendor Management Office as a new enterprise capability, translating its approved mandate into governance structures, decision rights, standards, processes, stakeholder accountabilities, adoption plans, operating rhythms, governance-council reporting and performance records.
- Within the approved mandate, independently determine vendor governance tiers, performance-review requirements, scorecard measures, evidence standards, remediation processes and escalation thresholds.
- Track VMO success metrics and value realization, including on-time deliverable rates, first-pass acceptance, vendor-driven change orders, scorecard completion, addressable spend coverage, cost avoidance and return on operating cost, and recommend changes to the operating model as the capability matures.
Project-Delivery Vendor Assurance
- Manage vendor assurance activities for project-delivery vendors, including statement of work readiness reviews, vendor mobilization, deliverable and acceptance reviews in coordination with the PMO, stage-gate performance input, RAG reporting, change-order root-cause review and closeout performance records.
- Identify and resolve complex vendor delivery issues involving competing stakeholder priorities, multiple delivery teams and, in some cases, multiple vendors; develop recommended courses of action and obtain alignment from project sponsors and senior stakeholders.
- Lead implementation of agreed resolutions without direct authority over participating teams, while maintaining documented vendor performance evidence to support governance, remediation, sourcing, renewal and escalation decisions.
Operational Vendor Performance Management
- Develop and maintain vendor scorecards and quarterly business reviews for critical technology platforms, including KPI/SLA tracking, roadmap alignment, renewal inputs, risk and compliance coordination, and performance-improvement follow-up.
- Analyze performance across in-scope vendors to identify recurring delivery issues, systemic control gaps, concentration risks, vendor-consolidation opportunities and trends requiring changes to sourcing, contracting, governance or investment decisions.
- Use portfolio-level insights to strengthen service continuity, vendor accountability, operational performance and realization of the VMO value case.
Issue Management & Escalation
- Formulate and lead implementation of solutions for complex vendor performance, commercial, compliance, privacy, security, delivery and relationship challenges involving divergent stakeholder viewpoints.
- Initiate performance reviews and corrective-action planning, challenge incomplete or unsupported conclusions, reconcile operational, commercial and risk considerations, and negotiate remediation and resolutions with vendors.
- Determine when issues require governance-council or executive consideration and escalate material contractual commitments, significant financial exposure, legal remedies, major delivery impacts or changes to enterprise policy through the appropriate channels.
Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement
- Establish required vendor-governance practices and coordinate cross-functional activities through the approved RASCI, providing regular guidance to project teams, business owners, Procurement, IT, EPMO/PMO, ITAM, Legal, Risk, Privacy and Finance.
- Facilitate resolution of competing stakeholder positions, influence senior leaders without direct authority, and lead stakeholders through remediation, escalation and performance-improvement processes.
- Engage and negotiate with project-delivery vendors, professional services providers, contractors and critical operational technology vendors to clarify obligations, address delivery or relationship breakdowns, reduce incremental cost, schedule and quality exposure, and document agreed corrective actions.
- Prepare evidence-based recommendations and governance materials for project sponsors, steering committees, governance councils and executive stakeholders.
WHAT YOU WILL HAVE:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, information systems, finance, or a related field; equivalent work experience may be considered.
- Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in vendor management, strategic sourcing, technology delivery governance, supplier performance management, contract management, or related IT/commercial roles.
- Demonstrated experience resolving complex vendor-performance and relationship issues, negotiating outcomes, and influencing senior cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.
- Experience implementing a new Vendor Management Office is highly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of IT vendor governance, SOW and contract performance obligations, technology delivery models, project stage-gate governance, SLA/KPI scorecards, QBRs, change-order controls, supplier segmentation, value tracking, issue escalation and dispute resolution.
- Understanding of commercial and contractual risk allocation, vendor financial and operational risk, executive governance, and the organizational change required to establish a new cross-functional capability.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize contractual, commercial, operational, technical and relationship information and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations.
- Advanced communication, facilitation and stakeholder-management skills, including the judgment to adapt to different audiences while maintaining a consistent organizational position.
- SCMP, PMP, contract management, vendor management, or a related designation would be considered an asset.
This position will remain open until October 16, 2026.
Alberta Blue Cross® is an inclusive employer committed to a workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We empower and are advocates for our team members by welcoming, respecting and valuing their unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.
We offer the opportunity to work in an innovative, high-energy team-focused environment. If you have the qualifications we are looking for, apply online at careers.ab.bluecross.ca
A criminal record check satisfactory to Alberta Blue Cross will be required as a condition of employment, following a conditional offer.
