IT Contracts and Vendor Management Specialist

International Air Transport Association (IATA); Madrid; Hybrid; EUR 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

IATA’s Vendor Management unit seeks a Contracts and Vendor Management Specialist to manage the full contract lifecycle for IT vendors across the organization. You will prepare, negotiate, and renew agreements, ensuring alignment with SLAs and internal policies.

You will collaborate with Legal, Procurement, FP&A, and business units to support contract workflows and vendor performance reporting, with a focus on risk mitigation and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in IT contract management or related commercial role.
• Experience drafting, processing, reviewing and amending IT contracts including SOWs and order forms.
• Strong written and spoken English for senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and coordinate new IT vendor agreements (MSA, services, licenses).
• Negotiate terms and ensure compliance with policies.
• Track contract renewals and amendments; maintain contract library.
• Collaborate with Legal, Procurement, FP&A, Finance and project teams to support workflows.
• Provide contract insights and guidance to business teams.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

English communication

Contract review

Independent work

Education

Law/IT/Procurement degree

Contract management knowledge

Tools

HighQ

SAP PTP

Job description

Why you will love working here

At IATA, we represent over 350 airlines worldwide, striving to make aviation safer, smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive.

• Our Values are not just words on a page - they are the energy behind everything we do: ONE IATA - We collaborate across teams, TRUSTED - We do the right thing, INNOVATIVE - We make tomorrow better, INCLUSIVE - We embrace diverse perspectives.
• With over 30,000 courses available, we believe in continuous learning and support your growth in an ever-changing industry.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion are our priorities. We are certified by the Equal Salary Foundation, offering equal pay and family-friendly policies.
• We encourage community involvement through volunteering and strive to make tomorrow better for aviation and our communities. We offer time off so you can support causes important to you.
• We promote work-life balance with flexible work options, including remote and hybrid work, a generous 'work from abroad' policy, and you get your birthday off!

Employment Type: Permanent

About The Team You Are Joining

IATA’s Vendor Management unit, part of the Information & Data (I&D) Division, is responsible for managing vendor-related and contractual engagements with all IT vendors across the organization. This includes ensuring that vendor relationships, contractual frameworks, and service delivery standards are aligned with IATA’s strategic and operational objectives.

As a Contracts and Vendor Management Specialist, you will oversee the full contract lifecycle, including the preparation, negotiation, approval, and signature of new agreements, as well as the management of contract renewals and amendments.

For vendors in your portfolio, you will also collaborate with the I&D Support team to track vendor performance against contractual commitments and service-level agreements (SLAs).

As part of your daily responsibilities, you will work closely with cross-functional teams across IATA, particularly Legal, Procurement, project managers, and relevant business units.

What Your Day Would Be Like

In this role, you will play a key part in helping IATA build strong, transparent, and effective relationships with its I&D vendors. Your work will ensure that agreements are well managed, performance stays on track, and internal teams receive the support they need to operate smoothly.

Contract lifecycle management

1. Prepare, review, and coordinate new vendor agreements for IT Master Service Agreements (MSA), professional services, and software licenses.
2. Identify contractual, financial, operational and compliance risks in IT contracts and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
3. Ensure all documents are accurate and aligned with business needs.
4. Support or lead negotiations with IT vendors to secure clear, fair, and complete contract terms.
5. Follow agreements through the full approval process until execution and ensure all agreements are properly stored and recorded.
6. Draft and process IT contract amendments when changes are required.
7. Ensure vendors remain compliant with contractual obligations, required certifications, and IATA’s standards.
8. Review software licensing terms, usage rights, subscription models, pricing structures, and usage metrics to ensure the contract is aligned with the business needs.
9. Ensure contractual terms comply with organizational policies, IT and procurement requirements, and risk management standards.

Collaboration and engagement

1. Work closely with senior business stakeholders to understand the business goals and needs and find the best contractual solution for the business case.
2. Work closely with Legal, Procurement, FP&A, Finance, project managers, and business units to support smooth contract and vendor-related workflows.
3. Coordinate internal approvals, risk assessments, and documentation needs.
4. Provide teams with contract insights, background details, and guidance when vendor questions arise.
5. Maintain an organized and up-to-date library of contracts, amendments, and vendor-related documents.
6. Track upcoming contract expiry dates, initiate renewal discussions with the business stakeholders and the vendors.
7. Continuously update or make suggestions to update the contract templates.
8. Prepare budget approval executive summaries, submit PTP workflows, and follow up with FP&A, Finance and Procurement approvers.
9. Support audit requests, reporting needs, and internal governance activities.
10. Contribute ideas and improvements to strengthen vendor management processes and tools.

We would love to hear from you if you have:

• At least 5 years’ professional experience, including 3 years in IT contract management, legal operations, IT Vendor & Performance Management, or a related commercial role;
• A degree in Law, Information Technology, Procurement, or a related discipline, with a strong understanding of technology contract terms covering licensing rights, project delivery, usage metrics, pricing, intellectual property, warranties, liability, indemnities, service levels, data protection, termination, disputes, and renewals;
• Experience drafting, processing, reviewing and amending IT contracts ( using IATA’s or vendor templates) for software development, IT projects, licensing, SaaS, professional services, support, and staff augmentation, including SOWs and order forms;
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills, with excellent written and spoken English to communicate confidently with senior stakeholders, business teams, and IT vendors and negotiate detailed IT contract terms effectively;
• Ability to work independently, adapt to changing priorities and unclear requirements, and manage a high volume of contract reviews and renewals while keeping stakeholders and reporting managers informed through clear, timely updates and feedback;
• Ability to collaborate with a positive, respectful approach aligned with IATA’s values, deliver results, uphold ethical contracting and organizational policies, and work with relevant teams to identify and address potential risks;
• Sound business judgment and problem-solving skills to identify and explain contractual, legal, commercial, and operational risks and balance them with business goals and operational needs;
• Experience with HighQ contract management tools and a contract management certification are advantages;
• Familiarity with SAP PTP processes, vendor master data, and RFI/RFQ/RFP procedures.

Travel Required: N

Learn more about IATA’s role in the industry, our benefits, and the team at iata/careers/ . We are looking forward to hearing from you!