Senior Operational Vendor Management

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks’ annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities is seeking a structured and commercially-minded Vendor Manager to oversee the organisation's technology vendor relationships and commercial operations. The role collaborates across Digital IT, Finance and Procurement to optimise value, governance and compliance.

In this pivotal position you’ll coordinate supplier contracts, manage POs and invoices, and support budgeting activities while driving continuous improvement and effective stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in operational vendor governance or procurement support.
• Experience managing purchase orders, invoicing, and financial reporting.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to build trusted relationships across teams and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Manage supplier relationships, contract administration, POs, invoicing, renewals, and vendor compliance.
• Oversee governance, performance, scorecards, and issue escalation processes for technology vendors.
• Establish and maintain contract records, vendor documentation, entitlements and usage information.
• Collaborate with Technology, Finance, Procurement and business teams to maximise value and maintain discipline.
• Provide analytics and reporting to support decision making and budgeting.

Skills

Vendor governance

Stakeholder management

Contract administration

Financial reporting

Analytical skills

ServiceNow

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

• Make a real impact on communities across Aotearoa
• Own key technology vendor relationships and commercial operations
• Work across Digital, Finance and Procurement in a highly visible role

Te whiwhinga mahi - Our opportunity

This is a pivotal role where you’ll be at the centre of Digital IT's vendor ecosystem, managing the operational aspects of supplier relationships, contract administration, purchase orders, invoice processing, renewals, and vendor compliance.

• Make a real impact on communities across Aotearoa
• Own key technology vendor relationships and commercial operations
• Work across Digital, Finance, Procurement, and external technology partners, you’ll help ensure we maximise value from our technology investments while maintaining strong governance and commercial discipline.

Te whiwhinga mahi - Our opportunity

This is a pivotal role where you’ll be at the centre of Digital IT's vendor ecosystem, managing the operational aspects of supplier relationships, contract administration, purchase orders, invoice processing, renewals, and vendor compliance.

Working across Digital, Finance, Procurement, and external technology partners, you’ll help ensure we maximise value from our technology investments while maintaining strong governance and commercial discipline.

No two days are the same. One day you could be coordinating a major software renewal, the next, resolving invoicing issues, or supporting forecasting and budgeting activities.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Experience managing technology vendor contracts, commercial relationships, performance, governance, renewals, compliance, scorecards, and issue escalation processes
• Proven experience administering purchase orders, invoice processing, receipting, accruals, and vendor payments
• Ability to establish and maintain contract records, vendor documentation, entitlements, and usage information
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across Technology, Finance, Procurement, business teams, and external vendors
• Sound financial acumen, including budget monitoring, spend analysis, forecasting, commitment tracking, and financial controls
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to provide insights that support decision‑making and planning
• Experience using ServiceNow and other enterprise systems to manage vendor, contract, or service‑related activities
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple competing demands and deadlines
• Strong communication, relationship‑building, and continuous improvement capabilities
• 3-5+ years' experience in Vendor Management, Commercial Administration, Contract Administration, IT Operations, or Procurement Support, preferably within a Digital or Technology environment

Ngā Pūmanawatanga Ōūu - What You Will Bring

You’ll be a highly organised and commercially savvy professional who enjoys working across multiple stakeholders and balancing operational detail with broader business objectives.

We’ll be particularly interested in hearing from you if you have:

• 3-5+ years' experience in operational vendor governance, contract administration, IT Operations, or procurement support, preferably within a Digital or Technology environment
• Experience managing purchase orders, invoicing, and financial reporting
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across business and vendor environments
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and organisational capabilities
• High attention to detail combined with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex environment
• Strong communication, relationship‑building, and continuous improvement capabilities

Nŋ u te rourou - What's in it for you?

We offer competitive salaries, five weeks' annual leave and a benefits package including a range of insurances, flexible working arrangements and career development. These benefits are described in more detail here https://careers.kaingaora.govt.nz/a-great-place-to-work/benefits

As a Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure that you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work‑life balance. We also want to support and grow your personal and career development through on-the-job learning, training courses, secondments and study opportunities.

MŌ mātā - Our Organisation

At Kāinga Ora, ours is the important responsibility of transforming New Zealand’s housing choices, outcomes and the entire housing sector by creating homes and communities that allow New Zealanders to thrive.

What is exciting about working for Kāinga Ora is getting the chance to make a real and positive impact on New Zealanders’ lives. With skills, planning and purposeful action, our people are creating the homes and neighbourhoods that will build the future of Aotearoa.

We are passionate about transforming New Zealand for the better. That includes being a trusted partner for Māori and iwi, protecting and enabling their rights, interests and aspirations under the guidance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Ō tātā uara - Our values

Our Values Were Developed By Us, For Us. They Unite Us As An Organisation And Guide How We Work Every Day. Our Values Are

• Manaakitanga – People at the Heart
• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Whanake – Be Bold

Applications close on Thursday 1st October at 5.00pm

We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation.

If you don’t tick all the boxes in this listing but think that you could be a great fit based on your unique background and skillset, we would welcome an application from you.