Software Asset Manager – License and Usage Governance

Houston Skilled Consultancy; Singapore; Hybrid; SGD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Remote or hybrid arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Certification support

Job summary

Houston Skilled Consultancy is seeking a Software Asset Manager – License and Usage Governance to oversee software assets lifecycle, licensing compliance, and cost optimization. You will lead governance for entitlement tracking, audits, and stakeholder collaboration across IT, procurement, finance, legal, and security.

The role emphasizes data analysis, policy development, and proactive risk management. Ideal candidates have strong analytical abilities, experience with SAM frameworks, and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/IS or related discipline.
• Understanding of SAM principles, licensing structures, and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of license models (subscription, perpetual, cloud, enterprise).
• Strong analytical, data reconciliation, and reporting skills.
• Experience with asset inventories, procurement docs, and compliance evidence.
• Proficiency with Excel and asset management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Oversee complete software asset lifecycle from procurement to retirement.
• Maintain accurate software inventory, entitlements, subscriptions, and user assignments.
• Establish standard procedures for software registration, tracking, renewal, and decommissioning.
• Coordinate with IT and procurement to document installations/removals.
• Reconcile inventory data across systems (endpoint management, contracts, procurement).
• Identify duplicates, obsolete, or unused apps and propose corrective actions.
• Record ownership, business purpose, cost center, and renewal information.
• Develop policies for software usage and governance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/IS

Tools

Microsoft Excel

CMDBs

IT asset management tools

Software discovery tools

Job description

Job Summary

Houston Skilled Consultancy is seeking a highly organized, analytical, and detail-oriented Software Asset Manager – License and Usage Governance to oversee the effective management, tracking, optimization, and governance of software assets throughout their lifecycle. The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that the organization maintains accurate software inventory records, complies with software licensing agreements, controls software-related expenditure, and maximizes the value of its technology investments.

This role involves managing software license entitlements, monitoring application usage, reviewing licensing agreements, coordinating software audits, and identifying opportunities to reduce unnecessary spending. The Software Asset Manager will collaborate with IT operations, procurement, finance, legal, cybersecurity, compliance, and business stakeholders to establish consistent software asset management practices and maintain a transparent view of the organizations software portfolio.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of software licensing models, including subscription-based, perpetual, cloud-based, enterprise, and user-based licensing. They should be comfortable analyzing software consumption data, reconciling license entitlements against actual usage, maintaining reliable asset records, and developing reports that support informed business decisions.

The position also requires a proactive approach to risk management, process improvement, and stakeholder communication. The successful applicant will help establish governance standards that prevent unauthorized software use, improve audit readiness, strengthen compliance controls, and support responsible technology spending.

Key Responsibilities

Software Asset Lifecycle Management

• Manage the complete software asset lifecycle, from software requests and procurement through deployment, utilization, renewal, reassignment, and retirement.
• Maintain an accurate and up-to-date inventory of software applications, license entitlements, subscriptions, installations, and assigned users.
• Establish standardized procedures for software registration, allocation, tracking, renewal, and decommissioning.
• Coordinate with IT support and infrastructure teams to ensure software installations and removals are properly documented.
• Reconcile software inventory data across endpoint management platforms, procurement records, contract repositories, and asset management systems.
• Identify duplicate, obsolete, unsupported, or unused applications and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
• Ensure that software ownership, business purpose, cost center, and renewal information are recorded accurately.

Software License and Usage Governance

• Monitor software license utilization and compare actual consumption against purchased entitlements and contractual limitations.
• Review licensing conditions, including user-based, device-based, concurrent, core-based, subscription, and consumption-based licensing models.
• Identify underutilized licenses, excessive allocations, unauthorized installations, and potential compliance gaps.
• Develop and maintain software usage policies, license allocation standards, and governance procedures.
• Work with department managers to validate software requirements and ensure licenses are assigned according to business needs.
• Coordinate license reclamation and reassignment initiatives to maximize utilization and minimize unnecessary purchases.
• Maintain evidence of licensing decisions, approvals, exceptions, and remediation activities.
• Promote consistent software governance practices across departments, locations, and technology environments.

License Compliance and Audit Management

• Support internal and external software licensing audits by preparing entitlement records, deployment reports, purchase documentation, and relevant contractual evidence.
• Review software license agreements and identify compliance obligations, restrictions, renewal conditions, and reporting requirements.
• Conduct periodic compliance assessments to identify licensing discrepancies and potential financial or operational risks.
• Collaborate with procurement, legal, finance, and IT teams to investigate and resolve software licensing issues.
• Maintain audit trails and supporting documentation to demonstrate adherence to applicable contractual terms and internal policies.
• Coordinate remediation plans for compliance gaps and track corrective actions through completion.
• Monitor vendor communications relating to license reviews, compliance assessments, and audit requests.
• Escalate significant compliance concerns and potential licensing liabilities to the appropriate management teams.

Cost Optimization and Financial Management

• Analyze software spending, license utilization, subscription costs, and renewal commitments to identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Support the preparation of software budgets, renewal forecasts, and expenditure reports.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate overlapping applications, eliminate redundant subscriptions, and renegotiate licensing arrangements.
• Coordinate with procurement and finance teams to validate invoices, purchase orders, contract values, and renewal costs.
• Maintain a forward-looking calendar of contract expirations, subscription renewals, and major licensing commitments.
• Provide recommendations on license quantities, purchasing strategies, and alternative licensing options.
• Monitor the financial impact of software usage optimization and report realized savings to management.
• Support cost allocation and chargeback processes where software expenses are assigned to business units or departments.

Vendor and Contract Management

• Maintain structured records of software vendors, contracts, service agreements, license certificates, and subscription terms.
• Coordinate with procurement teams during software acquisition, renewal, and contract negotiation processes.
• Review vendor proposals and licensing models to help determine whether proposed purchases align with organizational requirements.
• Track contractual milestones, renewal notice periods, minimum commitments, and termination conditions.
• Assist in resolving discrepancies between vendor invoices, contractual entitlements, and reported software usage.
• Support vendor performance reviews and provide accurate asset information for commercial discussions.
• Establish consistent processes for managing software publisher relationships and licensing documentation.

Reporting, Analytics, and Process Improvement

• Develop regular reports and dashboards covering license utilization, compliance status, software expenditure, renewal risks, and asset inventory accuracy.
• Analyze software asset data to identify trends, inefficiencies, unusual usage patterns, and opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain key performance indicators for license optimization, compliance readiness, inventory completeness, and renewal management.
• Prepare management summaries that communicate risks, savings opportunities, and recommended actions clearly.
• Improve data quality by identifying discrepancies across asset management, procurement, finance, and IT systems.
• Recommend automation opportunities that reduce manual reporting and improve the accuracy of license tracking.
• Document standard operating procedures and continuously improve software asset management workflows.

Stakeholder Collaboration and Governance

• Work closely with IT infrastructure, service management, cybersecurity, procurement, finance, legal, and business application teams.
• Provide guidance to employees and department managers regarding software requests, licensing responsibilities, and approved applications.
• Support the development and implementation of software governance policies and internal controls.
• Coordinate with IT service management teams to integrate software asset controls into request, change, incident, and configuration management processes.
• Promote awareness of software licensing obligations and responsible application usage.
• Participate in technology governance meetings, software reviews, audit preparation activities, and cost optimization initiatives.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated understanding of software asset management principles, licensing structures, and software compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of software licensing agreements, subscription models, enterprise agreements, and vendor-specific licensing conditions.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to reconcile license entitlements, software deployments, and actual usage data.
• Experience maintaining asset inventories, contractual records, procurement documentation, and compliance evidence.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, lookups, data validation, and reporting.
• Familiarity with IT asset management platforms, configuration management databases (CMDBs), and software inventory tools.
• Understanding of software procurement, renewal management, cost allocation, and budget tracking.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain licensing issues to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple renewals, audits, and compliance deadlines.
• A high level of accuracy, integrity, accountability, and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential commercial information and follow established information security procedures.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a practical approach to resolving discrepancies and improving processes.
• Relevant certifications in software asset management, IT asset management, IT service management, or software licensing are advantageous but not mandatory.

Experience

• Typically, 3–5 years of experience in software asset management, IT asset management, IT procurement, license compliance, technology operations, or a related field.
• Previous experience managing software inventories, license entitlements, subscriptions, and renewal schedules is highly desirable.
• Practical experience reconciling purchased licenses against software installations, assigned users, or actual consumption.
• Experience supporting software licensing audits, compliance reviews, or internal governance assessments.
• Familiarity with managing contracts, vendor documentation, purchase orders, and software expenditure records.
• Experience working with enterprise software environments, including Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, SAP, IBM, or comparable publishers, is beneficial.
• Exposure to software asset management or discovery platforms such as Flexera, Snow Software, ServiceNow Software Asset Management, or similar solutions is an advantage.
• Experience with SaaS management, cloud application subscriptions, and license optimization initiatives is preferred.
• Candidates with strong IT administration, procurement, compliance, or data analysis experience may also be considered where they demonstrate relevant licensing knowledge and a willingness to develop specialized expertise.

Working Hours

Standard full-time working hours, typically 40 hours per week, subject to company policy and the applicable employment arrangement.

Working schedules may vary depending on business requirements, team location, and client commitments.

Occasional flexibility may be required to coordinate with international vendors, distributed teams, or stakeholders in different time zones.

Additional availability may be needed during major software audits, contract renewals, financial reporting periods, or compliance reviews.

Remote or hybrid working arrangements may be available for eligible positions, depending on operational needs and company policy.

Employees are expected to manage deadlines effectively, maintain accurate records, and communicate proactively when priorities change.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of software asset management (SAM) frameworks, lifecycle controls, and governance practices.
• Knowledge of software license metrics, entitlements, deployment records, subscription agreements, and renewal conditions.
• Familiarity with IT asset management databases, CMDBs, software discovery tools, and SaaS management platforms.
• Understanding of IT service management concepts and their relationship to software request, deployment, change, and retirement processes.
• Awareness of software audit procedures, compliance documentation, and risk assessment methodologies.
• Familiarity with cloud-based software services and enterprise application environments.
• Knowledge of data protection, access control, and secure handling of commercial and technical information.

Analytical and Organizational Skills

• Ability to interpret complex licensing information and translate it into actionable recommendations.
• Strong data reconciliation, reporting, forecasting, and documentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing deadlines and manage multiple software vendors and licensing portfolios.
• Capacity to identify cost inefficiencies, compliance risks, and discrepancies in software usage records.
• Strong attention to detail when reviewing contracts, inventory records, and financial documentation.

Communication and Collaboration

• Ability to build effective working relationships with technical teams, finance professionals, procurement specialists, vendors, and business leaders.
• Confidence in presenting findings, explaining compliance issues, and recommending practical solutions.
• Strong written communication skills for preparing audit evidence, management reports, policies, and process documentation.
• Ability to manage sensitive discussions regarding software compliance, spending controls, and unauthorized applications.

Professional Abilities

• Demonstrates accountability, confidentiality, and sound professional judgment.
• Works independently while contributing effectively to cross-functional teams.
• Takes a proactive approach to identifying and resolving problems.
• Adapts to changing licensing models, software portfolios, and business requirements.
• Maintains a continuous improvement mindset and supports responsible technology governance.

Benefits

• Houston Skilled Consultancy may offer a competitive benefits package based on the position, employment location, applicable law, and company policy. Potential benefits may include:
• Competitive Compensation: Salary aligned with relevant experience, technical knowledge, and job responsibilities.
• Professional Development: Opportunities to develop expertise in software licensing, IT governance, compliance, and asset management.
• Certification Support: Potential access to relevant training programs, learning resources, and professional certifications.
• Career Advancement: Opportunities to progress into senior software asset management, IT governance, technology procurement, or IT operations leadership roles.
• Flexible Working Options: Remote or hybrid working arrangements where supported by the role and business requirements.
• Collaborative Work Environment: Opportunities to work with cross-functional teams and contribute to enterprise technology initiatives.
• Performance Recognition: Potential recognition for measurable contributions to cost savings, compliance improvements, and operational efficiency.
• Wellness and Leave Benefits: Eligibility for applicable leave, wellness programs, and other employment benefits in accordance with company policy.
• Exposure to Enterprise Technology: Opportunities to gain experience with software vendors, licensing frameworks, asset management systems, and governance processes.
• Meaningful Responsibilities: The opportunity to influence technology spending, improve operational controls, and protect organizational value.
• Specific benefits, eligibility requirements, and compensation details will be communicated during the recruitment process.

Why Join Houston Skilled Consultancy?

Joining Houston Skilled Consultancy offers an opportunity to contribute to effective technology governance and help organizations manage their software investments responsibly. The Software Asset Manager – License and Usage Governance will play an important role in connecting IT operations, financial accountability, vendor management, and compliance.

This position is suitable for professionals who enjoy solving complex problems, analyzing data, improving business processes, and ensuring that technology resources are used efficiently.

As part of the team, you may have opportunities to:

• Contribute to software cost optimization and measurable business savings.
• Strengthen software licensing compliance and improve audit preparedness.
• Help establish consistent and scalable software governance practices.
• Collaborate with technical, commercial, and business stakeholders.
• Develop specialized knowledge of enterprise licensing agreements and software asset management tools.
• Improve the quality and reliability of software inventory and usage reporting.
• Build a long-term career in IT asset management, IT governance, procurement, or technology operations.

Houston Skilled Consultancy seeks professionals who combine analytical thinking with sound judgment, strong communication, and a commitment to operational excellence. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to software governance, cost control, and responsible technology management.