Strategic Vendor Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Strategic Vendor Manager will serve as the primary liaison between Milliman and key partner platform providers, with Microsoft being the primary focus. This role involves managing platform utilization commitments, leveraging funding opportunities from various partner platforms, enhancing marketplace offerings, optimizing strategic initiatives, and managing firm commitments with partners, including tracking spending. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in strategic partnership management, strong technical acumen, relationship-building skills, and a strategic mindset to navigate and expand our partnerships with multiple partner platforms.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Partner Platform Utilization and Strategic Planning

• Develop Strategic Plans: Create and implement comprehensive strategies to track and accelerate platform resource utilization ahead of contractual obligations across partner platforms.
• Coordinate Resource Utilization: Manage the planned burn-down of platform resources, ensuring timely and efficient use of allocated services.
• Target New Products/Offers: Identify and promote new offerings from primary partner platforms (Microsoft) and other providers to boost utilization and achieve commitment goals.
• Manage Partner Platform stakeholders: Lead stakeholders across various practices to drive adoption and consistent utilization.
• Collaborate Across Departments: Align IT, Sales, Marketing, and Partnership teams to support platform utilization strategies and initiatives.

 Enhancing Partnership Engagement

• Liaise with Partner Development Managers (PDMs): Escalate and resolve partnership issues by collaborating with assigned PDMs and account teams from primary partner platforms, particularly Microsoft.
• Increase Partner Center Engagement: Boost involvement in Partner Centers of various platforms through strategic initiatives and collaborative activities.
• Event Participation: Facilitate Milliman’s inclusion in key partner platform events such as Microsoft Partner Summit and AWS reinvent to enhance visibility and networking opportunities.
• Executive Briefings: Discover opportunities for executive briefings to develop partnership objectives and educate stakeholders on partner opportunities.

 Managing Partner Funding and Incentives

• Track Marketplace Rewards: Monitor and manage Marketplace Rewards across different partner platforms, ensuring alignment with Milliman’s strategic goals.
• Leverage Funding Programs: Identify and qualify for funding opportunities from primary and secondary partner platforms, such as Microsoft’s Azure Credit Offer (ACO), AWS’s Enterprise Discount Program (EDP), and Google Cloud’s Innovation Grants, to support deployment and innovation projects.
• Implement Funding Strategies: Utilize funds to accelerate projects, reduce dual-run costs, and support new technology adoption across platform environments.

 Optimizing Marketplace Strategies

• Manage Partner Center Access: Serve as the single point of contact for Partner Center access across multiple partner platforms, ensuring streamlined enablement and management.
• Publisher Environment Management: Oversee Publisher access and environments to maintain successful Marketplace listings on platforms like Microsoft AppSource, AWS Marketplace, and Databricks Marketplace.
• Activate and Track Offerings: Partner across Milliman businesses to take advantage of new offerings on various partner marketplaces and monitor their performance.
• Educate Internal Teams: Train teams on Milliman’s Marketplace offerings and their benefits across different partner platforms.

 Enabling Executive and Strategic Partnerships

• Foster Executive Relationships: Develop and maintain relationships across key partners and facilitate executive relationships with Milliman leaders to advance strategic initiatives and collaborative projects.
• Identify and support Innovative Solutions: Engage with Milliman teams and partner product teams to propose and develop solutions that align with their investment areas and strategic goals.

 Expanding Partnerships and Future Growth

• Broaden Partnership Ecosystem: Support negotiations and partnerships beyond Microsoft to include other key technology and solution integrators (e.g., Databricks, AWS, SAP, Google Cloud).
• Support Strategic Growth: Identify and educate Milliman teams on new partnership opportunities to support business growth and diversify revenue streams across multiple partner environments.