Associate Director, IT Strategy Consulting, Sourcing and Vendor Ecosystems (US Federal Industry)

Description

Who we are

Gartner’s Consulting business is an extension of Gartner’s industry-leading IT Research. From CIOs, to leaders in business and government, we help Gartner clients across enterprises translate insights into transformational actions and achieve their mission-critical priorities. Leveraging the breadth of Gartner’s resources, Consulting is growing rapidly, with unlimited potential to continue expanding our client base.

What we do

Technology Strategy Consulting. We help the C-suite make the right decisions based on how technology can transform their businesses. In today’s world, a consulting firm that is “born digital”, (with the ability to directly leverage the full power of Gartner’s research and insights) has relevance to the most important strategic decisions any business will make.

We deliver value to clients in areas such as IT Strategy Consulting, Benchmarking, Analytics and Optimization. Typically, this helps Gartner’s clients to execute on their strategic priorities, across all sectors, including:

• Digital Acceleration and Transformation

• Big Data and Analytics

• Application Rationalization and Optimization

• IT Portfolio Optimization and Rationalization

• Cloud, Platforms and Infrastructure Strategies

• Sourcing Ecosystem Optimization

• Talent and Organization

• Contract and Cost Optimization

• Security and Risk Management

What you’ll do

This position is for an Associate Director within our Sourcing and Vendor Ecosystems practice focused on serving U.S. Federal industry and other Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) based clients. You will be primarily responsible for project delivery along with client relationship management. You will manage project teams and advise clients at the highest strategic level on both big-picture and tactical matters, focusing on how technology enables a wide range of business outcomes. More specifically, you will:

• Serve as a key delivery consultant on project teams within the Sourcing and Vendor Ecosystems practice, to include:

• Providing acquisition lifecycle planning and execution support to high-visibility programs

• Developing and ensuring on-time completion of deliverables to include, but not limited to, Acquisition Strategy/Plans, Determination & Findings (D&F), Performance Work Statements (PWS)/Statements of Objectives (SOO)/Statements of Work (SOW), Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCE), market research, Requests for Information (RFI)/Requests for Proposals (RFP)/Requests for Quotation (RFQ), Vendor Management Strategy/Plans

• Delivering expert advisory support to government senior executives, program managers, Contracting Officers (CO), Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR), and division managers regarding the acquisition lifecycle

• Applying knowledge of federal procurement regulations, principles, policies, provisions, procedures, and standards to accomplish clients’ programmatic acquisition requirements

• Facilitating coordination between the program and acquisition offices on all matters pertaining to complex, high multimillion-dollar procurements

• When leading project teams and project/engagement planning for engagements within the Sourcing and Vendor Ecosystems practice, be responsible for:

• Managing project teams by developing work plans and managing project execution timelines and budgets

• Developing verbal and written project communications to client project teams and, occasionally, to senior audiences

• Monitoring and addressing project risk mitigation activities to ensure risks are satisfactorily addressed

• Planning and facilitating critical meetings with the client’s project team(s)

• Ensuring client receives status updates and that identified problems are solved

• Monitoring clients’ expectations and partnering with senior team members to revise project scope when appropriate

• Anticipating and addressing customer service requirements

• Serving as a mentor to junior team members and providing upward feedback to senior team members, when relevant

• Provide thought leadership and delivery excellence within the Sourcing and Vendor Ecosystems practice by performing the following activities:

• Contributing expertise/insight to the delivery of solutions

• Keeping current on technologies/trends in one’s area of expertise domain 

• Proactively sharing knowledge within and outside of engagement setting

• Contribute to business building activities, including:

• Collaborating with team members and managing partners to develop long-term client relationships during and outside of an engagement leading to repeat/new business opportunities

• Contributing to the (1) development of proposals; (2) scoping and qualifying opportunities and (3) assisting with identifying optimal client solutions by communicating the Gartner value proposition

• Participating and actively supporting recruiting efforts to help the business grow

What you’ll need:

General Consulting Experience:

• Prior experience in a problem-solving or analysis capacity

• A consistent track record of working with various leaders across a client’s organization

• An ability to inspire and motivate professionals from both technical and non-technical backgrounds towards a common goal 

• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and the creative development of solutions and strategies to solve client problems.

• Ability to reuse institutional intellectual property and research and adapt to client specific circumstances. Must adapt Gartner frameworks and methodologies to strike “at the heart” of a client’s most pressing business challenges

• An ability to be hands-on and to manage multiple client priorities simultaneously

• Excellence in written and verbal communications

Specific Technical Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of required experience in U.S. Federal Acquisition lifecycle project delivery

• Successful candidate must have a working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and be confident with interpreting agency specific processes, policies, and regulations pertaining to, but not limited to OTAs, procurement innovation, etc.

• 3+ years of experience leading complex, high multimillion-dollar IT federal acquisitions for a program office; project/program management in an Acquisition Specialist capacity and/or Contracting Officer/Sr. Contract Specialist background a plus

• Experience advising clients on acquisition strategy and the procurement lifecycle for contracts with key vendors in domains such as IT professional services, hardware, software, cloud, applications, telecom and value-added resellers (VARs) for customers across industries.  Experience with non-IT commodity purchases is also a plus. 

• Experience with negotiation of hardware and software vendor contracts

• Experience in or familiarity with principles of one or more of the following: contract/vendor management/vendor performance management/category management/IT (or non-IT) procurement/purchasing/vendor governance (HW/SW negotiation is a plus)

• Experience in or familiarity with IT service management, service integration, ITIL and COBIT, principles of sourcing (such in insourcing or outsourcing)

• Ability to analyze IT contract inventory data and identify opportunities for consolidation / rationalization / optimization

• Must be comfortable working with large amounts of contractual data sets

• Proven background in MS Office Suite products (specifically and importantly expert knowledge of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

Who you are

• Bachelor's Degree is required.  MBA or another advanced degree is a plus.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Ability to work independently and in teams

• Comfortable influencing and building trust-based, value-added relationships with senior executives, both internally and externally

• Coachable and embracing of best practices and feedback as a means of continuous improvement

• A consistently high achiever marked by perseverance, humility, and a positive outlook in the face of challenges

• Track record in achieving/exceeding personal targets preferred (such as sales, managed revenue, and utilization)

• Reside in or ability to move to the Washington, DC metropolitan area a plus

• Hold an active Security Clearance a plus

#LI-SC2

Who are we?

At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT), we deliver actionable, objective insight that drives smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities. We’ve grown exponentially since our founding in 1979 and we're proud to have over 19,500 associates globally that support over 15,000 client enterprises in more than 100 countries.

What makes Gartner a great place to work?

Our teams are composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations. We believe that a diversity of experiences makes us stronger—as individuals, as communities and as an organization. That’s why we're recognized worldwide as a great place to work year after year. We've been recognized by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies, named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by the Disability Equality Index. Looking for a place to turn your big ideas into reality? Join #LifeAtGartner

What we offer:

Our people are our most valuable asset, so we invest in them from Day 1. When you join our team, you’ll have access to a vast array of benefits to help you live your life well. These resources are designed to support your physical, financial and emotional well-being. We encourage continued personal and professional growth through ongoing learning and development opportunities. Our employee resource groups, charity match and volunteer programs keep you connected to your internal Gartner community and causes that matter to you.

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