Senior Manager - Strategy, Portfolio & Compliance

Job description

Job Description Job TitleManager - Vendor Management Outsourcing Governance SpecialistLocationGurgaon HODepartmentSPCFunctionSPCReporting toVP SPCBand4Role TypeTeam LeadScopeOperations, Technology and Digital vendorsJOB SUMMARY SPC empowers the Operations, Technology and Digital teams within Axis Max Life. The team manages planning, budgeting, training, outsourcing, project management and process controls for the largest non-sales patch in the organization. To run efficient and profitable operations, it is imperative to plan effectively for all large projects as well as unit-level transactions. The Vendor Management Outsourcing Governance role will anchor end-to-end vendor lifecycle management across Operations, Technology and Digital vendors. The role will support vendor onboarding, documentation, contract and PO coordination, payment governance, query resolution, compliance tracking, audit readiness, performance governance and closure activities, while working closely with business units, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Risk and Compliance. There are 4 functions within SPC: Project Management Transformation Office: Centrally manages strategic projects and initiatives across FLG, Digital and Technology to enable effective CEO-1 governance, delivery tracking, problem solving and functional bandwidth augmentation. Strategy, Planning and Budgeting: Supports functional planning for Ops and IT, manages spends for COO patch verticals, drives build-vs-buy and Capex-vs-Opex decisions, performs cost reporting and identifies cost-saving initiatives. Outsourcing and Vendor Management: Manages 200+ active vendors across the vendor lifecycle, including onboarding, due diligence, documentation, compliance, contract/PO/payment coordination, vendor performance governance, escalations, renewals and closures. The unit also supports onboarding of vendors for POCs and special purposes, and partners with business units, Procurement and Finance to ensure smooth vendor operations for Operations and IT. Process Controls: Interfaces with business units and compliance teams to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements, internal and IRDAI audit readiness, proactive compliance monitoring, risk mitigation and reporting to regulatory forums. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Vendor Lifecycle Management Manage vendor onboarding requirements, documentation checklists, due diligence coordination and master-data creation in partnership with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Risk and business teams. Act as the first point of contact for vendor queries, escalations and service requests, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication. Maintain a central vendor tracker covering onboarding status, contract/PO details, SLA ownership, payment status, compliance requirements, renewals, exceptions and closures. Coordinate vendor exits and closures, including NDC / no-dues confirmation, documentation archival and closure sign-offs. Payments, PO and Contract Coordination Liaise with vendors, business owners, Procurement and Finance to ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices, payments, purchase orders and supporting documents. Track payment ageing, pending invoices, deviations and bottlenecks; drive closure through structured follow-ups and escalation governance. Support contract, SOW, PO and renewal workflows by ensuring required approvals, documentation and operational inputs are completed within timelines. Vendor Governance and Performance Management Set up and run periodic governance with key vendors and internal stakeholders to review deliverables, SLA adherence, open issues, risks and improvement actions. Prepare vendor dashboards covering onboarding TAT, payment TAT, compliance status, SLA misses, escalations, ageing items, renewals and closure status. Identify process gaps across vendor operations and drive improvements, standardization, automation opportunities and better control mechanisms. Demand Management and Portfolio Governance Own the demand intake process for Ops, Digital and Technology initiatives emerging from COO office / business functions. Maintain a demand register covering objective, customer impact, regulatory criticality, value, effort, risk, dependency, resource requirement and decision status. Facilitate prioritization forums across Operations, Digital, Technology, Finance, Risk and Compliance to sequence work based on strategic alignment, capacity and benefits. Provide portfolio-level visibility on approved, in-flight, deferred, parked and completed initiatives, including ageing, bottlenecks and escalation points. Manage capacity and resource conflict visibility with delivery teams to avoid overcommitment, duplication and delivery delays. Compliance, Risk and Audit Ensure strict adherence to IRDAI regulations, outsourcing guidelines, internal policies, procurement norms and information security / risk requirements as applicable. Support internal, statutory, regulatory and IRDAI audit readiness by maintaining complete vendor records, evidence packs and compliance trackers. Identify potential regulatory or operational outages, highlight risks proactively and coordinate mitigation actions with relevant owners. Stakeholder Management and Communication Partner with Operations, Digital, Technology, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Risk and Compliance teams to ensure smooth vendor operations and issue resolution. Prepare and communicate dashboards, ageing reports, governance updates, variance commentary and management-level summaries for leadership forums. Drive structured communications for vendor-related updates, escalations, approvals and governance forums. Team Management Set goals and monitor delivery for team members / vendor operations support resources. Provide performance feedback, coaching and development support. Support learning, cross-training, SOP adherence an