ICT business development manager to ICT vendor relationship manager
An ICT business development manager already meets 24% of what the ICT vendor relationship manager role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.7/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT business development manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT vendor relationship manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT vendor relationship manager role treats 5 of its required skills as things an ICT business development manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT market
- crowdsourcing strategy
- insourcing strategy
- manage contracts
- outsourcing strategy
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT vendor relationship manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT business development manager background worth leading with.
- already held crowdsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held insourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held outsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held ICT market business, administration and law
- already held business processes business, administration and law
- already held manage contracts communication, collaboration and creativity
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
- still to learn track price trends required
- still to learn analyse supply chain strategies required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- still to learn coordinate purchasing activities required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- still to learn maintain relationship with suppliers required
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- still to learn issue purchase orders required
- still to learn identify suppliers required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT vendor relationship manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT sales methodologies study this
- 02 analyse supply chain trends practise this
- 03 coordinate purchasing activities practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held ICT market knowledge
- already held crowdsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held insourcing strategy knowledge
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held outsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held business processes knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
25 held skills the ICT vendor relationship manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT capacity planning strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
- not needed by the target role business ICT systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role business intelligence knowledge
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role business requirements techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect customer feedback on applications skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate technological activities skill
- not needed by the target role decision support systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
- not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
- not needed by the target role information extraction knowledge
- not needed by the target role innovate in ICT skill
- not needed by the target role innovation processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret current data skill
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor technology trends skill
- not needed by the target role perform business analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role sales argumentation knowledge
- not needed by the target role seek innovation in current practices skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role visual presentation techniques knowledge
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
Other moves recorded from ICT business development manager
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT business development manager become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT business development manager already covers 24% of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT business development manager need to become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
14 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is ICT sales methodologies.
How hard is the move from ICT business development manager to ICT vendor relationship manager?
Its learning distance is 74.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.