ICT operations manager to ICT vendor relationship manager
An ICT operations manager already meets 38% of what the ICT vendor relationship manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.5/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT operations 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 7 of its required skills as things an ICT operations manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- contract law
- crowdsourcing strategy
- insourcing strategy
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage budgets
- manage contracts
What stands in the way is 12 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 13 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 operations manager background worth leading with.
- already held crowdsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held insourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held software components suppliers information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held outsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held hardware components suppliers business, administration and law
- already held design process communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 6 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 ICT market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held business processes optional
- still to learn coordinate purchasing activities required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- still to learn issue purchase orders required
- still to learn identify suppliers required
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
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 market study this
- 02 ICT sales methodologies study this
- 03 analyse supply chain trends 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held crowdsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held insourcing strategy knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held outsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held design process skill
- already held hardware components suppliers knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held software components suppliers knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
28 held skills the ICT vendor relationship manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT process quality models knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role attend to ICT systems quality skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate technological activities skill
- not needed by the target role core banking software knowledge
- not needed by the target role define technology strategy skill
- not needed by the target role develop ICT workflow skill
- not needed by the target role develop information standards skill
- not needed by the target role digital systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT security policies skill
- not needed by the target role implement a virtual private network skill
- not needed by the target role improve business processes skill
- not needed by the target role innovation processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage changes in ICT system skill
- not needed by the target role operations management knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role software components libraries knowledge
- not needed by the target role systems development life-cycle knowledge
- not needed by the target role track key performance indicators skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT ticketing system skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
5 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 market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held business processes optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT operations manager become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT operations manager already covers 38% of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT operations manager need to become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is ICT market.
How hard is the move from ICT operations manager to ICT vendor relationship manager?
Its learning distance is 63.5 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.