Clinical Vendor Governance Lead Director

May reside anywhere in the US

Primary Duties 

Governance Framework & Compliance 

• Establish and continuously improve the clinical vendor governance framework, including policies, procedures, governance charters, and escalation pathways. 

• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA, EMA, ICH), internal policies, and industry best practices for vendor oversight. 

• Lead internal and external audits related to vendor management and collaborate with Quality and Compliance teams to address findings and implement corrective actions. 

• Monitor and respond to changes in global regulatory landscapes impacting vendor governance. 

Performance Management & Metrics 

• Define, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, and scorecards to assess vendor performance, quality, delivery, and risk. 

• Drive continuous improvement processes based on performance data, feedback, and lessons learned from previous engagements. 

• Lead root cause analyses for critical issues and ensure implementation of corrective and preventative actions (CAPA). 

• Coordinate MEU, VBC finance team and / or ABC on savings validations based on approved methodologies in conjunction with contract relationship managers. 

Risk Management 

• Identify, evaluate, and proactively mitigate risks associated with third-party clinical vendors across quality, delivery, regulatory, and financial domains. 

• Develop robust risk management protocols and lead cross-functional risk assessments for vendor-related activities. 

• Lead crisis management efforts related to vendor performance and compliance, ensuring timely communication and resolution. 

• Collaborate with Legal and Procurement to address complex contracting challenges and ensure contract lifecycle management is efficient and compliant. 

• Monitor vendor-related financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization efforts. 

Stakeholder Engagement 

• Serve as the enterprise champion for vendor governance and adoption, driving consistent engagement, utilization and value realization across all clinical and business verticals. Lead enterprise adoption of vendor governance practices by partnering with clinical operations, population health, utilization management, care management, and other internal teams to ensure vendors are actively used, understood, and delivering measurable value. 

• Influence and align cross‑functional stakeholders (clinical operations, procurement, quality, legal, project management, and business leadership) to promote and drive shared ownership of vendor strategy, adoption, and performance. 

• Own vendor selection, relationship management, and performance oversight of Utilization Management, Care Management, and Population Health vendors, ensuring solutions meet enterprise needs and are embedded into operational workflows. 

• Drive alignment between clinical operations, procurement, quality, legal, and project management functions related to vendor management activities. 

• Represent the organization externally at industry conferences, roundtables, and working groups, bringing back best practices and insights that strengthen enterprise adoption, governance maturity, and vendor strategy 

• Act as a conduit between clinical operations and business leadership to: 

• Capture feedback, friction points and unmet needs from internal teams 

• Translate insights into actionable recommendations to improve vendors performance, integration and adoption 

• Report themes and opportunities to inform enterprise strategy and operating model improvements  

• Ensure the delivery of top-tier services and support to members and network providers through third-party relationships. 

Innovation & Process Improvement 

• Proactively identify gaps and opportunities in how vendors support business and clinical functions, influencing changes to processes, governance, or engagement models to improve enterprise-wide adoption and impact. 

• Continuously assess and improve vendor governance processes, tools, and systems to optimize operational efficiency and effectiveness. 

• Stay abreast of emerging trends in clinical outsourcing, partnership models, and vendor management technology.