Application Relationship Specialist

Description

Position Summary

The Application Relationship Specialist serves as the primary liaison between external software vendors and internal product owners. This role ensures seamless communication, effective collaboration, and alignment of software solutions and enhancements with business objectives. The specialist will manage vendor relationships, oversee technical requirements for internal ancillary applications, and coordinate the integration and implementation of software applications within the organization. This role will be reasonable for researching future technologies and the applicability to Access Health CT’s (AHCT) strategic goals. This role has no supervisory responsibility and reports to the Director of IT.

Responsibilities

• Vendor Management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with software vendors, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
• Innovation & Technology Research: Stay updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and vendor roadmaps to recommend improvements to software ecosystems.
• Collaboration: Act as the central point of contact between vendors and internal product owners, facilitating effective communication and collaboration.
• Implementation Coordination: Oversee the integration and deployment of software applications, ensuring they meet internal requirements for product owners and are delivered on schedule.
• Performance Monitoring: Regularly assess vendor performance, ensuring compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) and addressing any issues promptly.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks in vendor relationships and software implementations, developing mitigation strategies as needed.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices, recommending improvements to vendor management processes and software application strategies.
• Compliance & Security Collaboration: Work alongside IT security and compliance teams to ensure software applications meet company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Tools, Frameworks and Technologies: New Relic (monitoring application performance), GDPR & SOC 2 Compliance Frameworks (for ensuring vendor compliance with regulations), Jira Service Management (for tracking software-related tickets and vendor issues)

Requirements

Qualifications: the requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. 

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field and/or the equivalent work experience 
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience software implementation, or a related role
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in vendor management inclusive of contract management
• Strong understanding of software development and implementation processes.
• Knowledge of New Relic (monitoring application performance), GDPR & SOC 2 Compliance Frameworks (for ensuring vendor compliance with regulations), Jira Service Management a plus
• Keen project management skills (certification not required)
• Fully proficient in MS Office.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and vendors simultaneously.

Physical Demands: the physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, bend/stretch, hear, use hands to type data, and utilize a phone or other electronic communication devices. This employee will frequently have to operate business machines. Specific vision abilities required in this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: this is an in-office role a 2 days per week on Tuesday and Wednesday, 3 days remote. In office the noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Requires fast-paced deadlines and has a high stress level at times. Minimal to no travel required.  

Salary : $75,000 - $89,000