Evidence Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

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Position Summary

The Senior Relationship Manager is responsible for the strategic governance, oversight, and continuous improvement of the Bank's End User Asset Management and Asset Reclamation programs. This role provides leadership over vendor relationships, governance frameworks, financial management, operational controls, and inventory lifecycle oversight while ensuring compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and contractual obligations.

The successful candidate will manage vendor performance and accountability, lead monthly and quarterly governance reviews, oversee budget planning and forecasting, ensure effective control execution, and provide leadership and direction to team members responsible for day-to-day inventory governance and compliance activities.

This position serves as the primary liaison between the Bank, vendor partners, procurement, technology teams, and business stakeholders to ensure contractual commitments are delivered, risks are effectively managed, and operational outcomes align with organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Relationship Management & Governance

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for strategic asset management vendors and service providers.

• Lead Monthly Governance Reviews, Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and Executive Governance meetings.

• Drive vendor accountability against contractual obligations, service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and operational commitments.

• Manage vendor escalations and oversee remediation plans for service, compliance, or performance issues.

• Partner with Procurement, Legal, and Vendor Management teams during contract negotiations, renewals, amendments, and statement-of-work reviews.

• Identify opportunities to optimize vendor service delivery, cost efficiency, and operational effectiveness.

Strategic Governance & Control Oversight

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks supporting End User Asset Management and Asset Reclamation programs.

• Ensure alignment with Bank policies, regulatory requirements, audit expectations, and risk-management standards.

• Oversee execution of governance controls including inventory reconciliation, lifecycle management, asset reclamation, disposal governance, and inventory aging reviews.

• Lead periodic control assessments and identify opportunities to strengthen risk mitigation and operational effectiveness.

• Support internal, external, SOX, and regulatory audits through effective documentation and evidence management.

Financial Management & Budget Oversight

• Develop and manage annual operating budgets related to end-user asset management services and vendor-supported activities.

• Monitor forecasts, expenditures, and financial performance against budget targets.

• Identify cost-saving opportunities through governance improvements, inventory optimization, asset reclamation, and vendor negotiations.

• Provide leadership with financial reporting, variance analysis, and strategic recommendations.

• Ensure vendor invoices, contractual billing, and service charges align with contractual agreements.

Team Leadership & Capacity Management

• Provide leadership, coaching, and guidance to governance and controls team members.

• Establish performance objectives and development plans for direct reports.

• Ensure appropriate team capacity planning to support operational demands, project initiatives, vendor governance activities, and audit requirements.

• Prioritize workload across team resources and adjust plans based on changing business needs.

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Inventory & Asset Lifecycle Governance

• Maintain executive oversight over inventory management, asset deployment, reclamation, retirement, and disposal programs.

• Ensure inventory controls support inventory accuracy, traceability, FIFO governance, and established minimum/maximum inventory thresholds.

• Partner with operational teams and vendors to resolve inventory discrepancies and improve data quality.

• Drive implementation of reporting, automation, and process improvements that enhance asset visibility and governance effectiveness.

• Monitor key lifecycle metrics and identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and cost management.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Conduct risk assessments across the asset lifecycle and vendor ecosystem.

• Identify control gaps and develop remediation plans.

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory and internal governance requirements.

• Monitor emerging risks and provide recommendations to leadership.

• Support issue management, audit findings remediation, and management action plans.

Reporting & Executive Communications

• Develop and deliver governance reporting, scorecards, dashboards, and executive presentations.

• Present vendor performance, financial results, compliance metrics, risk trends, and operational outcomes to senior leadership.

• Provide actionable insights and recommendations that support strategic decision-making.

• Lead discussions with executives and stakeholders regarding operational performance, vendor health, budget performance, and improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Preferred - Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Technology, Finance, Risk Management, Operations, or related field.

• Must have 7+ years of experience in vendor management, governance, service delivery, asset management, risk management, or operational leadership.

• Prefer 3-5 years' experience with Inventory Management

• 3+ years of people leadership experience.

• Experience managing strategic vendor relationships and contractual obligations.

• Experience leading governance forums and executive-level stakeholder engagements.

• Strong understanding of IT asset lifecycle management, inventory governance, and operational controls.

• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, and financial performance indicators.

• Knowledge of regulatory and audit requirements within a financial services environment.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, analytical, and leadership skills.

• Advanced proficiency with Excel, Power BI, ServiceNow, and reporting tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a regulated financial institution.

• Experience with IT Asset Inventory Management - 3-5 years

• Knowledge of ITIL, ITAM, and Third-Party Risk Management frameworks.

• Experience managing outsourced or managed service provider relationships.

• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Experience building KPI frameworks, vendor scorecards, governance dashboards, and executive reporting.

• Strong strategic planning, organizational change management, and process improvement skills.

Salary:

Pay Type:

The above represents BMO Financial Group's pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group's expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group's total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit:https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one - for yourself and our customers. We'll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we'll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at http://jobs.bmo.com/us/en

BMO is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other legally protected characteristics. We also consider applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

BMO is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to BMOCareers.Support@bmo.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.