ICT Contracts Specialist at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• The ICT Contracts Specialist is accountable for the end-to-end lifecycle management of ICT contracts, including contract planning, drafting support, review, negotiation facilitation, execution, performance monitoring, renewal, variation, issue resolution and close-out. The role ensures that ICT services, software, hardware, cloud, cybersecurity and managedservice contracts are commercially sound, legally and regulatory compliant, risk-managed, auditable and aligned to DBSA governance, SCM requirements, service delivery objectives and value-for-money principles. The incumbent acts as the central contract and vendor-performance specialist for ICT, working with ICT, SCM, Legal, Risk, Finance, business stakeholders and service providers to ensure contractual obligations, SLAs, KPIs, data protection, security, licensing, service credits, penalties, exit provisions and renewal decisions are actively managed.

Key Responsibilities    
KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

Contract Management

• Coordinate contract signature processes and ensure all contractual documentation is complete, compliant, and properly archived.
• Review and negotiate ICT contracts and amendments in collaboration with ICT business units, SCM and Legal.
• Track key contract milestones, deliverables, expiry dates, renewals, termination periods, guarantees, insurance requirements, and other contractual obligations.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders, service providers, contractors, suppliers, and third parties to obtain required documentation and facilitate contract execution.
• Escalate and manage potential contract-related legal risks and disputes in collaboration with ICT business units to Legal and Risk.
• Monitor contract renewals, expirations, and compliance with terms and conditions.
• Review and analyse contract terms, conditions, and obligations to ensure compliance with internal policies, governance standards, legal frameworks and industry practices.

Service Level Agreement Monitoring and Document Management

• Create dashboard to monitor SLA performance to track contractor and service provider performance against contractual deliverables, milestones, KPIs, and service level agreements.
• Document service level agreements and assist with monitoring contract compliance, performance milestones and deliverables in collaboration with ICT and business units.
• Conduct regular contract audits and performance reviews to identify risks, trends, variances, and underperformance.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance contract performance, compliance, governance, and value realisation.
• Facilitate SLA reviews for contractor and service provider performance and implement corrective action plans where required.
• Prepare, maintain, and manage accurate central repository of all ICT contract files, registers, and ensure proper classification, version control, audit readiness, and secure record storage.
• Keep a record of reported service provider challenges and the tracking of performance issues, corrective actions, and follow-up activities.
• Manage relationships with ICT vendors and service providers and document all vendor engagements in alignment with contractual obligations.

Risk and Compliance Management

• Contribute to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of contract management frameworks, policies, procedures, controls, and governance standards.
• Liaise with Internal Audit, Legal, Procurement, and Risk teams to ensure alignment with governance and compliance requirements.
• Identify contract-related risks in ICT engagements and facilitate mitigation strategies to minimise operational, legal, and financial exposure this including training stakeholders on contract management processes.
• Maintain compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal governance requirements.
• Support audit processes and provide documentation as required.
• Monitor adherence to governance, documentation, approval, record-keeping requirements and data protection and privacy laws (e.g., POPIA).

Procurement and Sourcing Support

• Collaborate with procurement teams to design, manage, and oversee ICT tenders and sourcing strategies, ensuring that all processes are aligned with ICT processes.
• Support the tender process by validating and applying both technical and support contract award processes.
• Contribute to procurement planning by identifying ICT needs and providing inputs into the sourcing needs plan.

Reporting and Monitoring

• Support governance submissions, management reviews, and audit processes through the preparation of accurate and comprehensive documentation and reporting inputs.
• Generate dashboards, reports, and performance insights to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the enhancement and implementation of digital contract management systems, trackers, and reporting tools to improve process efficiency, data integrity, and reporting accuracy.
• Prepare regular reports on contract status, SLA performance, and vendor compliance.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date contract documentation.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Contract register maintained at 100% completeness and updated within agreed turnaround times after execution, variation, renewal or termination.
• Percentage of ICT contracts with current, approved SLAs, KPIs, ownership, renewal dates, termination notice periods, risk ratings and obligation trackers recorded.
• Renewals, expiries and termination notices proactively flagged within the agreed lead time, with no avoidable missed renewal, lapse or unmanaged rollover.
• SLA and vendor performance dashboards produced accurately and on time, including service credits, penalties, breaches, corrective actions and trend analysis.
• Contract compliance reviews, audits and vendor performance review meetings completed in accordance with the approved schedule.
• Contractual risks, disputes, non-compliance findings and performance issues documented, escalated and resolved within agreed governance timeframes.
• Quality of contract review inputs, procurement support, negotiation preparation and governance submissions, as assessed by line management and key stakeholders.
• Compliance with PFMA, PPPFA, SCM policies, POPIA, information security, ICT governance and internal approval requirements evidenced through audit-ready records.
• Improvement initiatives implemented to strengthen contract lifecycle management, reporting accuracy, vendor performance, cost control and value realisation.
• Stakeholder satisfaction with contract management support, responsiveness, advisory quality and vendor governance coordination.

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent NQF Level 7 qualification in Law, Commercial Law, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business Administration/Management, Information Technology, Information Systems or a related field.

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 8 years’ relevant experience in ICT contract management, commercial/vendor management, procurement, supply chain management or legal advisory roles, of which at least 5 years must include ICT contracts, technology vendors, software licensing, cloud, cybersecurity, managed services or complex ICT service agreements.
• Demonstrated experience in contract lifecycle management, including contract drafting support, review coordination, negotiation support, execution, obligation tracking, SLA/KPI monitoring, variation, renewal, termination and close-out.
• Strong working knowledge of South African public sector procurement and governance frameworks, including PFMA, PPPFA, Preferential Procurement Regulations, SCM policies and applicable internal delegation-of-authority requirements.
• Working knowledge of contract law principles, service level management, supplier performance management, risk management, data protection and privacy requirements, including POPIA.
• Familiarity with ICT governance, information security and service management frameworks such as ITIL, COBIT and ISO/IEC 27001.
• Experience maintaining contract registers, vendor records, audit evidence, obligation trackers, dashboards and management reports.
• Understanding of BBBEE, local content, commercial evaluation, licensing, warranties, indemnities, liabilities, service credits, penalties, intellectual property, confidentiality, cybersecurity, exit management and business continuity clauses in ICT contracts.

Desirable Requirements

• A postgraduate qualification in Contract Management, Commercial Law, Procurement, ICT Governance or Business Management will be advantageous.
• Professional certification in contract management, procurement, supply chain management, commercial management or vendor management.
• ITIL Foundation, COBIT Foundation, ISO/IEC 27001 awareness, project management or ICT governance certification.
• Experience in a public sector, development finance, banking, regulated, audit-intensive or enterprise ICT environment.
• Experience supporting ICT audits, governance committees, tender evaluations, sourcing strategies and compliance reviews.
• Experience implementing or administering contract lifecycle management systems, vendor management tools, SLA dashboards or digital contract repositories.
• Experience negotiating enterprise software, cloud, managed services, cybersecurity, outsourcing or professional services contracts.

Deadline:5th October,2026