Specialist Software Asset Manager at Absa

Job Summary

• As a Software Asset Management Specialist in the Absa Software Asset Management team, you will manage software licenses from planning to retirement across a wide range of platforms, to reduce the total cost of ownership while maintaining agreed-upon service levels. You will evaluate the software licensing needs for the organization and actively track licenses to ensure legal and regulatory compliance. 
• An ideal Software Asset Management Specialist is a recognized expert in the Software Asset Management field with extensive experience optimally manage key software publishers across a wide range of platforms, able to solve tough problems, interpret complex environments, and consistently maintain a high level of accuracy. She/he has a track record of aligning design decisions to business strategy and objectives and of providing insights and direction to the business and product owners at the most senior levels. She/he has a passion for problem-solving and continual service improvement and can provide insights into actionable and sustainable solutions.

Job Description

Manage Software across the Software Asset Management life cycle:

• Utilise your software licensing expertise by tracking, ensuring compliance, cost savings, risk mitigation, key metrics reporting, administrative efficiency of software licenses, and overall efficiency of the Software Asset life cycle management (people, process and tools)
• Drive maximum value from our license agreements for Cloud, Server and End User Computing Software, while delivering a seamless experience for our users with daily and strategic management and control of the software portfolio to optimize the value, cost, and risk of software
• Manage, track, update and optimize the group’s software assets across all the platforms in scope, such as AWS, Azure, Windows, Unix, AIX, Linux, and other
• Manage and maintain Software Publishers and the corresponding data around it by ensuring complete, accurate, and current software and hardware asset inventory on the Flexera Software Asset Management toolset and ensuring it is aligned with the configuration management database (CMDB)

Ensure Compliance and Software Audit-readiness

• Prepare the organization for or participate in software audits with accurate ownership information to realize cost benefits, avoid unneeded software purchases, avoid penalties incurred from non-compliance and unused software licenses.
• Ensure that Software licenses are reconciled and compliance exceptions w.r.t. software usage and license agreements are reported and managed to ensure full compliance with terms and conditions of all software licensing documents and agreements
• Develop, implement and maintain a remediation plan for licenses out of compliance or unauthorized for use within the organization
• Engage with stakeholders and business owners as required as per the Software Asset Management framework, standard, policies, processes, and procedures
• Identify and execute cost-saving opportunities through software re-harvesting and license optimization, in conjunction with Product and Business owners
• Identify risks, savings opportunities for renewals, and license harvesting potential

Ensure a healthy Software Asset Management Inventory and Platform

• Manage and maintain the accuracy and health of the software and hardware inventory in Flexera and related software management tools
• Maintain and optimise Flexera Software Asset Management tools and infrastructure in use in the organisation
• Promote and enable automation and integration between platforms and systems to support a sustainable software asset management environment

Deliver on Management Information

• Ensure compliance, accuracy, completeness, and creating processes, metrics, and reporting to support license positions
• Identify, define, measure, report and improve key indicators for in-scope publisher/title(s)
• Create Software License Management and related Reports / Dashboards and drive automation

Deliver on Governance, Risk, Compliance Requirements

• Apply the group risk, governance, compliance, regulatory frameworks, and standards, including SAM policies, standards, processes, and risks
• Audit and monitor software asset management group and internal controls (governance)
• Provide inputs & reporting requirements or coordinate relevant processes for all internal/external risk, regulatory, compliance, and governance-related process for managed services provisioning across the estate
• Implement & maintain knowledge management & data management processes for the successful governance of software asset management activities
• Implement and maintain relevant, accurate & timely governance, risk, and compliance information

People Accountability

• Proactively and effectively (time and quality) collaborate and drive collaboration across teams where it makes sense (e.g. managing dependencies and interdependencies, conflict resolution, information and best practice sharing, problem resolution outside of own area, etc.)
• Apply collaboration skills in business reviews and issue resolution regardless of team boundaries and lead communication with relevant stakeholders through to conclusion
• Contribute to high-performance team environment and culture as a high performing member of a self-directed team aligned agile working environment
• Leverage coaching techniques in all team/service provider related activity to drive a higher quality ITAM service
• Proactively seek and provide feedback across a range of stakeholders for the benefit of the team and leverage feedback to consistently improve ITAM service delivery
• Participate in peer reviews, problem-solving within and across the broader team

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas

Preferred Certification:

• CSAM / IAITAM or recognized related Software Asset Management Certification
• ITIL Certification and firm understanding and practice experience with ITIL best practices

Preferred Experience

• 5+ Years’ experience as a Software License Manager
• Solid experience with IT Service Management and Software Asset Management processes and platforms
• Solid experience with Technology infrastructure and platforms
• Solid experience using Flexera FlexNet Management Suite of products
• Experience with SCCM, JAMF, and ServiceNow tools and data
• Experience using procurement tools, such as SAP and Coupa
• Experience interpreting licensing terms and conditions
• Experience with the following Publishers: SAP, Microsoft, VMware, Adobe, Oracle, RedHat, IBM, Symantec, Veritas
• Experience with SaaS, Amazon, Google, Azure, and experience with other cloud technologies
• Experience with successful Software licensing audit defense from large technology vendors

Desired Knowledge

• Ability to maintain a strong working relationship with leaders whose departments consume/deploy software titles
• Bring to the table some of the industry best practices in Software Governance, associated processes including Software requisition and fulfillment, procurement, asset management, systems automation, and general project management
• Be a strong team player, collaborate effectively with the SAM Technical Platform support and Operations team, to define, document and agree on SAM data requirements across the software lifecycle for automation and software license optimization
• Understanding of IT components (infrastructure, software, PCs, Databases) and how they interact
• Understand hardware technology and configurations including cloud/virtualization technologies (VMware, AWS, Azure etc.)
• Mindset to continuously improve the SAM processes, reporting and metrics.
• Strong analytical and communication skills to prepare and present periodic accurate internal reporting around complete license position and related analysis for in-scope Software Publishers
• Ability to review and define processes and business requirements for automation and service improvements
• Ability to identify, define, measure, report and improve key indicators for in-scope publisher/title(s). Able to create executive Reports / Dashboards and automate
• Ability to manage and execute required processes and reporting for renewals, true-ups, certifications and audits by collaborating with various internal and external stakeholders as needed
• Ability to partner and collaborate with multiple key internal and external stakeholders, including Procurement, Legal, Finance, Sourcing, Vendor Management, IT Asset and Configuration Management, Product Owners (Software Owners), Architects, Administrators, Engineers, User Groups, Vendors/Resellers, to help collect, organize and obtain critical information required for the management of software assets

Desired Skills

• Reporting skills, such as PowerBI, Cognos and Excel
• Flexera Certification / Training
• Cloud Technologies awareness, such as IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
• Azure and Amazon Web Services awareness

Education

• Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised