Research Specialist Jobs in Irving, TX

When you’re the best, we’re the best. We instill an environment where employees feel engaged, satisfied and able to contribute their unique skills and talents while living and working as their authentic selves. We provide extensive opportunities for personal and professional development, building both employee competence and organizational capability to fuel exceptional performance through an inclusive environment both now and in the future.

Summary

In this role, you will lead the governance, optimization, and financial management of enterprise software assets, SaaS platforms, and technology investments across the organization. You will serve as a key partner in establishing software asset management and FinOps practices that improve visibility into technology consumption, optimize software investments, and ensure licensing compliance.

Reporting to technology leadership, you will partner closely with Cloud Infrastructure, Procurement, Finance, Security, and Enterprise Architecture teams to drive software asset governance, vendor management, and technology spend optimization. This role requires a blend of financial acumen, operational rigor, and technical understanding, with the ability to translate software consumption data into actionable insights that reduce costs, improve utilization, and maximize business value.

Responsibilities

• Lead the lifecycle management of enterprise software assets, subscriptions, and licensing agreements, ensuring accurate tracking of entitlements, renewals, and vendor commitments.
• Develop and maintain software asset management and SaaS governance processes that provide visibility into software inventory, utilization, and consumption patterns across the organization.
• Manage software licensing compliance efforts, including audit readiness activities, true-up processes, and vendor reporting requirements.
• Identify and implement opportunities to optimize software licensing through reclamation, rightsizing, consolidation, and usage-based cost reduction strategies.
• Monitor and analyze enterprise technology spend across SaaS applications, cloud platforms, and infrastructure tooling to identify trends, risks, and optimization opportunities.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement teams to support budgeting, forecasting, vendor negotiations, and technology investment planning.
• Establish governance processes for software acquisition, renewal management, and lifecycle planning to ensure alignment with organizational standards and financial objectives.
• Develop executive dashboards, reporting, and analytics that provide visibility into software utilization, licensing compliance, spend trends, renewal forecasts, and cost optimization opportunities.
• Support chargeback and showback methodologies that improve transparency and accountability for technology consumption across business units.
• Collaborate with FinOps and Cloud Infrastructure teams to align software asset management initiatives with broader cloud cost optimization strategies.
• Support cloud licensing optimization efforts, including programs such as Azure Hybrid Benefit, Bring Your Own License (BYOL), and other licensing models that improve cost efficiency.
• Analyze trends in developer tooling, SaaS adoption, and platform utilization to ensure technology investments are aligned with business needs.
• Support strategic vendor management activities, including contract renewals, licensing evaluations, and identification of cost-saving opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with software publishers, technology vendors, and internal stakeholders to drive effective software governance and financial management practices.
• Present recommendations, financial insights, and optimization opportunities to leadership and key stakeholders.
• Champion continuous improvement through data-driven analysis, automation, and operational best practices that enhance software asset management and technology spend governance capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business, Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 or more years of experience in Software Asset Management (SAM), IT Asset Management (ITAM), FinOps, Procurement, Technology Finance, or a related discipline.
• Experience managing enterprise software licensing programs and vendor agreements for large-scale technology environments.
• Strong understanding of SaaS consumption models, software licensing structures, and enterprise software governance practices.
• Experience analyzing technology spend, utilization data, and consumption trends to identify optimization opportunities and support financial decision-making.
• Knowledge of cloud financial management principles and technology cost optimization strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to develop forecasting models, business cases, executive reporting, and performance dashboards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex technical and financial information into actionable recommendations.
• Experience collaborating with Finance, Procurement, Infrastructure, Security, Architecture, and business stakeholders to drive operational and financial outcomes.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence decision-making across multiple levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving technology environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing enterprise licensing programs for platforms such as Microsoft, Adobe, VMware, Oracle, ServiceNow, or similar technologies.
• Experience with Azure Cost Management, Cloudability, Flexera, Zylo, ServiceNow SAM, or comparable software asset management and financial management platforms.
• FinOps Foundation certification, Certified Software Asset Manager (CSAM), ITAM, or related professional certifications.
• Experience supporting enterprise licensing agreements, including EA, MCA, CSP, or comparable vendor programs.
• Familiarity with cloud governance frameworks, tagging strategies, and cost allocation methodologies.
• Experience supporting software audit readiness, compliance initiatives, and vendor contract negotiations.

Estimated Hiring Range:

At Vizient, we consider skills, experience, and organizational needs in our compensation approach. Geographic factors may adjust the range estimate and hires typically fall below the top range. Compensation decisions are tailored to individual circumstances. The current salary range for this role is $88,900.00 to $155,500.00. This position is also incentive eligible.

Vizient has a comprehensive benefits plan! Please view our benefits here:

http://www.vizientinc.com/about-us/careers

Equal Opportunity Employer: Females/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The Company is committed to equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, gender identity, ethnicity, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law.