Manager, Strategic Partnerships

Are you committed to bringing your best to life every day?

In 2025, MLC Life Insurance is embracing a new brand identity: Acenda.

Under this new brand, we’re taking our long-standing heritage into a new era, empowering a brighter future with security and confidence.

Our values-driven business strives for high performance and growth as we look towards the future. As part of the global Nippon Life Group, we will enhance our capabilities and further strengthen our enduring commitment to putting customers at the heart of everything we do. And to support our partners to do the same.

We believe that when people have the support, clarity, and confidence they need, they can do their best work and build a future they’re proud of. We encourage our people to take life on - inside and outside of work - to grow and make a real impact for our customers, partners, and each other.

**The role**

Reporting to the Head of Platforms, Workplace, the Strategic Partnerships Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring the strategic success, governance, and performance of key outsourcing and strategic partners within the Technology portfolio. This newly created position is central to driving collaboration, enhancing service delivery, and aligning partner performance with Acenda’s transformation goals, particularly as the organisation transitions to Agile ways of working.

**Your responsibilities include but are not limited to**:

- Manage relationships with critical strategic and outsourcing partners in the Technology portfolio.
- Ensure compliant governance and sustainable cost models across partnerships.
- Drive performance uplift and collaboration between partners and Acenda.
- Support the organisation’s transition to Agile methodologies.
- Enable long-term partnership success through strong commercial and operational outcomes.
- Monitor and report on partner performance and service delivery metrics.

**About you**
- 5 to 8+ years of experience as a Strategic Partnerships Manager within the Technology sector.
- Proven success in managing outsourced and managed service providers to deliver commercial and performance value.
- Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills, with a track record of building effective partner relationships.
- Experience working in highly regulated and ambiguous environments.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and drive best practices across the organisation.
- Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels.
- Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments and managing competing priorities.
- Experience in Scaled Agile technology environments (preferred but not essential).
- Tertiary qualifications in Finance, Commerce, Technology, or a related discipline.
- Experience in commercial business partnering is highly regarded.
- Strong governance and vendor management capabilities within regulated industries.

Bringing our best to life - why join us?
- We do work that makes a genuine difference to our customers, partners and community.
- We have a supportive, inclusive and flexible team culture, including hybrid working.
- We support your growth and development, and careers across our business units and teams that are as unique as our people.
- We reward and celebrate our successes, through our incentive and recognition programs.
- We offer tools, resources and benefits to support your wellbeing, including additional lifestyle leave.
- We connect and celebrate our diversity at work through our social committees and employee groups, and we contribute to our community with paid volunteer leave and through our sustainability commitments.

**Primary Location**: AU-VIC-Docklands

**Work Locations**: Level 16, 727 Collins St Level 16 727 Collins St Docklands 3008

**Job**: Information Technology

**Organization**: MLC Limited

**Schedule**: Permanent

**Employee Status**: Group Level 4

Full-time

:
**Job Posting**: 02-Jul-2025, 7:30:47 PM