Software Asset Management Analyst

Job Overview and Responsibilities

The Software Asset Management Analyst role will:

• Manage the full software asset lifecycle: request, approve, procure, deploy, meter, optimize, renew, and dispose.
• Administer the enterprise SAM platform, maintaining connectors, normalization, product use rights, and license models; drive data quality across discovery sources and integrations.
• Produce and maintain effective license positions for tier-1 publishers; manage audit response playbooks, evidence, and compliance documentation.
• Govern SaaS and server licensing through SSO-based provisioning, usage metering where feasible, and disciplined reclaim and reallocation processes.
• Support hybrid environments (on-prem and major public cloud providers) and virtualized workloads.
• Publish executive dashboards on savings, compliance, risk, and renewal runway; provide BU showback/chargeback views.
• Establish and oversee practical governance for showback/chargeback (BU, cost center, tag hygiene).
• Align SAM controls to applicable governance and security frameworks.
• Maintain a complete and compliant software asset database that supports budgeting, inventory accuracy, and reporting integrity.
• Coordinate renewals with partner teams; deliver usage, optimization scenarios, and risk assessments to ensure continuity of service and favorable contract terms.
• Identify and implement cost optimization opportunities through rightsizing, license reallocation, harvesting, and contract consolidation, driving measurable savings and efficiency.
• Manage vendor contracts and relationships to maximize value, control costs, and align with organizational and compliance requirements.
• Analyze and report on software licensing, renewals, compliance, inventory, and cost performance to provide management with actionable insights and visibility into software spend.
• Monitor and enforce adherence to software license terms, internal policies, and legal or regulatory standards, proactively addressing compliance risks.
• Reallocate and harvest unused or underutilized licenses to optimize utilization and minimize unnecessary purchases.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports that support data-driven decision-making and executive oversight.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders, including end-users, management, developers, and vendors to facilitate issue resolution and promote program awareness.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Software Product Owners, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Security, Cloud, and End-User Computing teams to ensure all software acquisitions, renewals, and deployments align with governance and contract requirements.

Requirements

• Deep, hands-on experience managing enterprise Software Asset Management (SAM) programs within large organizations.
• Expertise with at least one enterprise SAM platform (e.g., Flexera, Snow, ServiceNow) and familiarity with related discovery and inventory tools.
• Strong licensing knowledge across productivity suites, databases, server operating systems, and SaaS, including the ability to reconcile entitlements, maintenance terms, and deployment data to ensure compliance.
• Proven skill in building auditable Effective License Positions, performing usage analysis, and delivering executive-ready reporting.
• Advanced technical and analytical capabilities, including:
  • Proficiency in SQL for developing and running custom reports.
  • Strong BI and visualization skills (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
  • Advanced Excel expertise (pivots, Power Query, lookups).
  • Process automation for reporting and data hygiene (scheduled refreshes, exports, validation).
• Demonstrated ability to interpret procured rights and quantities to determine compliance of deployed assets.
• Excellent communication, listening, and interpersonal skills; proven effectiveness working independently or within a global virtual team.
• Strong organizational skills with a commitment to quality, customer service, and meeting deadlines.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent industry experience preferred. 
• Current IT Asset Management Certification
• Software licensing knowledge (Microsoft, Oracle)
• Reporting: Power BI/Tableau, advanced Excel, light SQL.
• Metrics collection, analysis, and KPI tracking.
• Process automation for reports and data quality.