Principal Lead Software Licensing Expert

Ameriprise India LLP has been providing client based financial solutions to help clients plan and achieve their financial objectives for 20 years. We are part of Ameriprise Financial Inc., a US financial planning company headquartered in Minneapolis with a global presence and diversified financial services leader with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management, administration and advisement as of year-end 2024. The firm’s focus areas include Asset Management and Advice, Retirement Planning and Insurance Protection.

Be part of an inclusive, collaborative culture that rewards you for your contributions, and work with other talented individuals who share your passion for doing great work. You’ll also have plenty of opportunities to make your mark at the office and a difference in your community. So, if you're talented, driven and want to work for a strong, ethical company that cares, take the next step and create a career at Ameriprise India LLP.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled Software Licensing Expert to support Software Asset Management (SAM) initiatives with a strong focus on Effective License Position (ELP) creation, license compliance, and optimization. This role requires deep expertise in software licensing across major vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, VMware, and Red Hat, SaaS application licensing, etc. along with hands-on experience using ServiceNow SAM Pro.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing end-to-end SAM operations, ensuring accurate license tracking, and driving compliance across the organization. They will play a critical role in minimizing licensing risks, optimizing software spend, and supporting audit readiness through robust license intelligence and governance.

This position involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to analyze licensing data, identify optimization opportunities, and align software usage with business and contractual requirements. The candidate will also contribute to strategic IT initiatives by delivering actionable insights that enhance cost efficiency and compliance posture.

Key Responsibilities:
• Develop, validate, and maintain Effective License Positions (ELPs) for publishers such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, VMware, Red Hat, etc.
• Identify and execute license optimization opportunities such as License re-harvesting, Edition/version rationalization, Reduction of unused or underutilized licenses.
• Interpret and apply complex software licensing terms, metrics, and contractual conditions.
• Ensure ongoing compliance and proactively identify licensing risks and remediation actions.
• Support and lead internal and external vendor audits.
• Act as licensing subject matter expert for infrastructure, virtualization, and cloud initiatives.
• Support true-ups, renewals, and contract negotiations with accurate deployment and usage data.
• Establish and continuously improve SAM governance, policies, and operational procedures.
• Deliver regular compliance, optimization, and executive-level reports.
• Utilize ServiceNow SAM Pro for license management, compliance tracking, and optimization analysis.
• Manage and optimize SaaS application licensing and subscriptions (Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Atlassian, Box, etc.).
• Integrate SaaS applications with ServiceNow SAM Pro using Out‑of‑the‑box SaaS integrations.
• Partner with ITSM/CMDB teams to maintain data alignment between CMDB and SAM Pro.
• Drive adoption of SAM Pro best practices and automation capabilities.
• Educate internal teams on licensing impacts, risks, and optimization strategies.