A staff member who acts as an organizational liaison, typically between an information services (IS) department and business-unit or function. The relationship manager may fulfill a combination of roles that correspond to the degree of trust and authority granted to the person in that role by his/her customer. The job content of the position (in order of increasing business trust and responsibility) is classified in four levels:

• Level 1: Inform and Communicate

• Level 2: Advise and Influence

• Level 3: Coordinate and Integrate

• Level 4: Manage and Oversee

Relationship management is essentially a matrixed position, with reporting requirements to at least two managers (typically a chief information officer — CIO — and business function or division manager). In practice, however, the position is usually linked more strongly to one side than another, and is most often aligned to the business management side.