Senior Manager - Strategic Vendor Management

Overview

The role entails leading and overseeing the strategic direction and execution of vendor management activities within an organization. You are responsible for managing key vendor relationships, driving value creation, and mitigating risks associated with vendor partnerships to support the organization's objectives.           

Responsibilities

1. Develop and nurture strategic relationships with key vendors and suppliers to align with the organization's goals and objectives. This involves understanding vendor capabilities, assessing performance, and fostering collaboration to drive innovation and value creation.
2. Lead the process of selecting and evaluating vendors based on predefined criteria, including capabilities, reliability, financial stability, and alignment with organizational values. This may involve conducting vendor assessments, due diligence, and negotiations to secure favorable terms and conditions.
3. Oversee contract negotiations with vendors to ensure that agreements are fair, transparent, and aligned with the organization's interests. This includes drafting contracts, defining service level agreements (SLAs), and establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure vendor performance.
4. Establish metrics and benchmarks to measure vendor performance against agreed-upon SLAs and KPIs. Continuously monitor and evaluate vendor performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to optimize value delivery and mitigate risks.
5. Analyze vendor costs, expenses, and pricing structures to identify opportunities for cost savings and optimization. Develop strategies to negotiate favorable pricing terms, consolidate vendor relationships, and implement cost reduction initiatives while maintaining service quality.
6. Maintain and nurture strategic vendor relationships at senior management levels; establish a governance structure for managing service delivery and respective deliverables while extracting value-driven outcomes through strategic collaboration.
7. Develop and implement vendor development approaches and management plans based on market research and whole of life cost analysis to optimize value for money outcomes.
8. Provide expert advice to key stakeholders on all aspects of procurement and the procurement category, to encourage innovative practices and support delivery of process and policy directions.
9. Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including procurement, legal, finance, IT, and business units, to align vendor management activities with organizational objectives and priorities. Communicate vendor performance, risks, and opportunities to senior management and key stakeholders to foster alignment and support decision-making and develop a comprehensive vendor acquisition plan and framework.
10. Produce and maintain a vendor listing for IT related components.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in business administration, supply chain management, finance, procurement, or a related field is often required.
• Prefer candidates with a master's degree or MBA for senior leadership roles.
• Preferably to have CIPP, CSCP, CVM or any equivalent professional certification.
• Excellent communication skills to interact with diverse teams and stakeholders.

Requirements & Experience:

• 8-10 years or more of progressive experience in vendor management, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or managerial role.