Vendor Relationship Manager recruitment
Position Title: Vendor Relationship Manager
This role is primarily responsible for leading in the development, implementation and management of regional specific vendor management relationships in order to help achieve best value, manage costs; and manage risks of my clients third party relationships and to support the Cost Management team in the management of the vendor management infrastructure.
Acts primarily as a consultant to the business leaders to monitor vendor performance and close gaps and ensure compliance with the vendor management program. This role is responsible and accountable for leading end to end contract management and the analysis of vendor activity and performance, including the recommendations related to spend envelopes, vendor reviews, negotiations and demand management.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Partner with my clients stakeholders to enhance, implement, manage a vendor relationship and governance model for vendors in the disciplines of performance (service delivery, change orders, problem management), financial, contract management, relationship, and risk management.
- Meets regularly with business partners, (ideally has a seat at the management table), in order to understand business priorities, direction, issues, and opportunities.
- Conducts regular business reviews with the business partners, including sharing detailed reporting (demand management, vendor profiles and performance dashboards, benchmarking and review of strategic plans).
- Builds strong and trusted partnerships with business leaders, acts as a conduit between Cost Management and the business; facilitating interaction, monitoring customer satisfaction and driving continuous improvement initiatives to deliver value.
- Drives efficiencies and optimizes costs by identifying supporting common metrics and capabilities, eliminated duplication in processes, including monitoring spend, invoices, demand management and other financial analysis (benchmarks).
- Supports and/or manages end to end sourcing, outsourcing and contract management initiatives and activities including developing appropriate strategies, gathering market intelligence and benchmarks, vendor selection processes, negotiations and transitioning.
- Leads the business in negotiation of parental agreements set with our shareholders.
- Manages escalation between client and vendors and negotiates and co-ordinates resolution.
- Leads/assists the preparation analysis of documentation pertaining to performance reporting.
- Supports the business partners in the implementation of joint client/vendor projects.
- Lead and represent in all related contract negotiations at the local level incl determining the appropriate governance processes and service level requirements.
- Participates in the establishment of relationship governance models for each strategic vendor relationship; models regional vendor relationships to the common framework.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Vendor Relationship Management and Governance
- Information and Performance Management
- Negotiation and Execution:
- Administration of Contracts:
Competencies
Behavioural
- Business acumen
- Strategic thinker
- Able to persuade and influence others to comply with processes
- Building partnership with stakeholders
- Building partnership with vendors
- Financial management
- Problem solving
- Corporate and risk awareness
- Driven to succeed
Technical
- Understanding of vendor management/governance and relationship management structures
- Understanding of sourcing/outsourcing methodologies
- Understanding of contracts including legal, commercial and business objectives and interpretation of same
- Change management
- Negotiation
Education and Experience
Required
- University-level accounting or business degree strongly preferred
- Training and certification(s) related to vendor management and outsourcing
- Proven and demonstrable experience in a vendor management role
- Strong project management skills
- Focused on meeting timelines and deliverables
- Superior communication, presentation and negotiation skills (for interacting effectively with stakeholders (including senior management) and vendors
- Demonstrated understanding of interrelationship between project activities/deliverables and contractual obligations
- Ability to advise on strategic direction, consequences of action/inaction
- Ability to lead change in a global environment while managing cost and risk
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across jurisdictional, functional and cultural boundaries
- Strong business acumen
Bilingual skills (English/French) an asset
