Manager, Customer Relations & Vendor Management

Marriott Vacations Worldwide•Lakeland, FL

About The Position

The Manager, Customer Relations & Vendor Escalations manages customer relations activities across third-party vendor partners that provide collections, customer service, and escalation support for Financial Services. This role serves as a day-to-day liaison between MVW and assigned vendor partners, helping ensure vendor interactions are accurate, compliant, timely, and aligned with MVW service expectations. The Manager coordinates the review and resolution of complex customer concerns involving vendor interactions, service issues, credit disputes, payment inquiries, and escalation channels such as Customer Advocacy or senior leadership referrals. The role monitors vendor performance, supports quality assurance reviews, maintains documentation, and partners with internal stakeholders to address trends, improve processes, and balance collections effectiveness with owner satisfaction.

Requirements

Three (3)+years of experience in customer service, financial services, collections support, vendor management, or related operations.
Experience supporting third-party vendor relationships or outsourced service providers preferred.
Experience researching and resolving escalated customer complaints, service issues, payment inquiries, credit disputes, or compliance-sensitive matters preferred.
Prior experience providing work direction, coaching, or day-to-day guidance to associates or vendor partners preferred.
Strong customer-service mindset with the ability to balance issue resolution, compliance, and business needs.
Strong communication, documentation, follow-up, and relationship-management skills.
Ability to analyze trends, identify root causes, and recommend practical process improvements.
Sound judgment, attention to detail, and ability to handle sensitive or escalated matters professionally.
Working knowledge of collections, credit reporting disputes, or financial services operations preferred.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with reporting or case management tools preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage the day-to-day operations and relationship with third-party vendor partners providing collections, customer service, and customer escalation support.
Maintain vendor performance expectations, service level agreements (SLAs), and key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with MVW standards.
Review vendor performance results, identify gaps, and partner with leadership to support corrective action plans or follow-up actions.
Reinforce vendor alignment with MVW service expectations, brand standards, and customer experience principles.
Serve as a primary point of contact for escalated customer concerns related to vendor interactions, including referrals from vendor partners, Customer Advocacy, and leadership channels.
Review, research, document, and coordinate resolution of complex or sensitive customer issues in a timely and professional manner.
Ensure customer communication and vendor handling reflect MVW’s commitment to service excellence and appropriate issue resolution.
Maintain accurate documentation of customer interactions, resolution steps, outcomes, and follow-up commitments in systems of record.
Manage collections-related customer service activities by ensuring vendor staffing, workflow, and escalation handling are aligned to business demand.
Monitor general service issues, including credit disputes and payment inquiries, and coordinate follow-up with vendor partners or internal teams as needed.
Review vendor output for accuracy, including month-end reporting and other recurring deliverables, and escalate anomalies for review.
Ensure vendor adherence to applicable regulatory and compliance requirements, including FDCPA, FCRA, RESPA, UDAAP, SCRA, and GLBA.
Partner with Legal, Compliance, Operations, and Financial Services leaders to address escalated issues, regulatory inquiries, documentation needs, and customer-impacting concerns.
Monitor vendor-supported credit bureau dispute processes and help ensure timely, accurate, and well-documented responses.
Conduct or coordinate quality assurance reviews of vendor calls, correspondence, case handling, and documented outcomes.
Identify recurring issues, service trends, root causes, and process gaps that may impact owner experience or collections effectiveness.
Recommend practical process improvements, standard work, and communication enhancements to improve consistency across vendor partners.
Prepare and review recurring reporting related to vendor performance, escalation volume, service accuracy, customer satisfaction trends, and collections support outcomes.
Escalate performance anomalies, compliance concerns, or customer-impacting trends to leadership with supporting data and recommended next steps.
Use reporting and trend analysis to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement efforts.
Provide day-to-day coaching, guidance, and work direction to MVW Collectors to support high standards of service and accountability.
Collaborate with vendor management staff and internal partners by clarifying expectations, tracking follow-up items, and helping remove barriers to resolution.
Partner with Operations, Legal, Compliance, Customer Advocacy, Financial Services, and vendor teams to resolve issues and support consistent execution.
Promote a team culture focused on accountability, service quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement.