Manager, Vendor Management

City of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

7h • $87,000 - $105,000 • Onsite

About The Position

This position will strengthen how our government partners with the vendor community. As the Manager of the Vendor Management Unit, you will build and lead a new team responsible for improving the vendor’s experience, supporting citywide procurement processes, ensuring data accuracy, and helping departments and vendors navigate our procurement systems.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys building programs from the ground up, leading change, and improving how government works with businesses. The role offers significant visibility across the organization and the potential for advancement to a director-level position.

Requirements

• Experience in procurement, vendor management, finance, supply chain, or related government operations.
• Prior supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Strong communication and customer service skills, especially working with diverse businesses.
• Ability to analyze data, solve problems, and manage multiple priorities.
• Comfort working with enterprise systems such as Workday, supplier portals, or financial systems.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, supply chain, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of professional vendor management experience.
• Experience in government operations, vendor relations, or process improvement.
• Familiarity with vendor onboarding, compliance requirements, or financial workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Build a New Unit
• Establish the Vendor Management Unit and develop its policies, processes, and services.
• Hire and supervise a small team responsible for vendor lifecycle support.
• Partner with Procurement and Finance to deliver high-quality, customer-focused vendor services.
• Support the Vendor Community
• Serve as the single point of contact for vendors doing business with the City.
• Lead vendor onboarding, registration, and updates across multiple systems.
• Help vendors navigate requirements such as disclosures, local and small business registration, and prequalification.
• Support outreach efforts and participate in vendor events and industry roundtables.
• Serve as the single point of contact for vendors doing business with the City.
• Lead vendor onboarding, registration, and updates across multiple systems.
• Help vendors navigate requirements such as disclosures, local and small business registration, and prequalification.
• Support outreach efforts and participate in vendor events and industry roundtables.
• Aggregates performance data for select vendors for strategic or systematic engagement across assignments
• Collaborates with Procurement, Finance, and Law to ensure appropriate use of funds
• Propose revisions to standard RFx and contract templates to improve vendor participation, procurement rule compliance, cycle time reduction and business efficiency
• May be required to maintain contact with vendors to manage the status and quality of orders and the progress toward contractual commitments
• Continually seeks optimal value in service at the vendor level cross orders
• Improve vendor relations and expands the pool of viable vendors to provide greater competition by improving quality and reducing cost
• Develops, collect, and maintain for use Key Performance Indicators in vendor selection
• Improve Processes and Resolve Issues
• Troubleshoot vendor issues related to enrollment, invoicing, payments, and system access.
• Work closely with Finance, Procurement, Revenue, IT, Law, OEO, and other internal partners to resolve concerns quickly.
• Provide guidance to departments on vendor-related policies and system functionality.
• Manage Vendor Data & Reporting
• Oversee vendor master data in Workday (WD), WSS, and legacy systems.
• Ensure accuracy of vendor demographic, banking, tax, and business information.
• Produce reports on vendor status, invoice status, contract information, and participation.
• Support Systems & Implementation
• Assist with vendor-related components of new system rollouts.
• Test system changes, recommend improvements, and support vendor-facing technology tools.
• Maintain and improve the City’s vendor web resources

Benefits

• City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager