Relationship and Vendor Manager

UnitedHealth Group•Lincoln, NE

About The Position

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. Proceed Finance, part of the Optum family of businesses, is a Nebraska-based financial technology company that is an established leader in the markets they serve, creating affordability for life-changing treatment. Proceed Finance is seeking a Relationship & Vendor Manager to own and strengthen strategic partnerships with banking institutions and critical third-party vendors. This role plays a key part in supporting operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and scalable growth within a regulated fintech environment. The ideal candidate brings strong relationship management, vendor governance, and cross functional coordination experience, and serves as a trusted liaison between external partners and internal teams to ensure alignment, transparency, and timely execution.

Requirements

4+ years of experience in vendor management, third party risk, banking partnerships, fintech operations, or financial services
3+ years of audit and compliance coordination experience in a regulated financial environment
2+ years of experience owning vendor KPI, risk, and performance reporting for senior stakeholders
Hands-on experience managing multiple vendors, including onboarding, due diligence, contract/SLA review, pricing evaluation, and performance oversight
Experience using third-party risk or vendor governance platforms (e.g., VendorPoint or similar)
Demonstrated executive-level communication skills, including experience serving as a primary liaison to banking or regulated partners

Nice To Haves

Experience driving process improvements in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
Demonstrated solid analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail
Demonstrated excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
Demonstrated high integrity and commitment to governance and compliance
Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes through collaboration

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for banking partners, lenders, and strategic vendors
Build and maintain long-term, trust-based partner relationships
Act as an escalation point to resolve partner issues with clear, proactive communication
Prepare executive-ready summaries, reports, and presentations for partners and internal leadership
Track partner requests, commitments, and deliverables, providing regular status updates
Support vendor onboarding, due diligence, and ongoing performance assessments
Review contracts, SLAs, and pricing to balance cost, performance, and risk
Monitor vendor compliance with regulatory, contractual, and internal requirements
Maintain audit-ready documentation related to vendor decisions and performance
Coordinate audit and oversight responses for banking partners, lenders, and regulators
Collect, validate, and organize compliance, risk, and performance documentation
Ensure timely submission of reports, certifications, and attestations
Partner with Compliance and Risk teams to remediate findings and implement corrective actions
Manage and prioritize partner and vendor requests across internal teams
Collaborate with Compliance, Risk, Finance, Product, Operations, and Technology teams
Track and report vendor KPIs, risk assessments, and performance metrics
Support seamless integration of vendor services into core fintech operations
Identify recurring vendor or partner issues and recommend scalable solutions
Drive process improvements that enhance partner experience, efficiency, and scalability
Support new product launches by coordinating vendor readiness and deliverables
Assist with onboarding and training of new partners as needed