Senior Vendor Manager

Sammons Financial Group • West Des Moines, IA

6h

About The Position

This role builds, manages, and fosters relationships with key vendors providing highly complex and high value services and goods, including performance monitoring, feedback and direction, contract audit, and highly complex escalations. The Senior Vendor Manager will manage vendor relationships and serve as the primary point of contact with major vendors providing highly complex and high value goods and services. This includes leading the due diligence and evaluation process for potential new vendors, monitoring and auditing vendor performance, service level statistics and scorecards, compliance, contractual obligations, leading root cause analyses, providing vendors with feedback and direction, and developing and implementing remediation plans. The role also involves leading the team in responding to vendor requests for information, serving as the highest-tier triage and resolution contact for escalated, highly complex, or sensitive service, administration, billing, exception requests, and communication issues. They will guide cross-functional teams in evaluating performance and cost optimization opportunities, and serve as the primary SME liaison with the sourcing team on complex RFP/RFI/RFQ processes, including reviewing and approving highly complex Statements of Work, contract amendments, renewals, and amendments in collaboration with legal partners and business stakeholders. The Senior Vendor Manager will provide vendor management leadership with complex analyses on vendor performance, spend, and compliance results, insights, and recommendations, and develop, implement and provide SME oversight to vendor management policies, practices, procedures, tools and systems, documentation, and maintenance. They will also provide strategic input to vendor relationship management strategies and offer training, mentorship and SME support to teammates in previous level vendor management roles.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in a business-related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Ability to manage complex, high-value vendor relationships and influence senior stakeholders
• Expert knowledge of contract management, sourcing strategy, and vendor governance
• Expert business acumen, judgment, discretion, and decision-making skills.
• Expert ability to manage multiple vendor relationships, and negotiate contractual terms
• Excellent analytical and financial evaluation skills.
• Excellent acumen in vendor risk assessment and performance management practices
• Advanced skill in developing and implementing process improvements and governance models
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, and relationship building skills
• Ability to identify process improvements and implement practical solutions.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with fluctuating priorities and deadlines
• Proficiency with sourcing and contract management systems
• Informal leadership skills, with the ability to mentor, train and provide SME support to team members in previous level roles
• Criminal background check required.

Responsibilities

• Builds, manages, and fosters relationships with key vendors providing highly complex and high value services and goods, including performance monitoring, feedback and direction, contract audit, and highly complex escalations.
• Manage vendor relationships and serve as the primary point of contact with major vendors providing highly complex and high value goods and services, including: Leading the due diligence and evaluation process for potential new vendors.
• Monitoring and auditing vendor performance, service level statistics and scorecards, compliance, contractual obligations, leading root cause analyses, providing vendors with feedback and direction, and developing and implementing remediation plans
• Leading the team in responding to vendor requests for information
• Serve as the highest-tier triage and resolution contact for escalated, highly complex, or sensitive service, administration, billing, exception requests, and communication issues
• Guide cross-functional teams in evaluating performance and cost optimization opportunities
• Serve as the primary SME liaison with sourcing team on complex RFP/RFI/RFQ processes, including reviewing and approving highly complex Statements of Work, contract amendments, renewals, and amendments in collaboration with legal partners and business stakeholders.
• Provide vendor management leadership with complex analyses on vendor performance, spend, and compliance results, insights, and recommendations.
• Develop, implement and provide SME oversight to vendor management policies, practices, procedures, tools and systems, documentation, and maintenance.
• Provide strategic input to vendor relationship management strategies
• Provide training, mentorship and SME support to teammates in previous level vendor management teammates.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage for you and your family, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA & FSA options, and term life insurance.
• Competitive compensation with a performance-based incentive program tied to clear goals and individual and/or company success.
• Invest in your future with our 100% company-funded Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), plus automatic enrollment in our 401(k).
• Work–life balance that means something. Friday afternoons off year-round, generous paid time off, and paid holidays.
• Commit to your growth with paid development time, tuition reimbursement, and professional development opportunities across industry, individual, and leadership programs.
• Make an impact beyond the workplace through volunteer time off, and our company nonprofit matching gift program, supporting the causes that matter most to you.
• An ownership culture that inspires; join a connected, values-driven workplace where employees take accountability, support one another, and are empowered to do their best work—together shaping our future shared success.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees