Sr. IT Vendor Relationship Manager

CP Kelco•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Sr. IT Vendor Relationship Manager facilitates and maintains relationships between the organization and vendors/partners, negotiating contracts, creating standards for the vendors, selecting the best available vendors and oversees procurement of IT products and services while ensuring vendor performance and invoicing is held accountable and reflected in organization budgets and forecasts. This role implements the organization's strategic technology vendor management program to meet company needs and comply with required quality standards. The Sr. IT Vendor Relationship Manager administers the request for proposals process to vet the reputation and quality of vendor products. Negotiates service level agreements to ensure performance/quality metrics, responsibilities, expectations, and penalties are clearly defined. The IT Vendor Relationship Senior Manager works closely with managers and teams to monitor, maintain, and improve existing vendor relationships. Conducts business reviews to ensure compliance with company expectations, review issues, and develop solutions. The ideal candidate has experience with software licensing and hardware procurement. This role will provide input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility and give input into developing the budget. Must be capable of resolving escalated issues arising from operations and requiring coordination with other departments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, IT, Business Management, Business Administration or similar field of study required
10-12 years of relevant experience with at 3+ years managing vendor relationships
Proven experience working as a vendor manager
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite of applications
The ability to multitask effectively
Strong negotiation, management, and decision-making skills
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills
Effective written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Tier 1 or 2 technical support experience
Understanding legal terminology
Experience working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Responsibilities

Develops and sustains long-standing relationships with company-approved vendors
Meets with suitable vendors to assess their products, inquires about their services, negotiates pricing, and communicates any product or service-related concerns
Conducts research on available vendors to determine which vendors offer the best fit, pricing and product quality for Huber and its entities
Negotiates pricing with new and existing vendors to ensure optimal cost, and recommends process, service, or technology improvements that will result in cost optimization, improved productivity, and/or service performance
Conducts interviews with new vendors and informs approved vendors of their responsibilities and obligations
Establishes standards by which to assess the performance of approved vendors
Manages the contracted KPIs and seeks to decrease project costs and turnaround time
Ensures vendor compliance with company policies and informs new vendors of their responsibilities
Support the execution of NDAs as needed
Analyse data and forecast requirements with vendors
Create requisitions and coordinate efficient and effective invoice processing
Communicate with internal departments to advise and resolve vendor issues and determine methods for resolving problematic vendor payments
Communicate with internal departments to advise and resolve issues with vendor invoices and/or internal processing
Schedule and coordinate vendor meetings as needed
Organize, track and lifecycle management IT contracts, software and hardware assets
Coordinate IT cross charges to BU's on agreements responsible
Documents all allocation methodologies