Supplier Relationship Specialist

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen)•Nashville, TN

10d

About The Position

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm dedicated to creating opportunities for clients, employees, and communities. We are growing and seeking an experienced Supplier Relationship Specialist to join our Information Technology team. This position offers growth, flexibility, and a collaborative work environment. The ideal candidate will possess excellent interpersonal skills, strong problem-solving abilities, sound judgment, and a high level of integrity, dependability, and a results-oriented approach. This role supports contract administration, supplier relationship activities, analysis, and process execution for assigned suppliers and agreements. Responsibilities include working within established procedures, partnering with internal stakeholders and suppliers, maintaining accurate records, preparing analysis, and escalating risks or decisions requiring senior management involvement. The role also contributes ideas for improvements across the contract lifecycle and supplier management processes.

Requirements

1 year of experience required
Demonstrated organizational and time-management skills, attention to detail, analytical judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities
Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work constructively with internal stakeholders and external suppliers
Experience working within defined processes and escalating issues appropriately
Comfortable in a technical environment with a large variety of technology tools and can easily adapt to rapidly changing technology including agentic solutions
Familiarity with ERP systems.
Excel proficiency and familiarity with other reporting, licensing and analytics tools ideal.

Nice To Haves

Experience in contract management, analysis, and vendor management preferred
1 - 3 years of relevant experience in contract administration, procurement, supplier/vendor management, business operations, financial analysis, or related field preferred
Bachelor's degree or a combination of relevant experience and training may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Responsibilities

Support the review, preparation, routing, and administration of supplier agreements in collaboration with internal review teams and other stakeholders.
Perform contract analysis using established guidance to identify key obligations, business terms, renewal dates, usage considerations, and potential risks for review by senior team members or management.
Maintain complete and accurate contract records, documentation, amendments, renewals, and related metadata.
Monitor assigned agreements, their timelines, coordinate follow-up, and escalate issues or decisions outside established authority.
Analyze spend, usage, renewals, and contract information to identify potential cost-saving or value-improvement opportunities.
Support implementation and tracking of approved cost optimization actions without compromising required quality or service.
Negotiate terms and conditions with vendors to secure the best possible outcomes for the company.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with vendors and suppliers.
Evaluate and select vendors based on quality, cost, and reliability; assist with RFPs as needed.
Create RFP templates to support business and project teams.
Monitor vendor performance and ensure compliance with contractual terms.
Complete tasks for assigned suppliers, agreements/renewals, and areas of responsibility with guidance appropriate to the complexity and risk of the work.
Support the Lead and Senior Supplier Relationship Specialists with supplier-related projects, tasks, reporting, and stakeholder coordination.