Vendor Relations & Bid Manager

Rumpke Careers•Cincinnati, OH

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Rumpke is a family-owned and operated company that ranks as one of the largest firms in the waste and recycling industry. Our mission is simple: to deliver exceptional waste and recycling solutions to our customers and communities through a commitment to safety, service, the environment and the growth of our people. When you join Rumpke, you’ll be part of a team providing essential services to millions of residents, businesses, and neighborhoods. You will enjoy competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, vision, matching 401(k), life insurance, paid vacation, and more. This is your opportunity to make a difference for you and your family. Come join our team! The Vendor Relations & Bid Manager leads the team responsible for both sides of WTG’s margin: the supply side — recruiting, negotiating with, and holding accountable the independent haulers, MRFs, processors, and recyclers the service promise sits on — and the pricing side — the bid calendar, margin governance, and every number that leaves the building. This role sets the playbook, develops the team, and personally leads the largest negotiations and pursuits.

Requirements

Advanced Excel modeling skills with the ability to build a cost model line by line and defend it under challenge
Demonstrated, quantifiable negotiation results, paired with the judgment not to price a vendor below viability
Working familiarity with commercial contracts, certificates of insurance, and vendor compliance documentation required
Sound judgment under deadline pressure, including the willingness to decline business that cannot be priced profitably
People leadership skills: coaching, performance management, and development against written growth plans
Clear written and verbal communication skills; ability to brief executives and equip Account Executives for client-facing rounds
Analytical discipline in win/loss review and realized-versus-modeled margin analysis
Working knowledge of disposal, MRF, or commodity market economics, including commodity-indexed and fuel-indexed pricing structures
Bachelor’s in business, supply chain, finance, or a related field required
6+ years across procurement, vendor management, pricing, bid/proposal management, or commercial analysis in a margin-driven business, including at least 2 years managing direct reports required
Ability to travel between offices, as required
Ability to work overtime, weekends, and/or holidays
Legally eligible to work in the United States
Valid driver’s license (if applicable)
Must successfully complete pre-employment testing
Must be able to read and speak the English language

Nice To Haves

Waste/recycling hauler relationships, 3PL carrier procurement, or field-services vendor networks preferred
Waste/recycling, logistics, or facilities-services pricing; municipal bid or RFP-heavy environments preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the Vendor Relations & Bid team — Supplier/Network Coordinator(s) and Pricing Analyst(s): hire, develop, and coach; set clear scoreboards and written decision authority; and own the interlock between the two functions so that no bid is priced without current supply-side costs and no market is opened without vetted coverage
Recruit and vet haulers, MRFs, processors, and recyclers into the network funnel — maintaining at least two qualified providers per service line per active market, with backup capacity kept warm
Negotiate master rate agreements, including volume tiers, fuel-surcharge caps, rate-lock windows, and payment terms; run annual re-bids on the top 50 cost lines
Own vendor compliance files — certificates of insurance with correct additional-insured language, permits and licenses (including e-waste and regulated processors), W-9s, and safety records; no vendor is dispatched without a compliant file
Publish quarterly hauler scorecards covering service reliability, billing accuracy, responsiveness, compliance, and partnership; manage cure plans, earn-backs, and vendor exits
Resolve hauler-side service failures and billing disputes; recover service credits owed to WTG and its customers; activate backup haulers within 48 hours of a service failure
Maintain the Cost Intelligence Tracker — tip fees, fuel indices, commodity markets, and regulatory changes — as the shared cost backbone for the pricing desk
Score every inbound RFP within 48 hours against a bid/no-bid framework (fit, Haul Pass coverage, incumbent intelligence, win odds, margin potential); build costs from two to three hauler quotes per line and model disposal, fuel, franchise fees, and commodity rebates
Price within published margin floors; structure escalators, fuel pass-throughs, and commodity index bands; route all exceptions through the authority ladder with supporting documentation
Own the bid calendar with renewals loaded at T–12 months and 95% on-time submission; arm Account Executives for orals and best-and-final rounds; run win/loss reviews and day-90 realized-versus-modeled margin comparisons, feeding findings back into margin floors, cost curves, and hauler rate strategy
Perform other duties as assigned