Sr. Vendor Relationship Manager

First American•Usa, NJ

17h

About The Position

The Vendor Relationship Manager is responsible for developing, managing, and optimizing a network of vendor providers that support business operations and strategic initiatives. This role serves as a key point of contact for vendor relationships, helping align vendor capabilities with organizational needs and business priorities. The Vendor Relationship Manager supports vendor engagement, relationship management, performance monitoring, risk identification, and continuous improvement efforts to ensure the organization maintains access to effective and reliable vendor support. Operating with a degree of independence, this position focuses on building productive partnerships, supporting business objectives, and contributing to the overall effectiveness of the vendor network.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
8+ years progressive management experience
Quality turnaround experience
Excellent negotiation, influence and stakeholder management skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and teamwork skills
Self-motivated; self-starter
Ability to manage multiple tasks, respond quickly to emergent problems, and focus both on long-range projects and immediate tasks
Solid project management skills
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Manage key vendor relationships across an assigned portfolio of external service providers.
Develop and support vendor engagement strategies that align with business objectives and service needs.
Build and maintain productive partnerships with vendors that provide specialized services to the organization.
Assess vendor capabilities and ensure alignment with evolving business objectives.
Maintain effective relationships with vendor contacts and internal stakeholders.
Serve as a point of contact for vendor-related discussions, planning, and relationship management.
Monitor the overall health, capacity, and effectiveness of the vendor network.
Identify vendor-related risks, service gaps, and opportunities to strengthen support for business operations.
Collaborate with internal teams and business leaders to support operational and strategic initiatives.
Participate in customer-facing discussions when vendor input or subject matter expertise is needed.
Influence vendor priorities and resource planning to support organizational objectives.
Develop strategies to expand and strengthen access to specialized vendor capabilities across key markets.
Support enterprise planning related to vendor network development and scalability.
Help strengthen the organization’s vendor partnerships through effective relationship management and market awareness.
Evaluate strategic vendor risks, including concentration, service continuity, regulatory considerations, and market changes.
Partner with internal stakeholders to support vendor governance activities.
Ensure vendor relationships support business continuity and enterprise risk management objectives.
Perform other duties as assigned.