Vendor Relations Manager

ROLE SUMMARY

As a Vendor Relations Manager, you will use your personal communication skills and analytical and organizational talents to become a key contributor to our client.

Your goal is to have a deep and robust system to price products, evaluate vendors, and ensure the vendors are the best of breed based on analytics.

SCHEDULE: 9 AM – 6 PM Pacific Daylight Time (12 AM – 9 AM Philippine Local Time), follows Philippine holidays

POSITION TYPE: Full Time

WORK ARRANGEMENT: Remote

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

·       Develop a reservoir of vendors for each of our client’s core products

·       Scour ASI, Thomas Guide, and general internet searches to get the best vendors on the market

·       Ensure all niches of our client’s core products have a primary and backup vendor

·       Look for vendors for our client’s second-tier products to improve any facet of the company’s needs

·       Develop a system to rate and choose vendors for consistency and to ensure the client is choosing vendors with the best fit with their values

·       Develop a system to track and monitor competitors so that the sales team can better determine bids based on the competition

·       Act as the primary liaison to develop relationships and ensure proper setup of new vendors and all paperwork handled on a timely basis for new and old vendors

·       Develop a process for yearly reviews with vendors to ensure best practices on both sides to fully take advantage of any automation or time-saving technologies

·       Ensure vendors do their best to promote the company (brochures, labeling, etc.) on all shipments

·       Schedule training between primary vendors and the sales team to ensure they have the best tools and insights available for each product.  This training should translate into sales sheets coordinated with graphic artists

QUALIFICATIONS

·       High school graduate

·       10+ years of applicable experience with a high level of achievement

·       Basic print industry and hospitality background desired, but not required

·       Database management experience will get extra consideration but isn’t required

·       Proficiency with, or ability to quickly learn Box Storage, Airtable relational database, and Google Mail, as well as the ability to learn other platforms

·       Self-motivated and possesses time and pipeline management skills; able to focus on a few vendors at a time

·       Detail-oriented and can fully understand cost drivers for each product

·       Proven ability to work independently and in a team environment

·       Ability to understand the cost drivers of a complex product offering

·       Enjoys speaking to people/vendors to develop relationships, not just collect data

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

·       Enthusiastic with an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to take the initiative rather than being told what to do

·       Ability and comfort in making decisions impacting the company, framing conversations strategically, and solving problems

·       Ability to act with limited supervision and with accuracy

·       Comfortable with extracting concessions from vendors