Vendor Program Manager

Onsite Vendor Program Manager

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUNSTRONG MANAGEMENT
SunStrong Management is a leading independent asset management and servicing platform specializing in residential and commercial solar energy portfolios. SunStrong provides end-to-end services including operations and maintenance, customer billing and support, asset performance management, and investor reporting. The company partners with leading capital providers to optimize clean energy assets at scale, supporting the growth of distributed renewable energy while delivering reliable performance and exceptional customer experience


THE POSITION

The Onsite Vendor Program Manager is SunStrong Management’s embedded presence at our subservicer, serving as the day-to-day liaison between SunStrong’s internal departments and the vendor’s teams. This is a project and program management role: the Program Manager drives SunStrong initiatives forward onsite, tracks progress against milestones, coordinates visits and training, and ensures directives and changes are communicated, understood, and acted on in both directions. The ideal candidate understands the business reasons behind SunStrong’s plans, can critically review slide decks and reports to confirm they make sense, and can turn direction into clear, actionable work for the vendor’s teams. This role will require the Program Manager to be onsite in Sioux Falls, SD. Must be local to the area. 

RESPONSIBILITIES
 

• Serve as SunStrong’s onsite representative at the subservicer, acting as the day-to-day liaison between SunStrong departments and the vendor’s primary contact and leadership to push directives forward.
• Drive progress and tracking on SunStrong initiatives by maintaining project plans, milestones, owners, and due dates; following up proactively; and escalating risks and blockers to SunStrong leadership.
• Ensure process, policy, system, and priority changes are communicated accurately in both directions, confirm understanding and implementation, and maintain a log of changes, decisions, and open items.
• Coordinate onsite visits and training sessions, including scheduling, agendas, logistics, and materials, and track attendance and follow-up to confirm training is completed.
• Review slide decks, reports, and status updates from the vendor and internal teams to confirm they are accurate, consistent with the underlying data, and aligned with SunStrong’s objectives; flag gaps and inconsistencies.
• Share the context and reasoning behind SunStrong’s initiatives with vendor teams so their work stays aligned with the intended outcome.
• Observe vendor operations onsite, identify process gaps, training needs, and performance concerns, and report findings and recommendations to Servicing and Vendor Management leadership.
• Support vendor performance monitoring by gathering SLA, KPI, and deliverable information and partnering with SunStrong analysts on follow-up and corrective action plans.
• Lead or support recurring status meetings, capturing action items, owners, and next steps, and keep vendor contact lists, escalation paths, trackers, and meeting notes current.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree (Business, Finance, Project Management, or other applicable field); sufficient relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in project or program management, vendor management, or operations coordination, with a track record of driving initiatives to completion
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated experience engaging C-suite and senior executives; clear, concise communication is essential to a role built on translating direction and keeping multiple parties aligned
• Ability to critically review presentations, reports, and performance data and quickly judge whether they are accurate, complete, and make business sense
• Working knowledge of vendor relationships, SLAs, and KPIs, and how operational activity connects to business outcomes
• Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to build and maintain project trackers and status reports

Preferred Qualifications:
 

• Project management certification or formal training (e.g., PMP, CAPM, or similar)
• Experience in the solar industry
• Knowledge of Snowflake or SQL
• Salesforce experience

Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
 

• Self-directed and comfortable working independently onsite with limited day-to-day supervision
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills, with the diplomacy to build trust and influence without direct authority
• Detail-oriented, highly organized, and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to understand the “why” behind business initiatives and explain it clearly to others
• Sound judgment in knowing when to resolve an issue directly and when to escalate

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Onsite position at the subservicer’s facility; occasional travel to SunStrong’s Houston office may be required

• Ability to adhere to Compliance standards

• Projects and activities may dictate the need for working longer hours at times

Benefits
SunStrong Management offers a generous employee reward package that includes:

• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k)
• Competitive compensation

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are selected for a position, your employment will be contingent upon submission to and successful completion of a post-offer/pre-placement drug test (and medical examination if required by the role) as well as pre-placement verification of the information and qualifications provided during the selection process.


All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
We appreciate the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), and we are looking to hire real people.  If you use AI for any part of the job application process, we highly encourage that you review any AI generated content to ensure your personality and unique capabilities are highlighted. We reserve the right to disqualify candidates that we reasonably believe solely relied on AI generated content in the application process.
If you are selected for a position, your employment will be contingent upon submission to and successful completion of a post-offer/pre-placement drug test (and medical examination if required by the role) as well as pre-placement verification of the information and qualifications provided during the selection process.