Director – Vendor Management

Who You Are

As a dynamic and experienced leader you will serve as the Director of Vendor Management and lead the development, implementation, and ongoing management of a comprehensive end-to-end vendor management and procurement lifecycle program. This critical role demands a hands-on, results-oriented leader who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves to drive initiatives forward, particularly in establishing efficient processes and achieving cost savings in the immediate term, while simultaneously partnering with stakeholders to build a holistic vendor risk management framework. 

The Director will be responsible for establishing the strategic direction, framework, policies, and processes spanning the entire vendor relationship, from initial identification and sourcing through contract negotiation, procurement, onboarding, performance management, risk oversight, and eventual offboarding. This individual will be both a strategic thinker and a pragmatic executor, comfortable leading the development of the program and personally driving its initial implementation to achieve tangible process improvements and cost efficiencies. The Director will collaborate cross-functionally with various departments to establish and maintain consistent and effective vendor management practices, ultimately contributing to the operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall success of the organization.

Your Success Profile

What You Will Work On

• Strategic Leadership and Program Vision (Individual Focus): Define and champion the overarching strategy and roadmap for the company's end-to-end vendor management and procurement lifecycle program, with an initial focus on identifying and implementing immediate opportunities for process optimization and cost reduction, while integrating risk management considerations.
• Lifecycle Framework Development and Implementation (Hands-on Execution): Personally establish and implement a comprehensive framework, policies, and processes spanning vendor identification, sourcing, due diligence, contract negotiation, onboarding, performance management, risk assessment, compliance, and offboarding, with a focus on building efficient and cost-effective workflows.
• Vendor Relationship and Performance Management (Direct Engagement): Cultivate and directly manage key strategic vendor relationships, define and monitor service levels and performance indicators (that align with the vendor promises and our customer expectations), troubleshoot issues affecting product delivery, with an eye toward cost optimization, drive continuous improvement, and personally resolve critical vendor issues.
• Integrated Risk Management and Compliance (Building the Foundation): Partner with risk management stakeholders (cyber, privacy, business continuity, legal, finance, audit)  to embed risk assessment and mitigation strategies throughout the vendor lifecycle, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and internal policies, and proactively addressing potential risks while establishing the foundational elements of the risk management program.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Stakeholder Management (Individual Influence): Partner effectively with stakeholders to ensure program alignment and provide guidance and training to internal stakeholders, leveraging personal influence to drive adoption and collaboration.
• Technology and Process Optimization (Hands-on Evaluation and Implementation): Personally evaluate, recommend, and implement technology solutions and process improvements to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the vendor management and procurement lifecycle, with a focus on achieving tangible results.
• Reporting, Analytics, and Continuous Improvement (Individual Contribution): Develop and present key performance indicators and reports to leadership, utilizing data to drive insights for process and cost improvements, and continuously improve the program's effectiveness and value as the sole owner initially.

How You Will Do Your Work

As a Director, Vendor Management, how results are achieved is paramount for your success and ultimately result in our success as an organization. In this role, your foundational knowledge, skills, abilities and personal attributes are anchored in the following:

• Detail-oriented - exercises extreme attention to detail; is thorough, accurate, organized, and productive and seeks to understand both the cause and effect of a situation.
• Analytical - uses a logical reasoning process to break down and work through a situation or problem to arrive at an outcome.
• Good judgement - the exercise of critical thinking, analyzing and assessing problems and implications, identifying patterns, making connections of underlying issues, understanding risks and developing mitigation strategies, and taking ownership of the outcome.
• Organizational awareness - maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organizational dynamics.
• Business insight - applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals.

In addition, all Justworkers focus on aligning their behaviors to our core values known as COGIS. It stands for:

• Camaraderie - Day to day you can be seen working together toward a higher purpose. You like to have fun. You’re an active listener, treat people respectfully, and have a strong desire to know and help others.
• Openness - Your default is to be open. You're willing to share information, understand other perspectives, and consider new possibilities. You’re curious, ask open questions, and are receptive to thoughts and feedback from others.
• Grit - You demonstrate grit by having the courage to commit and persevere. You’re committed, earnest, and dive in to get the job done well with a positive attitude.
• Integrity - Simply put, do what you say and say what you'll do. You’re honest and forthright, have a strong moral compass, and strive to match your words with your actions while leading by example. 
• Simplicity - Be like Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Finance, Risk Management, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10-12 years of progressive experience across the end-to-end vendor management and procurement lifecycle, including sourcing, contract negotiation, performance management, and risk management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing comprehensive vendor management programs, including working in a fast-growing SaaS and international environment. 
• Solid experience in working with security, privacy, operations, and governance teams to manage vendor risks leveraging integrated risk management principles and methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and developing strategic partnerships with internal business stakeholders to align vendor strategies with organizational objectives.
• A hands-on approach with a proven ability to build programs from the ground up, including preparing policies, defining processes (including for selection, onboarding and evaluation), establishing frameworks, and driving implementation.
• Strong understanding of procurement best practices, contract law, and relevant regulations and compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2).
• Excellent negotiation, contract management, and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret data for strategic decision-making and program improvement.
• Experience in evaluating and selecting vendor management and procurement software and tools, with a solid understanding of their capabilities and integration potential.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong leadership and team management abilities, with experience in building and mentoring teams (as the program evolves).

The base wage range for this position based in our New York City Office is targeted at $198,000.00 - $237,600.00 per year.

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