Sr. Lead, Vendor Management

Overview

The Vendor Manager will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of supplemental vendor relationships, ensuring the delivery of high-quality services that meet business needs while maintaining compliance with contracts and performance standards. While this position is an individual contributor, this position requires a strong ability to manage vendor partnerships, execute contracts, and communicate effectively with internal stakeholders. The Vendor Manager will play a key role in enabling the successful implementation, enhancement, and ongoing management of vendor solutions and services within Support Now. This role will lead vendor oversight efforts to ensure the provided solutions and services improve operational efficiency and enhance the experience for employees, restaurants, and customers. The Vendor Manager will work cross-functionally with Legal, Procurement, DTT, Product, etc. to ensure smooth adoption, continuous improvement, and optimal performance of services and solutions.

 

Our Flexible Future model offers a healthy mix of working in person and virtually, strengthening key elements of the Chick-fil-A culture by fostering collaboration and community.

 

Responsibilities

• Vendor Relationship Management: Establish and maintain positive relationships with key supplemental vendors. Serve as the primary point of contact for all vendor-related issues.
• Contract Management: Oversee vendor contracts, including terms, performance agreements, and renewals. Ensure compliance with all contractual obligations and deadlines.
• Performance Monitoring: Track vendor performance metrics, service level agreements (SLAs), and other key performance indicators (KPIs). Implement corrective actions when performance falls below expectations.
• Negotiation and Cost Management: Negotiate terms, pricing, and contracts to ensure the best value for the company alongside legal and procurement teams. Identify opportunities for cost reduction while maintaining service quality.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks related to vendor performance and work to mitigate them. Ensure adherence to legal and compliance standards.
• Internal Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with internal departments (e.g., Legal and Procurement) to ensure alignment in vendor management strategies and performance goals.
• Reporting and Analysis: Generate regular reports on vendor performance and contract compliance. Present findings to leadership and recommend improvements.
• Collaboration with Product Teams and DTT: Work closely with product teams to ensure vendor solutions meet business or product requirements, tailoring vendor services as needed to align with internal needs.
• Vendor Solution Customization: Communicate internal stakeholder requirements to vendors and ensure solutions are appropriately customized or configured to meet specific business needs.
• Integration Management: Coordinate with product teams to facilitate the seamless integration of vendor solutions with existing company systems and processes. Ensure alignment between vendor technical teams and internal product teams on integration specifications, timelines, and testing procedures.
• Product Enhancements: Collaborate with product teams to implement new vendor-provided features and functionalities. Assist in prioritizing the roadmap for new capabilities, ensuring smooth integration without disrupting existing product or service delivery.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement best practices to improve vendor management processes and efficiencies across the sub-department.
• Onboarding and Training: Oversee the onboarding of new vendors, including partnering with the internal training team to build and supply vendor training on company policies and processes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Information Systems, or a related field
• 4+ years of experience
• Proven experience leading the implementation and enhancement of services or solutions in a Contact Center or similar environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage vendor relationships, enforce contractual SLAs, and drive system performance improvements.
• Strong project management and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders across operations, IT, and vendor teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for data-driven decision-making.
• Adaptability to work in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience
• Experience in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry or other high-volume, customer-facing environments.
• Familiarity with Contact Center technology ecosystems and experience working with enterprise contact center solutions.
• Certification in Project Management

Minimum Years of Experience

4

Travel Requirements

15%

Required Level of Education

Bachelor's Degree

Major/Concentration

Business Administration, Operations Management, Information Systems, or a related field