Vendor Management Specialist Lead

About the role

The Vendor Management Specialist Lead oversees a team of vendor specialists and manages daily vendor communications for a mid-size manufacturing operation in South Seattle, WA. This role focuses on supporting 25–50 vendors, managing a shared email inbox, and ensuring customer orders align with internal manufacturing processes and schedules. The position starts as a 6‑month temporary assignment with the potential to convert to a permanent role, working a regular 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift. The Lead plays a key role in coordinating between customers, vendors, and production to ensure accurate order processing, timely updates, and strong customer service.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise a team of three vendor specialists, providing day-to-day guidance, coaching, and training.
• Manage a shared email inbox daily, ensuring timely and professional responses to vendor and customer inquiries.
• Support 25–50 vendors by serving as a primary point of contact and maintaining strong, service-oriented relationships.
• Review the MRP system to ensure customer order due dates align with required delivery dates and internal production schedules.
• Verify customer purchase orders against internal work orders to confirm that all process requirements are met and correctly flowed down.
• Provide continuous updates to customers on the status of their orders within the required four-hour response time.
• Communicate with customers to obtain any additional blueprints, drawings, or documentation needed for order processing.
• Coordinate closely with production teams to obtain estimated completion dates (ECDs) for orders and relay this information to customers and vendors.
• Prepare orders in ship-out or other designated areas as needed to support on-time delivery.
• Develop and maintain daily reports on order status and communicate key information to production and other stakeholders.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and management personnel on the production floor to resolve issues and ensure smooth order flow.
• Maintain a high level of customer service and professionalism in all interactions with internal and external partners.

Essential Skills

• Demonstrated experience in customer service, preferably in a call center, manufacturing, or vendor-facing environment.
• Experience in vendor management, including supporting multiple vendors and handling vendor-related issues.
• Strong email management skills, including managing a shared inbox and prioritizing high-volume communications.
• Ability to interpret and verify customer purchase orders against internal work orders and process requirements.
• Comfort working in an aerospace or manufacturing environment and interacting with production teams.
• Customer service–oriented mindset with strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to develop and maintain daily reports on orders and communicate effectively with production.
• High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) is required.
• Ability to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screen and background check, as required for the role.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Prior experience in a manufacturing or aerospace environment is highly beneficial.
• Experience leading, mentoring, or training team members in a customer service or vendor management setting.
• Familiarity with MRP systems and production scheduling processes.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple vendors and competing priorities.
• Comfort communicating with managers and staff on the production floor to resolve order-related issues.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Interest in growing with a company that is expanding its facilities and operations.

Work Environment

The role is based in a manufacturing environment in South Seattle, WA, with free on-site parking and operations expanding into a newly added second building. The standard work schedule is 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., providing a consistent daytime shift. The position requires regular interaction on the production floor, including direct communication with managers and production staff. The environment can be louder than a typical office, and team members may be required to wear steel-toe boots and other appropriate safety attire in designated areas. The setting is fast-paced and growth-oriented, offering exposure to manufacturing operations and opportunities to contribute to a company that is actively expanding.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $32.00 – $34.00/hr. Individual compensation offered within this range will depend on qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Schedule

Regular 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift, Monday–Friday.