Vendor Specialist

Vendor Specialist

The Vendor Specialist plays a crucial role in managing the relationships between Salute, the customer, and its suppliers. This role is responsible for maintaining the established vendor management program under the direction of the Director of Vendor Management, with a dotted line to the Data Center Critical Facilities Manager of Engineering. The scope of the vendor management program covers the complete lifecycle of contractor relationships including vendor identification, assessment, onboarding, KPI tracking, Finance coordination, contract renewals, and offboarding.

• Ensure contract requests align with company guidelines, track with operations department needs, and maintain good financial judgement.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive database of vendor information, including contact details, services offered, and performance records.
• Track and report on purchase orders and vendor invoicing activity as part of vendor management processes.
• Carefully coordinate with Finance on prebilling confirmation or related inquiries where applicable.
• Evaluate requests for vendor relationships from internal stakeholders, guide them through the standard framework for vendor onboarding, and provide comparative analysis to support a well-informed contract awarding process without bias.
• Coordinate with Compliance and Legal on requested changes to standard contract language, ensuring documentation and version control are maintained.
• Maintain an agreed upon cadence with the Account Coordinator/Finance Team to review and align payable and receivables with active vendor contracts, ensuring tracking and communication between Vendor Management and Finance.
• Aid site team with budgeting and forecasting activities by providing current data via trackers and historical documents.
• Be the central resource for the site team on contract procedures, concepts, policies, and changes to the same as it relates to vendor management.
• Collaborate with vendor management leadership to execute, renew, and terminate vendor contracts as needed by internal stakeholders in accordance with internal policies.
• Complete administrative tasks including, but not limited to, financial metrics, reporting, reconciliations, audits, and regulatory compliance.
• Facilitate communication between vendors and internal departments to address and resolve any issues or concerns.

Competencies

• Excellent communication skills (verbal/written)
• Organization
• Strong customer service

Qualifications

• Required Education and Experience:
  • Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, legal studies, finance, or a related area of study
  • A minimum of four years of related work experience, preferably including property management, supply chain management, accounting, or vendor management
• Preferred Education and Experience:
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including MS Excel, Outlook, (etc.)
  • Familiarity with strategic sourcing processes
  • Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM™) certification
• Additional Eligibility Qualifications:
  • Must be willing to submit to a full criminal background check, results of which may or may not bar employment, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

Site Location

We operate a 24-hour facility where work hours (shifts) are assigned as needed to ensure job functions are performed satisfactorily, compliance is maintained, and the company operates efficiently. Certain positions, as specified in your offer letter, may require working irregular hours, such as nights, weekends, overtime, alternating shifts, and under various conditions, including outdoor work during extreme weather or in hazardous environments.

Compensation & Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $55,000-$68,000/year. This range reflects a good-faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to pay upon hire, based on factors such as skills, experience, education, and market/location. Our comprehensive benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, Health Savings Account (HSA), gym discount, mental health, Discounted Group Life & AD&D, Discounted Group Short & Long-term Disability, 401(k) retirement matching, PTO/paid holidays, and parental leave. Final compensation will be determined by job-related factors consistent with applicable law.