Procurement Career Paths

Job Title: Supplier-Relationship Manager

Location: [Insert location]

Reports to: [Insert name and title of supervisor]

The role of a supplier relationship manager is to establish and nurture positive relationships with vendors, negotiate contracts, and ensure timely deliveries. They play a crucial role in reducing costs and improving the efficiency of the supply chain, ultimately affecting the organization’s financial performance.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Establish and maintain relationships with multiple suppliers on behalf of the organization.
• Research and identify suitable suppliers to meet new business requirements or streamline costs.
• Evaluate suppliers’ performance and profitability, making recommendations to executives and management.
• Represent the organization’s business operations and administrative affairs both internally and externally.
• Foster an environment that attracts, retains, and develops high-caliber staff.
• Modernize administrative processes, systems, and infrastructure at the University to improve efficiency.
• Provide timely, accurate, and valuable information to support decision-making.
• Develop a comprehensive and balanced approach to University-wide risk management.
• Improve satisfaction with administrative services among faculty, staff, students, and other clients.
• Communicate campaign strategy and segmentation to key stakeholders to ensure team readiness and consistent messaging.
• Collaborate with the Creative Services team to create effective customer communications across multiple channels.
• Collaborate with the Sourcing and Quality functions to monitor supplier performance in delivery, quality, and cost.
• Establish cross-functional relationships to understand the company’s technology needs and new product requirements.

KPIs for this role

• Return on Investment (ROI): The objective of any supplier relationship is to increase revenue or cut costs, making it essential to measure this impact.
• Risk Evaluation: Various risks are linked to collaborating with third-party suppliers, and a Supplier Relationship Manager should be familiar with them.
• Cycle Time for Setting Up New Vendors: The average time taken to approve and include a supplier in the company’s vendor management or procurement system.
• Compliance Rate: It quantifies the percentage of supplier adherence to contract terms and specifications.
• Supplier Dependency Ratio: It monitors the ratio of suppliers to gauge the dependence on specific suppliers.

Key Skills and Qualifications: 

• A bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain management, or a related area is often required.
• Several years of relevant work experience are typically required for supplier relationship manager positions. Experience in procurement, supply chain management, or logistics is preferred.
• Supplier relationship managers need to develop strong negotiation, communication, analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Getting a professional certification in supply chain management or procurement can demonstrate expertise and dedication to the field.

• Establish and maintain relationships with multiple suppliers on behalf of the organization.
• Research and identify suitable suppliers to meet new business requirements or streamline costs.
• Evaluate suppliers’ performance and profitability, making recommendations to executives and management.
• Represent the organization’s business operations and administrative affairs both internally and externally.
• Foster an environment that attracts, retains, and develops high-caliber staff.
• Modernize administrative processes, systems, and infrastructure at the University to improve efficiency.
• Provide timely, accurate, and valuable information to support decision-making.
• Develop a comprehensive and balanced approach to University-wide risk management.
• Improve satisfaction with administrative services among faculty, staff, students, and other clients.
• Communicate campaign strategy and segmentation to key stakeholders to ensure team readiness and consistent messaging.
• Collaborate with the Creative Services team to create effective customer communications across multiple channels.
• Collaborate with the Sourcing and Quality functions to monitor supplier performance in delivery, quality, and cost.
• Establish cross-functional relationships to understand the company’s technology needs and new product requirements.

• Negotiation: Supplier relationship managers negotiate contracts and pricing agreements with suppliers.
• Communication: Supplier relationship managers use strong communication skills to manage relationships with suppliers.
• Analytical: Analytical skills are important for interpreting data related to supplier performance, pricing, and other supply chain factors.
• Project management: Supplier relationship managers handle multiple projects with varying timelines, deliverables, and stakeholders.
• Problem-solving: Supplier relationship managers need problem-solving skills to manage complex relationships with suppliers.

• Return on Investment (ROI): The objective of any supplier relationship is to increase revenue or cut costs, making it essential to measure this impact.
• Risk Evaluation: Various risks are linked to collaborating with third-party suppliers, and a Supplier Relationship Manager should be familiar with them.
• Cycle Time for Setting Up New Vendors: The average time taken to approve and include a supplier in the company’s vendor management or procurement system.
• Compliance Rate: It quantifies the percentage of supplier adherence to contract terms and specifications.
• Supplier Dependency Ratio: It monitors the ratio of suppliers to gauge the dependence on specific suppliers.