Manager, Vendor Management

The Manager, Vendor Management - Property Operations oversees vendor management activities that support property operations across the organization. This role provides day-to-day oversight for vendor selection, qualification, onboarding, contract coordination, compliance monitoring, purchase order alignment, reporting, and process improvement. The Manager partners with Property Management and cross-functional departments to strengthen vendor practices, reduce operational and compliance risk, improve vendor performance, and support consistent service delivery across the property portfolio. This position reports to the department Director and may oversee assigned Vendor Management staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manages vendor management processes for Property Management, including vendor selection, qualification, contracting, onboarding, monitoring, renewal, and offboarding.
• Provides operational guidance to Property Management teams on vendor needs, appropriate vendor use, onboarding requirements, documentation standards, and escalation pathways.
• Develops and maintains approved and preferred vendor resources based on service category, property needs, qualifications, performance, availability, and geographic coverage.
• Oversees vendor onboarding, setup, and change tracking, including documentation, request status, aging, approvals, delays, and completion.
• Manages vendor due diligence and risk review processes, including insurance, licensing, business information, certifications, service capabilities, and other required documentation.
• Evaluates vendor risk based on scope of work, service type, location, contract value, operational exposure, and applicable compliance or funding requirements.
• Coordinates review of vendor scopes that may involve prevailing wage or labor compliance considerations in partnership with internal subject matter experts.
• Partners with Risk Management and other stakeholders to address insurance requirements, vendor risk considerations, exception requests, documentation, approvals, and remediation.
• Coordinates vendor contracts, master service agreements, work orders, renewals, amendments, and related service documentation in partnership with Legal and other stakeholders. Partners with Property Management, Accounts Payable, Finance, Vendor Management, and other stakeholders to support consistent purchasing and purchase order practices.
• Identifies process barriers that prevent the use of qualified vendors or completion of purchase order processes and recommends practical solutions.
• Monitors vendor performance, service quality, responsiveness, compliance, contract obligations, corrective actions, and escalations.
• Serves as a business process owner or key program resource for vendor management systems, including Yardi, VendorCafe, VendorShield, Service Contract Manager, NetVendor, Smartsheet, and other Company platforms.
• Develops and maintains dashboards, trackers, reports, and performance measures related to onboarding, compliance, contracts, insurance, due diligence, vendor performance, purchasing activity, and program operations.
• Develops and facilitates training, reference guides, procedures, communication materials, workgroups, office hours, and other resources related to vendor management processes and systems.
• Oversee assigned Vendor Management staff, including workload coordination, coaching, training, priorities, service standards, and escalation guidance.
• Promotes accountability, consistency, timely communication, sound judgment, and continuous improvement across vendor management activities.
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises professionalism, diplomacy, and discretion when handling vendor, contract, financial, operational, employee, and Company information.
• Performs other duties and supports special projects as assigned.
• Attends Company-sponsored events related to team and professional development, which may occasionally include overnight travel away from the employee's home.
• Knowledge of affordable housing, residential Property Management, facilities maintenance, construction, rehabilitation, capital improvement operations, or funded project compliance.
• Experience supporting vendor insurance reviews, exception processes, contract standardization, regulatory compliance, or third-party due diligence programs.
• Experience leading cross-functional process improvement, technology implementation, change management, dashboards, reporting, or data quality controls.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong knowledge of vendor management, onboarding, contract administration, due diligence, insurance compliance, and third-party risk management principles.
• Ability to exercise manager-level judgment in identifying operational, financial, contractual, compliance, and reputational risks and coordinating remediation, resolution, or escalation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, project management, communication, facilitation, and training skills.
• Ability to lead process improvement, clarify roles and handoff points, establish practical procedures, and promote adoption across departments.
• Ability to build effective working relationships, resolve concerns, influence outcomes, and provide staff direction when assigned supervisory or leadership responsibilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, support operational decision-making, and communicate clearly with leadership, internal teams, and external vendors.
• Ability to handle sensitive or confidential vendor and Company information with professionalism and discretion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Forms, Planner, Teams, and Smartsheet, or comparable business applications.
• Knowledge of Yardi, NetVendor, VendorCafe, VendorShield, Service Contract Manager, Power BI, or similar enterprise, vendor management, compliance, contract, or reporting systems is preferred

PREFERRED OR ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience managing complex vendor processes or cross-functional operational initiatives is preferred.
• Supervisory, team leadership, project leadership, or program management experience is preferred.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Property Management, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Construction Management, or a related field is preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Operate computer and office equipment.
• Work is primarily sedentary in nature.
• Ability to attend meetings, training sessions, Company events, and occasional off-site activities as required.