Manager, Vendor & Partnership Mgmt (Remote or Hybrid in MN)

Are you passionate about making a difference? Would you like to spend your working hours changing lives and building a better world? Do you want to help eliminate barriers to higher education for students in need? Consider joining the amazing team at Scholarship America, where we're hard at work creating brighter futures for students-and growing our impact so we can do even more. The Manager of Vendor and Partnership Management is responsible for overseeing the Product/IT division's relationships with external vendors and partners. This role ensures that all vendor engagements align with organizational strategy, project execution goals, budgets, and service standards. The manager will lead contract negotiations, performance monitoring, and risk management while serving as a liaison between internal stakeholders and external providers. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Vendor & Relationship Management Develop and maintain strategic relationships with vendors and partners. Coordinate communication and expectations across internal teams and vendor contacts. Support the contract negotiation process, including SLAs and statements of work. Mediate conflicts and foster shared accountability to reinforce partnership stability Establish ways of communicating with vendors that are collaborative and timely to ensure current and planned directions and expectations are known and delivered Contract & Procurement Oversight Manage the full contract lifecycle from RFP through execution and renewal. Evaluate proposals and negotiate terms that support financial and operational goals. Use strategic negotiation techniques to drive financial savings, flexibility, and performance guarantees while minimizing legal risk Performance & Risk Management Implement vendor performance frameworks including KPIs, SLAs, and business reviews. Conduct regular vendor assessments and audits to ensure compliance and mitigate risk. Oversee the vendor risk assessment process, including adherence to internal controls and industry standards. Cross-Functional Collaboration Align vendor capabilities with business needs by coordinating with teams across the organization. Facilitate governance and knowledge sharing to enhance vendor integration into operations. Operational Support Lead vendor onboarding and ensure timely, quality deliverables for key initiatives. Act with a sense of urgency, manage vendor contributions to mission-critical initiatives and programs, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and quality standards are met. Monitor resource utilization and identify areas for cost savings and process improvement. Strategic Sourcing Track industry trends and identify opportunities for new partnerships or sourcing models. Assess vendors for strategic alignment, scalability, and innovation potential. These essential and additional job functions are not to be construed as a complete statement of all duties performed.Employees will be required to perform other job-related marginal duties as assigned. REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, or related field or experience A minimum of 5 years of experience in vendor management, procurement, or partnership development with successful execution against organizational objectives and initiatives Proven experience negotiating contracts and managing vendor performance with internal and external priorities effectively accomplished Strong independent, professional communication, collaboration, and stakeholder communication and management skills including C-Suite level engagement Proficiency with contract lifecycle evaluation and execution Ability to assess vendor risk and ensure compliance with regulatory and internal standards Strategic thinker with the ability to identify partnership opportunities and drive innovation Analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make decisions Strong organization and project management capabilities to effectively manage multiple priorities n a dynamic environment Understanding of vendor risk and compliance requirements Up to 10% travel (potentially up to four trips annually) A passion for improving student outcomes and a commitment to serving marginalized students of need PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: Professional vendor management or supply chain management certifications (e.g. CPSM, CPP) Experience with procurement platforms (e.g., Coupa, SAP Ariba, Oracle) Familiarity with project/collaboration tools (e.g., Wrike, Jira, Microsoft Teams) Experience with reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) Self-starter with a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion when handling sensitive information Full Pay range: Exempt ($78,000 - $97,500 - $117,000) Application deadline: September 22nd, 2025 At Scholarship America, our team members are motivated by our core values: Student Impact, Teamwork, Inclusion and Curiosity. Our vision is to empower an America where those with the most need have the opportunity to thrive through equitable pathways to education and training, and we are seeking fantastic team members to make that happen. We know the best person for the job could be anywhere, and that's why this position can work remotely within the continental United States or in a hybrid manner from either our office in Bloomington or Saint Peter, MN. Our employees enjoy a team-based, flexible work schedule, allowing them to flex around our core hours of Monday-Friday from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Central Time. Scholarship America is committed to our team's work/life balance, and our strong learning and development culture supports knowledge growth and professional development for all employees across foundational and job-specific skills. This position is only open to candidates who reside in the United States during their employment. Applicants outside the U.S. will not be considered. Scholarship America offers employees a robust total rewards package, focused on supporting their health and well-being now and in the future. We offer comprehensive choices for the following: Insurance (medical, dental, vision, basic life) Disability (short-term & long-term) Flexible spending accounts (medical & dependent care) 403(b) retirement fund with a 3% company match In addition to schedule flexibility, we also provide paid time away from work (vacation, sick, personal, up to fifteen paid holidays annually), plus employee & dependent educational reimbursement programs which support our overall mission. Details on our company mission, vision, values and goals can be found at www.scholarshipamerica.org. We are an equal opportunity employer and believe in the power of a diverse workplace to better serve a broad range of student needs. All qualified candidates who meet the minimum requirements are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, parental or marital status. With $5 billion in distributions to students since 1958, Scholarship America is the leading administrator of private scholarships in the United States. EOE. Veterans/Disabled