Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vendor Relations Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Vendor Relations Coordinator is responsible for managing day-to-day relationships with external vendors to ensure consistent service delivery, contract compliance, and mutually beneficial partnerships. This role serves as a key point of contact between the organization and its suppliers, supporting procurement operations, resolving issues, and driving performance improvements across the vendor ecosystem.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Procurement Coordinator
Purchasing Assistant
Supply Chain Administrator

Advancement To:

Vendor Relations Manager
Strategic Sourcing Manager
Procurement Manager

Lateral Moves:

Contract Administrator
Supply Chain Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned vendors, maintaining strong working relationships and open lines of communication.
Coordinate onboarding activities for new vendors, including documentation, system setup, and compliance verification.
Monitor vendor performance against service level agreements (SLAs), contracts, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Resolve vendor-related issues such as delivery delays, quality concerns, pricing discrepancies, and billing disputes.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders to communicate vendor capabilities, limitations, and performance trends.
Support contract administration by tracking expiration dates, renewals, amendments, and required documentation.
Ensure vendor compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and risk management standards.
Coordinate regular vendor business reviews and performance meetings.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date vendor records within procurement and ERP systems.
Assist with request for proposal (RFP), request for quotation (RFQ), and vendor selection processes.
Analyze vendor spend, performance data, and market trends to support sourcing decisions.
Process vendor change requests, including pricing updates, scope changes, and contact information.
Partner with accounts payable to resolve invoice discrepancies and payment issues.
Support supplier diversity, sustainability, and ethical sourcing initiatives.
Communicate operational forecasts and demand changes to vendors to support capacity planning.
Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance, reduce costs, and streamline processes.
Coordinate corrective action plans with vendors to address performance gaps.
Support audits, compliance reviews, and internal controls related to vendor management.
Ensure confidentiality and proper handling of sensitive vendor and contract information.
Provide administrative and analytical support to procurement and supply chain leadership.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Knowledge of vendor management and procurement processes.
Experience with contracts, service level agreements, and supplier documentation.
Proficiency in ERP or procurement systems and Microsoft Office tools.
Ability to analyze vendor performance metrics and spend data.
Familiarity with sourcing processes such as RFPs and RFQs.
Understanding of compliance, risk management, and audit requirements.
Experience coordinating with accounts payable and finance teams.
Strong documentation and record-keeping skills.
Ability to interpret pricing structures and cost components.
Knowledge of supplier diversity and sustainability programs.

Soft Skills

Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
High attention to detail and organizational skills.
Problem-solving mindset with a customer-service orientation.
Ability to manage multiple vendors and priorities simultaneously.
Collaborative approach to working with cross-functional teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Supply Chain or Procurement Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in vendor management, procurement, or supply chain roles

Preferred:

Prior experience managing vendor relationships in a corporate or operational environment
Experience working with contracts, SLAs, and performance reporting