Vendor Manager at Safaricom Kenya

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the E-Commerce Lead, the Vendor Manager will facilitate and maintain relationships between the business and vendors/partners, negotiating contracts, creating standards for the vendors, and finding the best available vendors. The role will cultivate and manage tactical vendor engagement and relationships.

As a key member of the team, the Vendor Manager will be a passionate customer and category advocate within the business, possessing strong negotiation and analytical skills, together with proven commercial knowledge and experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Insights, Research and Analysis

• Act as the ‘new business developer’ for Consumer Electronics categories and brands, possessing a complete understanding (inclusive of the strategic context) of internal and external variables that impact the business. 
• Understand customer needs, both existing and potential, and use that knowledge to advocate for and drive delivery of site features that provide customers with an unparalleled shopping experience. 
• Determine business needs and desires by specifying the research needed to obtain market information.
• Forecast, analyze and reporting on the business in particular prospecting, conversion, and term negotiations. 
• Articulate business requirements, trends and opportunities and continuously monitor competitor/industry developments. 
• Conduct financial analysis of business opportunities to meet and exceed revenue and profitability targets.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and enhancements.

Vendor Oversight and Performance 

• Review intricate details of vendor contracts.
• Lead initial vendor contract negotiations, regular oversight, and enforcement of contractual obligations. 
• Maintain the balance of power and prevent unnecessary risks or costs to the business by ensuring vendors adhere strictly to the agreed terms. 
• Establish and monitor intricate performance metrics by considering factors like quality of goods/services, timeliness of delivery and cost-effectiveness.
• Ensure that the company receives optimal value for money and that vendors remain accountable for maintaining high standards. 
• Maximize the business and financial profitability through selection expansion opportunities.
• Proactively manage contractual risks and compliance issues.
• Manage and analyse large data sets to drive performance and process improvements. 

Relationship Building and Business Improvement 

• Search, vet, and nurture relationships with potential suppliers and ensures that the business has a broad spectrum of vendor options.
• Establish an expansive vendor network that will be a significant asset, especially during times of unexpected disruptions in the supply chain.
• Actively seek feedback from the business and vendors to craft and refine strategies to enhance the value derived from vendors.
• Primary point of contact for vendor on-boarding and ensure smooth transition to the category teams once on-boarded. 
• Re-negotiate terms, introduce new performance metrics, and change vendors if necessary. 
• Ensure vendor relationship remains dynamic, flexible, and consistently improving. 

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

Customer Obsession

• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.

Purpose

• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.

Innovation

• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures with curiosity and resilience; fearlessly recognizing lessons learned.
• Share your ongoing learning and personal purpose with others.
• Learn fast from digital adoption, using learnings to drive simplicity, scale and efficiency.

Collaboration

• Articulate your team’s role in making our strategy happen, prioritizing and aligning resources with current and future needs.
• Actively collaborate to break silos and hold your team accountable to do the same.
• Develop others to make the most of their talents and coach them to take ownership to get things done.
• Create an inclusive environment ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others.
• Live our Purpose and demonstrate the highest Standard of integrity.

Key performance indicators

• Adherence to set business OKRs and commitments.
• Driving achievement of Mission budget for solutions. 
• Growth and retention of agreed upon solutions. 
• Delivery of relevant target digitization projects/initiatives. 
• Optimization of vendor solutions and services.
• Delivery schedule of all vendor solutions based on their priority.
• Compliance with all relevant regulations and internal policies and procedures. KPIs could include regulatory compliance metrics, audit results, and risk management metrics.
• Agile Maturity rating, Employee Engagement (eNPS) and Productivity.

Direct Reports

• Vendor Operations Analyst
• Content Analyst

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least six (6) years’ knowledge and experience in vendor negotiations, pricing, promotion, inventory management, product development, financial analysis and P&L ownership. 
• Relevant Business or IT Undergraduate Degree or relevant field along with professional qualifications, or equivalent qualification(s) from a recognized institution of higher learning. 
• MBA or relevant Master’s degree is an added advantage. 
• Superior business understanding, with the ability to leverage technology to solve consumer, business and technical issues.
• Strong partnerships within the retail ecosystem.
• Strong stakeholder and strategic partners acquisition skills.
• Possess high professional and ethical standards. 
• Be a strategic thinker with an analytical mind.