Sr Manager, Vendor Management

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to large, Fortune 100 enterprises with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential.Last year, more than $3.8 billion of work was done through Upwork by skilled professionals who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers.

The Senior Manager of Vendor Management will lead our strategic vendor relationships and optimize contract management processes. This role involves overseeing contract lifecycles, managing vendor teams, and fostering strong relationships with key service providers. The ideal candidate will excel in contract and cost management, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives within our Vendor Management Office (VMO). As a vital member of our team, the Senior Manager of Vendor Management will have the opportunity to drive impactful decision-making, streamline operations, and contribute to the organization's overall success.

Responsibilities:

• Contract Management: Overseeing contract lifecycle management, including tracking, renewals, partnering with strategic sourcing to ensure negotiations achieve business objectives and maximize value, as well as legal execution.

• Relationship Management: Coordinating service provider relationships and serving as a liaison between vendors and internal stakeholders, fostering strong relationships and ensuring alignment between vendors and the organization.

• Strategic Sourcing: Supporting the strategic sourcing process and collaborating with this team; as they initiate RFPs for high-value vendors, drive optimal vendor selection and sourcing strategies.

• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Providing executive updates and recommend enhancements within the Vendor Management Office (VMO), reporting key metrics, and driving continuous improvement initiatives to optimize vendor management processes.

• Additional Responsibilities: Handling diverse tasks to ensure effective vendor management across various business units and projects. Initiating and tracking purchase requisitions, administering contract execution, managing Jira ticketing for vendor reviews, guiding business review processes, and tracking vendors in proof of concept (POC). Overall, these key responsibilities encompass a broad range of duties, reflecting strategic oversight, leadership, and operational execution capabilities within the organization's vendor management framework.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• 10+ years experience leading in vendor management, preferably in the two-sided marketplace/ payments/fintech space and/or for Customer Experience or Trust and Safety teams.

• Experience building and executing against new and often innovative strategies that directly connect key initiatives to measurable business outcomes.

• Progressive people management, with a proven track record of building and developing high-performing teams.

• Experience with cross-functional relationship building and partnership, and with establishing a customer-centric vision that is widely adopted.

• Exceptional communication skills: You are well versed in collaborating with peers, customers, executives, and tailoring your message accordingly. You can take various input and ideas and distill them to a cohesive and measurable strategic and data-influenced message.

• The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship: you are not afraid to take risks, think big, and never settle.

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape talent solutions for how the world works today. We are a remote-first organization working together to create exciting remote work opportunities for a global community of professionals. While we have physical offices in San Francisco and Chicago, currently we also hire full-time employees in 19 states in the United States.

At the core of our vibrant culture are shared values that form the foundation of our organization. These values revolve around trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence. Our overarching mission is to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster an environment where individuals are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work, nurturing personal and professional growth through development opportunities, mentorship programs, and participation in Upwork Belonging Communities.

We take pride in providing exceptional benefits to our employees. These include comprehensive medical insurance coverage for both you and your family, unlimited paid time off, a 401(k) plan with matching contributions, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. To explore these benefits in detail, as well as gain insights into our company values, working principles, and the overall employee experience, we invite you to visit our Life at Upwork page.

Check out our Careers page to learn more about the employee experience.

Upwork is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we never discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.