Vendor Manager Property Management

The Vendor Manager - Property Management (VM-PM) plays a critical role in our award-winning Property Management operations by making sure that all vendors are hired in accordance with Company standards and processes to provide the best value for our properties while managing risk. The VM-PM will be responsible for implementing the Vendor Management Program specifically for the Property Management department. This position reports to the Assistant Vice President of Vendor Management and Special Projects (AVP), works closely with others in the Vendor Management team, and may supervise a Vendor Management Specialist.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborates with Vendor Management team in documenting processes and training Property Management staff in appropriate steps to prepare scopes of work, identify potential vendors, verify any regulatory requirements or restrictions on vendor selection, obtain competitive bids, and select the preferred vendor for a project or service.
• Develops lists of preferred Property Management vendors and works with Property Management staff to determine when new vendors are required for a specific need or geography.
• Assists Property Management staff to identify, hire, monitor and maintain appropriate vendors to fill Property Management needs, including maintenance and capital expenses contractors.
• Develops groupings of properties for bulk contracting of services by preferred vendors and assists Property Management staff in developing appropriate scopes of work, obtaining proposals and negotiating price and terms.
• Implements CORE's risk management processes for vendors, including vendor qualification review and enforcement of insurance requirements.
• Coordinates with Vendor Management team and Risk Management to process insurance exception requests when necessary and document reasons for approval or denial.
• Ensures that the organization maintains appropriate and well-managed third-party vendor relationships for Property Management. Works with Property Management staff to ensure that they are monitoring vendor performance and holding vendors accountable for their actions pursuant to our contract and service agreements.
• Ensures thorough documentation that all vendor contracts are in line with our vendor management policy and are reviewed by each vendor's relationship manager/owner on a routine basis for continual compliance and satisfactory service.
• Serves as a point of escalation for Property Management vendor issues and disputes and drives those issues to resolution.
• Responsible for ensuring all vendor contracts and documents are received in a timely manner, uploaded in Yardi and archived appropriately.
• Implements the vendor set-up tracking system to monitor the status and timeliness of vendor set-ups or vendor changes and works with other functions within the company to ensure proper onboarding of vendors into our Yardi and Vendor Café systems.
• Collaborates with peers in Vendor Management team and others to design, prepare, and analyze reports for management based on the Vendor Café and Yardi Elevate platforms and other tracking systems.
• Participates in the negotiation of service level agreements, prepares contract documentation using pre-approved contract forms, works with the Legal department and peers in Vendor Management when necessary to initiate new contract forms or contract changes.
• Maintains tracking system and archives for Property Management vendor service contracts.
• Monitors compliance with negotiated agreements relating to Property Management operations.

• Responsible for optimizing vendor relationships through contract and relationship management and financial and quantitative analyses to effectively create mutually beneficial opportunities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Attends company-sponsored events that relate to the development of the team, which from time to time may include overnight stays at locations away from the employee's home.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to identify issues and work them to closure, including remediation and escalation where appropriate.
• Strong data analytical skills and understanding of MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and Smartsheet. Strong knowledge of Vendor Café and Yardi ERP system is a plus.
• Effective in response to shifting priorities and assignments and ability to meet deadlines and expectations. Effective in delivering messages across a wide spectrum of individuals at the company having varying degrees of technical understanding.
• Strong interpersonal skills to be able to establish relationships with internal partners to build consensus and deliver various types of messages to internal and external parties.
• A significant level of trust, credibility and diplomacy is required. In-depth conversations and explanations with customers, direct and indirect reports, and outside vendors can be of a sensitive and/or highly confidential nature. Communications may involve motivating, influencing, educating and/or advising others on matters of significance and may include subject matter experts as well as first level to middle managers.

EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

• Five years of similar or related experience, preferably in residential Property Management, including time spent in preparatory positions.
Minimum of a high school diploma or GED required. College degree or certification preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Operate computer and office equipment.
• Work is primarily sedentary in nature.

FLSA CODE

• Exempt