Senior Vendor Account Manager

Senior Vendor Account Manager
The Senior Vendor Account Manager plays a key role in managing and optimising relationships with the organisation's vendor and partner network. Acting as a deputy to the Head of Department, the role ensures vendors deliver high-quality work, commercial agreements are well structured, and client funds are used effectively.

You will work closely with marketing, finance, procurement and external partners to ensure vendor engagements are commercially sound, operationally efficient and aligned with business priorities. Alongside managing your own portfolio of vendors, you will support the wider Vendor Account Management team and help strengthen processes, governance and performance tracking.

Responsibilities:
Vendor Management

• Manage a portfolio of vendors, partners and contractors.
• Build strong working relationships and act as the main point of contact between vendors and internal teams.
• Run regular vendor reviews to monitor performance and delivery.
• Lead vendor onboarding and ensure partners are set up effectively.

Commercial & Financial Oversight

• Monitor utilisation of client and departmental funds.
• Track vendor spend against budgets and support financial reporting.
• Help build costings, business cases and financial forecasts for vendor activity.
• Ensure vendor deliverables and costs are clearly defined in Statements of Work (SOWs).

Procurement & Agreements

• Work closely with procurement and finance teams to formalise vendor agreements.
• Support contract negotiations and commercial discussions with suppliers.
• Ensure agreements clearly define scope, deliverables, timelines and pricing.

Team & Department Support

• Act as a deputy to the Head of Department when required.
• Support the planning and delivery of Vendor Account Management team initiatives.
• Provide guidance and support to Vendor Account Managers.
• Contribute to the development of vendor strategy and resourcing plans.

Operational Excellence

• Help improve processes for managing vendors across the organisation.
• Ensure vendor engagement guidelines and procedures are followed.
• Support the development of reporting frameworks and performance tracking.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across marketing, finance and procurement.
• Facilitate communication between internal teams and external vendors.
• Provide regular updates on vendor performance, financial utilisation and project progress.

Experience Requirements

• Experience managing vendors, suppliers or agency partners.
• Strong financial awareness and experience managing budgets or vendor spend.
• Experience working with procurement and finance teams on contracts and agreements.
• Ability to manage commercial conversations and negotiations with vendors.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Success will be measured by:
• Strong vendor relationships and performance
• Effective management of vendor budgets and client funds
• Clear processes and governance for vendor engagement
• High-quality reporting and stakeholder communication

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in appropriate field of study or equivalent work experience
• 5+ years of marketing experience with agency background desirable
• Experience of accounting practices, spend forecasting, budget management and financial reporting.
• Strong MS Excel skills and capabilities.
• Proven understanding of commercials, marketing contracts, account management or other relevant experience
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the organization, including executive and C-level
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying strict attention to detail and adhering to deadlines
• Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation skills
• Excellent communications skills - both written and verbal
• Self-motivated and able to thrive in a results-driven environment
• Natural relationship builder with integrity, reliability and professionalism
• Ability to prioritize among competing tasks
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent time and project management skills. You're always looking to improve inefficient processes
• Leader mentality - lead a team of account managers building a positive, can do mentality.

Sphere Digital Recruitment currently have a variety of job opportunities across digital so feel free to get in touch with us to find out how we can help you. Please take a look at our website.

Sphere is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications regardless of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation, and any other protected status as required by applicable law.

If you require any adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process for any reason whatsoever, please let us know.