Manager, Vendor Management & Compliance

Dedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.

WHO WE ARE

• We love books and all things beautiful
• We are Canada’s Cultural Department Store
• Books are our heart and our soul and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

• We exist to add joy to our customers’ lives each and every time they interact with us and our products
• Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
• We treat each other the way we’d treat a valued friend
• We inspire each other to do our best work
• We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
• We give back to the communities in which we operate

The Manager, Vendor Management & Compliance is accountable for streamlining the vendor management process for direct vendors, including onboarding, vendor compliance and tracking vendor performance. This role is an expert in negotiating optimal commercial terms with vendor partners and will lead improvement efforts with respect to the vendor onboarding experience. Furthermore, this role will drive vendor compliance & delivery performance by streamlining the compliance management system and introducing vendor scorecarding. The Manager works collaboratively with cross-functional teams, including General Merchandising, Print, Legal, Supply Chain and IT, to provide clear, consistent communication and direction to vendors in a high growth, fast-paced retail environment.  

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Compliance with contracting standards
• Speed of vendor onboarding (vendor registration approval within 24hrs)
• Annual compliance chargeback recoveries
• Improved vendor performance
• Key stakeholder satisfaction (Merchants/Buyers, Legal, Supply Chain)
• Vendor Support (enhanced process. timely & accurate recovery)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Functional

Vendor Onboarding & Merchant support:

• Partner with merchants and cross-functional teams to negotiate commercial terms to complete new vendor onboarding (VOB)
• Ensure timely review and approval of any variations in onboarding terms; provide recommendations and negotiate commercial terms directly with the vendor.
• Liaise with Legal and VP Procurement as needed
• Create and maintain relationships with vendors and internal merchant teams
• Provide coaching/feedback to key stakeholders related to negotiation strategy & execution
• Work closely with the Vendor Onboarding team to manage and maintain an efficient vendor onboarding workflow and issue resolution; ensure 24-hour SLA for vendor registration approval in queue on Indigo Vendor Hub (onboarding portal) and 24-hour response SLA for vendor setup inquiries
• Ensure the team maintains an active vendor database
• Manage 3rd party VOB Portal provider relationship; identify any required changes/improvements to the process/portal user experience
• Identify opportunities for vendor onboarding process improvement, make recommendations accordingly and drive respective initiatives; this includes internal processes, RASI refinement, and evaluation of external tools
• Deliver a seamless end-to-end vendor onboarding process

Vendor Compliance & Performance:

• Manage annual vendor compliance recoveries budget and ensure monthly net recoveries stay on track
• Work with the Vendor Compliance team and external compliance system partner to ensure compliance detection rules are updated and maintained; assess opportunities to add more detections as requested by the supply chain or the business.
• Ensure the team maintains a 24-hour response SLA for Vendor Compliance inquiries
• Ensure all Vendor Manuals are up to date (including French versions)
• Ensure Indigo Vendor Help portal (ZenDesk) is kept up-to-date at all times
• Develop Vendor Scorecards to track vendor performance; target to send out scorecards at minimum every quarter (if not monthly)
• Work with the vendor community to improve overall compliance and delivery performance
• Ensure the team is replying to all Vendor Compliance and Vendor Setup inquiries daily (as per the required SLA)
• Complete monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting on Key Performance Metrics (listed above) as required
   

Vendor Support:

• Ensure the Vendor Support team maintains timely and accurate calculation and submission of monthly/quarterly/annual Vendor Support billings.
• Evaluate current process and 3rd Party Rebate Management systems to introduce further automation.
• Ensure the team is maintaining a 24-hour response SLA for vendor inquiries regarding Vendor Support 

People

• Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions quickly and easily
• Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
• Help others see the impacts of their efforts & proactively engage other functions to get input
• Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback

Cultural

• Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
• Celebrate the diversity of thought and have an open mindset
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
• Embrace, champion, and influence change through your team and/or the organization

SCOPE

Reports to: Director, Vendor Relationship Management

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• General Merchandise
• Global Sourcing
• Legal
• Vendor Onboarding
• Supply Chain
• Finance

External:

• Vendors
• 3P solution providers

Work Experience / Education / Certifications

• Degree in business, economics, or related field
• Advanced degree or certification in law, negotiations or business considered an asset
• 5+ years’ experience in leading negotiations with vendors, suppliers, or other outside parties
• 5+ years’ experience working in procurement, sourcing, or in-house counsel

Competencies / Skills / Attributes`

• Team player that thrives in a collaborative environment
• Able to influence internal and external stakeholders
• Expert negotiator with demonstrated history of improving deal value
• Strong understanding of key legal and commercial contract terms
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels, both internal and external
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Leads by example and models a passion for the business as well as demonstrates a proactive and solution orientated style
• Highly analytical 
• Systems driven (always seeking latest technology, to continuously improve and automate processes where it make sense)

At Indigo, we are committed to our communities, our customers, and each other; together we can make a positive impact. We know that fostering diversity and inclusion brings out your full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We are driven to be an equitable employer, which highly values your diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that you, in all your uniqueness, belong at Indigo. We welcome all applicants and encourage applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, LGBTQ2+ and people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request to individuals who self-identify as having a disability or special need. Please contact Human Resources at [email protected] if you require an accommodation at any time during the recruitment process. 

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