Lead, Vendor Management

Allshores; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Allshores is seeking an experienced Lead, Vendor Management to establish and lead our centralized vendor management function. This role will drive vendor governance, optimize costs, mitigate risk, and strengthen supplier performance across the enterprise.

Combining strategic leadership with hands-on execution, you will build scalable processes, foster strong stakeholder and vendor relationships, and deliver meaningful business outcomes that enhance operational efficiency and long-term value.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of vendor management and procurement experience
• Experience in financial services industry preferred
• Demonstrated ability to independently negotiate vendor contracts and review documents
• Experience building vendor management, procurement, or governance frameworks
• Familiarity with vendor risk management and regulatory requirements
• Strong stakeholder management and change management capabilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

Responsibilities

• Establish and implement an enterprise-wide vendor management framework, including policies and governance processes.
• Define vendor segmentation, onboarding standards, and due diligence requirements.
• Develop and maintain a centralized vendor registry and contract repository.
• Ensure consistent application of vendor management practices across all business units.
• Provide enterprise-wide visibility into vendor spend and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Support negotiation of enterprise-wide or high-value contracts to improve terms.
• Monitor off-contract spend, renewal cycles, and cost leakage.
• Ensure audit-ready documentation and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee due diligence processes including financial, operational, cyber, and data risk assessments.
• Define vendor performance frameworks, KPIs, and review processes for strategic vendors.
• Escalate critical vendor issues and manage underperformance.
• Lead business reviews with key vendors and maintain senior relationships.
• Support business units in vendor selection, RFPs, and contract negotiations.
• Balance governance with operational agility and define SLAs.
• Centralize vendor-related processes to reduce administrative burden.
• Escalate compliance concerns through leadership channels.
• Lead implementation of vendor management systems and tools.
• Develop dashboards and provide reports on spend, performance, risk, and optimization opportunities.
• Establish success metrics including cost savings and vendor count reduction.
• Drive continuous improvement of vendor management processes.

Skills

Experience in vendor management

Financial services industry

Negotiate contracts

Governance frameworks

Vendor risk management

Stakeholder management

Communication & presentation

Job description

Allshores is looking for an experienced and influential Lead, Vendor Management to establish and lead our centralized vendor management function. This role will be instrumental in driving vendor governance, optimizing costs, mitigating risk, and strengthening supplier performance across the enterprise.

Combining strategic leadership with hands-on execution, you will build scalable processes, foster strong stakeholder and vendor relationships, and deliver meaningful business outcomes that enhance operational efficiency and long-term value.

Primary Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

Enterprise Vendor Strategy & Governance

• Establish and implement an enterprise-wide vendor management framework, including policies, standards, and governance processes.
• Define vendor segmentation (tiering), onboarding standards, and due diligence requirements.
• Develop and maintain a centralized vendor registry and contract repository.
• Ensure consistent application of vendor management practices across all business units.

Spend Management & Cost Optimization

• Provide enterprise-wide visibility into vendor spend and identify opportunities for consolidation and cost savings.
• Support negotiation of enterprise-wide or high-value contracts to improve commercial terms.
• Monitor off-contract spend, renewal cycles, and cost leakage (e.g., auto-renewals, scope creep).

Vendor Risk & Compliance Management

• Ensure audit-ready documentation and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Oversee due diligence processes including financial, operational, cyber, and data risk assessments.

Vendor Performance & Relationship Management

• Define vendor performance frameworks, KPIs, and review processes for strategic vendors.
• Act as escalation point for critical vendor issues and underperformance.
• Lead formal business reviews with key vendors and maintain senior-level relationships.
• Support business units in managing vendor relationships and resolving commercial challenges.

Business Partnering & Operational Enablement

• Partner with business units to support vendor selection, RFP processes, and contract negotiations.
• Ensure a balance between governance and operational agility, including defined SLAs and fast-track processes.
• Position vendor management as a commercial enabler rather than a compliance gatekeeper.
• Reduce administrative burden on business units by centralizing vendor-related processes.
• Escalate significant compliance concerns, policy exceptions, or unresolved stakeholder issues through appropriate leadership channels.
• Lead selection and implementation of vendor management systems and tools.
• Develop reporting dashboards and provide regular recommendations regarding vendor spend, performance, risk, and optimization opportunities.
• Establish success metrics including cost savings, vendor count reduction, and compliance rates.
• Drive continuous improvement of vendor management processes and capabilities.

Skills & Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in vendor management and procurement
• Experience in financial services industry preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage vendor negotiations, contract reviews, and stakeholder relationships.
• Experience building vendor management, procurement, or governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with vendor risk management and regulatory requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management and change management capabilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.