Client Vendor Relationship Manager

KP Law; Manchester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

KP Law is seeking an experienced Third-Party Client Operations Manager to shape how we work with external partners supporting client operations and our growth plans. You will operate across multiple functions, building scalable frameworks and practical processes for selecting, onboarding, governing and improving third-party partners.

You do not need experience in a law firm; candidates from professional services and regulated environments are welcome.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in third-party management, outsourcing, procurement or service management within regulated environments.
• Experience managing the full partner lifecycle from market assessment to onboarding, performance management and exit.
• Strong commercial judgement including pricing and business case evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Translate operational needs into clear partner requirements, service standards and commercial expectations.
• Research, assess and recommend prospective partners based on capability, cost, scalability, financial sustainability, cultural fit and risk.
• Coordinate due diligence and ensure contractual, regulatory, data, technology and operational requirements are met before go-live.
• Lead contracting, onboarding and transition activity from selection through to stable operation.
• Establish meaningful KPIs, management information, governance forums and escalation routes.
• Manage partner performance, cost, capacity, risk and service improvement throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Lead the response to underperformance and incidents, ensuring root-cause analysis and corrective action.
• Oversee renewals, renegotiations, re-tenders and exits while protecting client outcomes and service continuity.

Skills

Third-party management

Outsourcing

Procurement

Contract negotiation

Risk management

Job description

Build the partnerships that will help KP Law scale

KP Law is looking for an experienced Third-Party Client Operations Manager to help shape the way we work with external partners supporting our client operations and support the next phase of our growth.

This is not a traditional supplier-management role. Our external partners all have an individual purpose in relation to our claims. You will need to think strategically and be comfortable operating in uncertainty. You’ll build great relationships and demonstrate curiosity to enable you to get to the heart of every requirement to better define and deliver success. You will establish how KP Law selects, onboards, governs and improves its third-party partners, creating scalable frameworks and practical processes where a clear playbook may not yet exist.

You do not need experience in a law firm. We welcome candidates from professional services, financial services and other regulated environments, particularly those who have worked in high-growth SMEs or similarly fast-moving organisations.

The role

Working across Client Services, Legal, Risk and Compliance, Finance, Technology, Data Protection and Information Security, you will:

• Translate operational needs into clear partner requirements, service standards and commercial expectations.
• Research, assess and recommend prospective partners based on capability, cost, scalability, financial sustainability, cultural fit and risk.
• Coordinate due diligence and ensure contractual, regulatory, data, technology and operational requirements are met before go-live.
• Lead contracting, onboarding and transition activity from selection through to stable operation.
• Establish meaningful KPIs, management information, governance forums and escalation routes.
• Manage partner performance, cost, capacity, risk and service improvement throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Lead the response to underperformance and incidents, ensuring clear root-cause analysis and sustainable corrective action.
• Oversee renewals, renegotiations, re-tenders and exits while protecting client outcomes and service continuity.

What we are looking for

An ambitious and proactive Third-Party Client Operations Manager who understands how to turn an emerging requirement into a successful partnership. Someone who thrives on solving complex problems and working with ambiguity to define clear, scalable ways of working and service level agreements. You’ll be a confident communicator and collaborator with a results-driven mindset, strong organisational skills, and the ability to balance immediate priorities with long-term strategic goals.

You will also bring:

• Significant experience in third-party management, outsourcing, procurement, supplier management or service management within a regulated, professional-services or high-volume client-operations environment.
• Experience managing the full partner lifecycle, from market assessment and due diligence to onboarding, performance management, renewal and exit.
• Strong commercial judgement, including evaluating pricing, business cases, financial viability, risk and value for money.
• Practical experience of contracts, statements of work, service levels, KPIs, governance and commercial negotiation.
• A sound understanding of third-party risk, including data protection, information security, business continuity and regulatory compliance.
• Strong project-management skills and experience coordinating complex, cross-functional onboarding or transition programmes.
• Confidence using data, quality assurance and root-cause analysis to improve performance and client outcomes.
• The credibility to build trusted relationships while constructively challenging senior stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to skilfully navigate competing priorities and business demands.

Experience in business-process outsourcing, contact-centre operations, claims administration, client communications or case-management environments would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Our Values

At KP Law, we pride ourselves on being a values-led law firm. Our Values:

• Excellence in Everything
• Together We Achieve More
• There’s Always a Way
• We strive to offer a rounded benefits package, that employees value, no matter what stage of their career they are in. Current benefits include: