Director, Enterprise Vendor Management & COE

MetLife; Cary (NC); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Life insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

MetLife’s Global Business Solutions (GBS) team is hiring a Director of Vendor Management Center of Excellence to own enterprise vendor relationships and drive governance maturity. The role partners with Procurement, Legal, and Risk to shape standards, tools, and training across a global, matrixed organization.

The position emphasizes executive stakeholder management, complex relationships, and data-driven reporting to elevate vendor performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in Vendor Management, Procurement, Third Party Risk Management, Supplier Governance, Operations, or related disciplines.
• Experience managing complex strategic vendor relationships.
• Strong executive stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and governance activities.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to operate effectively within a global, matrixed environment.
• Ability to use AI to improve speed, quality, and efficiency across a broad range of day-to-day tasks.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the designated Vendor Manager for enterprise-wide partnerships.
• Develop and execute vendor relationship strategies, governance plans, and engagement models.
• Lead vendor business reviews, governance reviews, executive forums, and performance oversight.
• Drive accountability for contractual obligations, SLAs and outcomes.
• Coordinate resolution of significant vendor issues, escalations, and remediation efforts.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Legal, Compliance, and other stakeholders to address vendor opportunities and risks.
• Drive value realization through innovation, service improvements, and operational efficiency.
• Support continuity, renewal strategies, and exit readiness activities.
• Provide guidance and coaching to Vendor Managers, Engagement Managers, and regional leads.
• Support enterprise reporting, scorecards, dashboards, and KPIs.

Skills

Executive stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical decision making

Communication and presentation

AI in operations

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

MBA or advanced degree (preferred)

Tools

Vendor Management Center of Excellence tools

Job description

MetLife’s Global Business Solutions (GBS) team is hiring a Director of Vendor Management Center of Excellence to own enterprise vendor relationships and drive governance maturity. The role partners with Procurement, Legal, and Risk to shape standards, tools, and training across a global, matrixed organization.

The position emphasizes executive stakeholder management, complex relationships, and data-driven reporting to elevate vendor performance.