Remote Vendor Relations Strategist

NTT DATA, Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending or health savings

Life and AD&D insurance

Short and long term disability

Paid time off

Employee assistance

401k with company match

Additional benefits

Job summary

NTT DATA is seeking a seasoned Vendor Relations Specialist to ensure client satisfaction by delivering services aligned to SLA and contracts. Remote role supporting U.S. clients, coordinating vendor quotes, and monitoring performance.

You will collaborate with finance, operations, and stakeholders to optimize pricing, reduce costs, and maintain compliance, while building strong vendor relationships.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years' experience in vendor management, procurement, sourcing, operations, professional services, logistics, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of quote management, vendor negotiations, rate structures, rebates, service level expectations, and supplier performance management.
• Ability to manage multiple vendor requests, escalations, and project priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong commercial judgment with the ability to balance cost, quality, delivery requirements, and risk.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to work effectively with vendors, internal stakeholders, finance teams, and leadership.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to create repeatable processes, reporting, and controls.
• Ability to analyze pricing, identify cost savings opportunities, and challenge vendors when pricing or performance does not meet expectations.
• Experience supporting RFPs, bids, client solutions, or labor based delivery models is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Source third party labor needs through NTT's approved vendor base, ensuring vendor selection aligns with procurement strategy, preferred partner agreements, rebate programs, and internal compliance requirements.
• Standardize and operationalize the quote request process to improve speed, consistency, accuracy, pricing discipline, and visibility across vendor engagements.
• Coordinate competitive quote requests from approved vendors and ensure responses are complete, timely, commercially sound, and aligned to project requirements.
• Support strategic sourcing outcomes by comparing vendor pricing, validating labor rates, challenging cost drivers, and ensuring sourcing decisions protect margin and maximize value.
• Maximize vendor pricing value, rebate opportunities, and contractual benefits by aligning quote activity with approved vendor programs, volume commitments, and preferred partner strategies.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to understand labor requirements, project scope, delivery timelines, client expectations, and risk factors before engaging vendors.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for vendor performance issues, including pricing concerns, delivery delays, quality gaps, responsiveness issues, missed commitments, and invoice discrepancies.
• Hold vendors accountable to agreed service levels, pricing, timelines, deliverables, and contract terms through regular follow up, performance tracking, and corrective action plans.
• Track and report vendor performance metrics, including quote turnaround time, pricing competitiveness, delivery performance, issue resolution, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Support RFPs, client bids, and project opportunities by coordinating timely and competitive vendor quotes that improve win probability and protect margin.
• Work with Finance and Operations to validate pricing, support rebate tracking, ensure accurate cost capture, and identify opportunities for cost reduction.
• Build strong working relationships with approved vendors while maintaining clear accountability, commercial discipline, and alignment with NTT's sourcing strategy.
• Identify process gaps, automation opportunities, and reporting improvements that increase visibility, reduce manual effort, and improve decision making.
• Ensure vendor engagements follow NTT policies, procurement controls, approval requirements, and contractual obligations.

Skills

Vendor management

Procurement

Negotiation

Contract compliance

Pricing analysis

RFPs

Project prioritization

Communication

Cost optimization

Vendor performance

Job description

NTT DATA is seeking a seasoned Vendor Relations Specialist to ensure client satisfaction by delivering services aligned to SLA and contracts. Remote role supporting U.S. clients, coordinating vendor quotes, and monitoring performance.

You will collaborate with finance, operations, and stakeholders to optimize pricing, reduce costs, and maintain compliance, while building strong vendor relationships.