Strategic Vendor Relations & Bid Lead

Rumpke Waste & Recycling; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental

Vision

401(k) matching

Life insurance

Paid vacation

Job summary

Rumpke Waste & Recycling is seeking a Vendor Relations & Bid Manager to lead a team responsible for supplier networks and pricing governance. You will recruit haulers, negotiate master rate agreements, and manage bid processes that influence margins and service quality across our waste operations.

You will build cost models, supervise compliance files, and deliver quarterly performance metrics while coordinating with executives on strategic pricing decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in business, supply chain, finance, or a related field.
• 6+ years across procurement, vendor management, pricing, bid/proposal management, or commercial analysis in a margin-driven business, including at least 2 years managing direct reports.
• Waste/recycling hauler relationships, 3PL carrier procurement, or field-services vendor networks preferred.
• Waste/recycling, logistics, or facilities-services pricing; municipal bid or RFP-heavy environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Vendor Relations & Bid team — hire, coach, and set accountability; ensure interlock between supply and pricing functions.
• Recruit and vet haulers, MRFs, processors, and recyclers into the network funnel with backup capacity.
• Negotiate master rate agreements, volume tiers, fuel-surcharge caps, and payment terms; run annual re-bids on top cost lines.
• Own vendor compliance files: insurance certificates, permits, licenses, W-9s, and safety records.
• Publish quarterly hauler scorecards on service reliability, billing accuracy, and partnership; manage cure plans.
• Resolve hauler service failures and billing disputes; recover credits and activate backups within 48 hours.
• Maintain Cost Intelligence Tracker: tip fees, fuel indices, commodity markets, regulatory changes.
• Score inbound RFPs within 48 hours; build costs from multiple hauler quotes; model margins.
• Price within margin floors; manage escalators and fuel/commodity indexing; document exceptions.
• Own the bid calendar with renewals at T-12; prepare for oral/best-and-final rounds; analyze margin outcomes.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Advanced Excel

Negotiation results

Contracts familiarity

Deadline-driven

People leadership

Executive briefings

Margin analysis

Market economics

Education

Bachelor’s in business/supply chain/finance

6+ years procurement/vendor pricing/bid analysis

2+ years managing direct reports

Waste/recycling hauler relationships preferred

Waste/logistics pricing background preferred

Tools

Excel

Job description

Rumpke Waste & Recycling is seeking a Vendor Relations & Bid Manager to lead a team responsible for supplier networks and pricing governance. You will recruit haulers, negotiate master rate agreements, and manage bid processes that influence margins and service quality across our waste operations.

You will build cost models, supervise compliance files, and deliver quarterly performance metrics while coordinating with executives on strategic pricing decisions.