Tops Vendor Management Consultant

Premera; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 153,000; Full time

Job summary

Premera is seeking a proactive Vendor Management Consultant III for its Technology and Operations team in Washington. The role focuses on leading vendor management, negotiating contracts, and developing relationships to reduce costs. Ideal candidates will have strong negotiation skills and experience in IT vendor management, contributing to transforming healthcare through collaboration and leadership.

Benefits

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

401K employer match

Tuition assistance for continuing education

Generous paid time off

Wellness incentives and resources

Qualifications

• Five years of IT experience supporting vendor relationships with contract negotiations.
• Demonstrated experience developing long-term vendor relationships and pricing strategy.
• Ability to effectively communicate through various skills.

Responsibilities

• Implement structure and governance for vendor communications and contract management.
• Lead development of Vendor Management Center of Excellence standards.
• Evaluate and analyze pricing for strategic vendors.

Skills

Negotiation

Analytical Problem Solving

Customer Focus

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information technology or business administration

Job description

Tops Vendor Management Consultant page is loaded

Tops Vendor Management Consultant

Apply locations Mountlake Terrace WA time type Full time posted on Posted Yesterday job requisition id R28033

Workforce Classification:

Hybrid

Join Our Team: Do Meaningful Work and Improve People’s Lives

Our purpose, to improve customers’ lives by making healthcare work better, is far from ordinary. And so are our employees. Working at Premera means you have the opportunity to drive real change by transforming healthcare.

To better serve our customers, we are fostering a culture that emphasizes employee growth, collaborative innovation, and inspired leadership. We are dedicated to creating an environment where employees can excel and where top talent is attracted, retained, and thrives. As a testament to these efforts, Premera has been recognized on the 2025 America's Dream Employers list. Newsweek honored Premera as one of America's Greatest Workplaces , America's Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion , and America's Greatest Workplaces For Mental Well-Being , Forbes ranked Premera among America’s Best Midsize Employers for the fourth time.

Learn how Premera supports our members, customers and the communities that we serve through our Healthsource blog: https://healthsource.premera.com/ .

About the role of TOPS Vendor Management Consultant III

The Technology and Operations (TOPS) Vendor Management Consultant III provides leadership and support to TOPS management teams for vendor management and contract negotiations. The TOPS Vendor Management Consultant is consulted on large contract negotiations, provides guidance and best practice knowledge to reduce contract costs, builds vendor management discipline and creates vendor relationships which benefit the TOPS division. The Vendor Management Consultant must be a proactive relationship builder, have a customer service mindset and be an effective partner with Senior TOPS Leaders. The ideal candidate is proactive with a bias for action and must be able to build and leverage internal and external relationships, consider the overall strategy, facilitate decisions and drive opportunities towards solutions.

What you’ll do:

• Implement structure, process, and governance as it relates to vendor communications, contract management, and on-going vendor relationships.
• Lead development and adoption for the Vendor Management Center of Excellence standards.
• Works with the stakeholders in the vendor management and contracts management process and associated lifecycle activities to meet Premera standards.
• Works with Senior TOPS leadership to assess level of risk for TOPS strategic vendors and identify suitable competitor replacement.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to analyze, develop and implement cutting edge pricing strategies to support new opportunities and programs.
• Evaluate and analyze pricing and company business needs from internal sources. Create strategic pricing models to represent budgeted amounts that are suitable enterprise wide.
• Educates personnel, in the creation of pricing, and the creation of guidelines of Vendor Management life cycle for TOPS.
• Provides direction and guidance to Vendor Management Analysts on vendor research needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Use a centralized system to track, assess, and manage vendor performance.
• Maintain systems for routine periodic data collection, reporting, and fulfilling audit and other requests.
• Facilitate strategic vendor performance and risk reviews and ensure mitigation plans are implemented.
• Manage governance structures and processes to maximize the value and operational success of new vendors.

What you’ll bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, business administration or related field of study, or four (4) years’ experience.
• Five (5) years of experience in the IT sector supporting vendor relationships with external parties including contract negotiations and contract management.

• Knowledge of the annual budgetary process as it relates to IT. (Preferred)
• Project management skills and experience. (Preferred)
• Experience in health care information systems. (Preferred)

• Demonstrated experience working with senior level executives to develop long-term vendor relationships, pricing strategy and ability to develop plans and execute.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute negotiation strategies for technology solutions.
• Proven advanced negotiation skills and analytical problem solving.
• Ability to effectively and professionally communicate through oral, written, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute negotiation strategies for technology solutions.
• Proven advanced negotiation skills and analytical problem solving.
• Soft Skill - Accountability. Track record of consistently driving projects to completion and taking accountability for work and results with demonstrated good judgment and strong decision-making skills.
• Consults with clients and teammates to identify all facets of an issue and generate a solution. Excellent conceptualization, analytical and logic skills Self-starter that can quickly assess situations and react or direct appropriately.
• Soft Skill - Customer Focus. Customer focused, with demonstrated experience and ability to identify and assess issues and escalate as appropriate. Extensive experience working in a customer focused environment. Demonstrated ability to assess root issues and provide excellent viable solutions for the business and to the customer.
• Demonstrates an understanding of far-reaching impacts or results of actions. Exercises good judgment and provides sound consultation to others.
• Ability and willingness to work effectively under stressful situations and/or time constraints.

Working Environment
Work is performed within a normal office environment with ambient temperatures

Physical Requirements
The following have been identified as essential physical requirements of this job and must be performed with or without an accommodation:

• This is primarily a sedentary role which requires the ability to exert up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
• This role requires the ability to use a keyboard and to communicate clearly and understandably in person and over the telephone.

#LI/RS

Premera total rewards

Our comprehensive total rewards package provides support, resources, and opportunities to help employees thrive and grow. Our total rewards are more than a collection of perks, they're a reflection of our commitment to your health and well-being. We offer a broad array of rewards including physical, financial, emotional, and community benefits, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage with low employee premiums.

• Voluntary benefit offerings, including pet insurance for paw parents.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Retirement programs, including a 401K employer match and, believe it or not, a pension plan that is vested after 3 years of service.

• Wellness incentives with a wide range of mental well-being resources for you and your dependents, including counseling services, stress management programs, and mindfulness programs, just to name a few.

• Generous paid time off to reenergize.

• Looking for continuing education? We have tuition assistance for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

• Employee recognition program to celebrate anniversaries, team accomplishments, and more.

For our hybrid employees, our on-campus model provides flexibility to create your own routine with access to on-site resources, networking opportunities, and team engagement.

• Commuter perks make your trip to work less impactful on the environment and your wallet.

• Free convenient on-site parking.

• Subsidized on-campus cafes make lunchtime connections with colleagues fun and affordable.

• Participate in engaging on-site activities such as health and wellness events, coffee connects, disaster preparedness fairs and more.

• Our complementary fitness & well-being center offers both in-person and virtual workouts and nutritional counseling.

• Need a brain break? Challenge someone to a game of shuffleboard or ping pong while on campus.

Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action:

Premera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Premera seeks to attract and retain the most qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

If you need an accommodation to apply online for positions at Premera, please contact Premera Human Resources via email at [e-mail] or via phone at 425-918-4785.

The pay for this role will vary based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, a candidate’s geographic location, market conditions, and specific skills and experience.

The salary range for this role is posted below; we generally target up to and around the midpoint of the range.

National Plus Salary Range:

$90,000.00 - $153,000.00

*National Plus salary range is used in higher cost of labor markets including Western Washington and Alaska.

We’re happy to discuss compensation further during the interview because we believe that open communication leads to better outcomes for all. We’re committed to creating an environment where all employees are celebrated for their unique skills and contributions.

About Us

At Premera, we make healthcare work better. By focusing on improving our customers’ experience purposefully and serving their needs passionately, we make the process easier, less costly, and more positive. Through empathy and advocacy, we change lives.

As the leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, we provide comprehensive health benefits and services to more than 2 million customers, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies. Our services include innovative programs focused on health management, wellness, prevention, and patient safety. We deliver these programs through health, life, vision, dental, disability, and other related products and services.

Premera Blue Cross is headquartered in Mountlake Terrace, WA, with operations in Spokane and Anchorage. The company has operated in Washington since 1933 and in Alaska since 1952. With more than 80 years of experience in the region, we deliver innovation, choice, and expertise.