Vendor Management Manager

AE Solutions; Olathe (KS); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

AE Solutions is seeking a Vendor Management Manager to own our vendor ecosystem of 300+ relationships, spanning OEM software, hardware, distributors, and partners. You will protect and grow key relationships, negotiate favorable terms, and build a scalable vendor program directly reporting to the CEO.

You'll shape segmentation, onboarding, and ongoing governance, collaborating with Sales, Finance, and Operations to ensure margins and growth targets are met while expanding managed services

Qualifications

• 5+ years of vendor management or strategic sourcing experience.
• Proven track record negotiating commercial agreements that improve terms or value.
• Strong organizational skills with a large, varied relationship portfolio.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with suppliers and OEMs.
• Analytical mindset to segment vendor base by value and risk and act on findings.

Responsibilities

• Manage 300+ vendor relationships with accurate terms, contacts, performance, and renewal timelines.
• Lead negotiation of pricing, payment terms, exclusivity, rebates, SLAs, and warranty terms.
• Develop tiered vendor segmentation and engagement plans for each tier.
• Onboard new vendors aligned to enterprise needs and expansion plans.
• Collaborate with Sales, Finance, and Operations to align vendor strategy with growth targets.

Skills

Vendor management

Negotiation

Organizational skills

Communication

Analytical mindset

Tools

HubSpot

NetSuite

Job description

ABOUT AE SOLUTIONS

AE Solutions (AE Tools & Computers) is a B2B technology company serving fleet, utility, automotive, and government customers with diagnostic hardware, OEM software, and managed IT services. We're in the middle of a deliberate shift from transactional hardware sales to recurring, relationship-driven managed services — and the strength of our vendor ecosystem is a core part of how we deliver on that promise to customers like Exelon/ComEd, Beacon Mobility, Carvana, and KDOT.

POSITION SUMMARY

AE Solutions is looking for a Vendor Management Manager to take ownership of our vendor ecosystem — currently 300+ relationships spanning OEM software providers, hardware manufacturers, distributors, and technology partners. This role is equal parts relationship manager, negotiator, and strategist: you'll be the person who knows which vendors matter most to our business, who protects and grows those relationships, and who builds the vendor bench we need as we win new enterprise customers and expand into new products and services.

This is a highly visible role reporting directly to the CEO, well-suited to someone who wants to build a function from the ground up rather than inherit one.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Vendor Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact and steward for AE Solutions' full vendor portfolio (300+ relationships), maintaining accurate records of terms, contacts, performance, and renewal timelines.
• Establish a regular cadence of vendor reviews and business relationship meetings to keep partnerships active rather than transactional.
• Act as the internal escalation point when vendor issues affect customer delivery, pricing, or product availability.

Contract Negotiation

• Lead negotiation of new and renewing vendor agreements, including pricing, payment terms, exclusivity, rebates, service levels, and warranty/support terms.
• Partner with Finance and Sales leadership to ensure vendor terms align with AE Solutions' margin targets and deal structures.
• Review and redline vendor contracts, working with outside counsel where needed on higher-risk agreements.

Strategic Vendor Segmentation & Partnership Development

• Analyze the vendor portfolio to identify our largest and most strategic relationships by spend, revenue enablement, and exclusivity/competitive advantage.
• Build tiered vendor segmentation (strategic, preferred, transactional) and a corresponding engagement plan for each tier.
• Develop deeper, more strategic partnerships with top-tier vendors — co-marketing, priority allocation, favorable pricing tiers, early access to new products, and joint go-to-market opportunities.

Vendor Onboarding & Portfolio Expansion

• Identify and onboard new vendors in response to enterprise customer needs, new product lines, and expansion into adjacent service categories (e.g., managed services, security/compliance tooling).
• Run vendor due diligence — pricing, reliability, support quality, financial stability, and fit with AE Solutions' OEM software and hardware ecosystem (ODIS, Techstream, WiTech, Consult, VIDA, and similar platforms).
• Partner with Sales leadership to ensure new vendor additions are tied to real customer/account demand rather than opportunistic sign-ups.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Sales, Finance, and Operations to ensure vendor strategy supports AE Solutions' growth targets and margin goals.
• Provide visibility into vendor spend, contract terms, and renewal risk to support financial planning and board-level reporting.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 5+ years of experience in vendor management, procurement, supplier relationship management, or strategic sourcing, ideally in a B2B technology, distribution, or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated track record negotiating commercial agreements that improved terms, pricing, or partnership value.
• Strong organizational skills — comfortable managing a large, varied portfolio of relationships without letting anything fall through the cracks.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to represent AE Solutions credibly with both small suppliers and large OEM/enterprise vendors.
• Analytical mindset — able to segment a large vendor base by value and risk, and translate that into an action plan.

Preferred

• Background in the automotive, fleet, or diagnostic OEM software space (e.g., familiarity with OEM diagnostic platforms, aftermarket parts, or fleet technology ecosystems) is a strong plus, though not required.
• Experience working with distributors or manufacturers in a growth-stage or transitioning business (e.g., moving from product sales to recurring services).
• Familiarity with CRM and vendor/contract management tooling (HubSpot, NetSuite, or similar).

WHY AE SOLUTIONS

AE Solutions is scaling fast — growing our enterprise account base and building a managed services business alongside our core hardware and OEM software strengths. This role has real influence over how that growth happens: the vendor relationships you build and negotiate directly shape our margins, our product breadth, and our ability to serve customers at scale. You'll have direct access to the CEO and the opportunity to build a function — and eventually a team — around your work.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance