Vendor Relationship Manager

ACL Digital; Parsippany-Troy Hills (NJ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

ACL Digital is seeking a proactive professional to support Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) within our Clinical Development framework in Parsippany, NJ. The role focuses on owning VRM operational activities, driving governance improvements, and delivering strategic insights to strengthen internal and external partnerships.

Ideal candidates will have a strong background in project management and vendor governance, with experience in clinical development and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree with 5+ years of relevant experience in vendor management, outsourcing, or project management within biotech or pharmaceutical industries.
• Strong foundation in project management and vendor governance frameworks.
• Experience in multiple aspects of Relationship Management with vendors and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience in Clinical Trial Delivery or Drug Development Lifecycle is a plus.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the management and delivery of day-to-day VRM operational activities with accuracy and efficiency.
• Lead and support initiatives to improve vendor governance, streamline processes, and enhance collaboration across teams.
• Identify and implement opportunities to mature workflows and optimize vendor management practices.
• Partner with internal teams to build strong relationships, solicit feedback, and improve communications.
• Support development and maintenance of governance frameworks, tools, and reporting for VRM.
• Analyze processes and data to provide actionable recommendations for improvements.
• Coordinate meetings, develop agendas, prepare presentations, and manage documentation for internal and external audiences.

Skills

Vendor governance

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Process optimization

Analytical thinking

Communication

Accountability

Education

BA/BS degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Job description

We are seeking a dynamic professional to support and enhance the infrastructure and operations of the Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) team. This role will be instrumental in managing projects, optimizing processes, and driving operational excellence within our vendor governance framework. The successful candidate will contribute insights and strategies to mature our ways of working and strengthen partnerships with internal stakeholders and external vendors.

The ideal candidate will be an effective project manager and have experience in Vendor Governance / Relationship Management across the Clinical Development landscape. We are looking for someone that can own initiatives to enhance and develop processes, tools, and templates for our Vendor Governance Framework. They will also support ongoing VRM operational activities such as management of mailboxes, content development for presentations, and building eLearnings. The individual needs to be able to work autonomously, be proactive, and have high integrity in their work product.

The core responsibilities and skills required for this position include but are not limited to:

• Operational Support: Own the management and delivery of assigned day-to-day VRM operational activities, ensuring efficiency and accuracy.
• Project Leadership: Lead and support initiatives that improve vendor governance, streamline processes, and enhance collaboration across teams. Leads creation of assigned presentations or other internal materials related to VRM group.
• Process Optimization: Identify and implement opportunities to mature workflows and optimize vendor management practices.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with internal teams to foster strong relationships, source feedback, and improve communication channels.
• Governance & Reporting: Support development and maintenance of frameworks, tools, and reporting that enable effective vendor relationship management.
• Insights & Continuous Improvement: Analyze processes, data and trends to provide actionable recommendations for operational and strategic improvements.
• Meeting & Material Support: Coordinate meetings, develop agendas, prepare presentations, and manage documentation for internal and external audiences. May support the development of select materials for external vendor meetings as determined by the team.

Core Competencies & Behavioral Attributes

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture and align operational improvements with organizational goals.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work well as part of a team, building strong relationships across stakeholders and fostering a culture of partnership and trust.
• Adaptability: Strong desire and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adjusts to changing priorities with ease.
• Problem-Solving: Applies critical thinking to identify issues and develop innovative solutions.
• Analytical Thinking: Demonstrates excellent technical or analytical knowledge base, with ability to assess data, processes and understanding to tell a meaningful story and message.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of deliverables and ensures timely, high-quality outcomes including ability to make critical decisions related to projects and tasks. Demonstrates excellent attention to detail, teamwork, and initiative; maintains confidentiality; maintains meticulous attention to project deadlines.
• Influence & Communication: Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively and persuasively to drive alignment and action.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Proactively seeks opportunities to enhance processes and ways of working with confidence to voice opportunities.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree with 5+ years of relevant experience in vendor management, outsourcing, or project management within biotech or pharmaceutical industries.
• Strong foundation in project management and vendor governance frameworks.
• Previous experience in multiple aspects of Relationship Management including partnering with vendors and cross-functional stakeholders – several years and direct experience preferred.
• Experience in Clinical Trial Delivery or Drug Development Lifecycle preferred.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.