Vendor Relations & Bid Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Rumpke is a family-owned and operated company that ranks as one of the largest firms in the waste and recycling industry. Our mission is simple: to deliver exceptional waste and recycling solutions to our customers and communities through a commitment to safety, service, the environment and the growth of our people.

When you join Rumpke, you’ll be part of a team providing essential services to millions of residents, businesses, and neighborhoods. You will enjoy competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, vision, matching 401(k), life insurance, paid vacation, and more.

This is your opportunity to make a difference for you and your family. Come join our team!

The Vendor Relations & Bid Manager leads the team responsible for both sides of WTG’s margin: the supply side — recruiting, negotiating with, and holding accountable the independent haulers, MRFs, processors, and recyclers the service promise sits on — and the pricing side — the bid calendar, margin governance, and every number that leaves the building. This role sets the playbook, develops the team, and personally leads the largest negotiations and pursuits.

Responsibilities of Position:

• Lead the Vendor Relations & Bid team — Supplier/Network Coordinator(s) and Pricing Analyst(s): hire, develop, and coach; set clear scoreboards and written decision authority; and own the interlock between the two functions so that no bid is priced without current supply-side costs and no market is opened without vetted coverage
• Recruit and vet haulers, MRFs, processors, and recyclers into the network funnel — maintaining at least two qualified providers per service line per active market, with backup capacity kept warm
• Negotiate master rate agreements, including volume tiers, fuel-surcharge caps, rate-lock windows, and payment terms; run annual re-bids on the top 50 cost lines
• Own vendor compliance files — certificates of insurance with correct additional-insured language, permits and licenses (including e-waste and regulated processors), W-9s, and safety records; no vendor is dispatched without a compliant file
• Publish quarterly hauler scorecards covering service reliability, billing accuracy, responsiveness, compliance, and partnership; manage cure plans, earn-backs, and vendor exits
• Resolve hauler-side service failures and billing disputes; recover service credits owed to WTG and its customers; activate backup haulers within 48 hours of a service failure
• Maintain the Cost Intelligence Tracker — tip fees, fuel indices, commodity markets, and regulatory changes — as the shared cost backbone for the pricing desk
• Score every inbound RFP within 48 hours against a bid/no-bid framework (fit, Haul Pass coverage, incumbent intelligence, win odds, margin potential); build costs from two to three hauler quotes per line and model disposal, fuel, franchise fees, and commodity rebates
• Price within published margin floors; structure escalators, fuel pass-throughs, and commodity index bands; route all exceptions through the authority ladder with supporting documentation
• Own the bid calendar with renewals loaded at T–12 months and 95% on-time submission; arm Account Executives for orals and best-and-final rounds; run win/loss reviews and day-90 realized-versus-modeled margin comparisons, feeding findings back into margin floors, cost curves, and hauler rate strategy
• Perform other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibility:

• This position will manage 1-5 employees
• This position will not oversee and direct other managers

Skills & Abilities Needed for Position:

• Advanced Excel modeling skills with the ability to build a cost model line by line and defend it under challenge
• Demonstrated, quantifiable negotiation results, paired with the judgment not to price a vendor below viability
• Working familiarity with commercial contracts, certificates of insurance, and vendor compliance documentation required
• Sound judgment under deadline pressure, including the willingness to decline business that cannot be priced profitably
• People leadership skills: coaching, performance management, and development against written growth plans
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; ability to brief executives and equip Account Executives for client-facing rounds
• Analytical discipline in win/loss review and realized-versus-modeled margin analysis
• Working knowledge of disposal, MRF, or commodity market economics, including commodity-indexed and fuel-indexed pricing structures

Experience & Knowledge Needed for Position:

• Bachelor’s in business, supply chain, finance, or a related field required
• 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 required
• 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

Physical Requirements in a Regular Workday:

• Occasionally lifting/carrying/pushing/pulling a max of 10 lbs
• Rarely lifting/carrying/pushing/pulling a max of 20 lbs
• Continuously working inside
• Rarely working outside in changing temperatures, wet/humid conditions
• Rarely working in areas of dust, odors, mist, gases, and other airborne matter
• Rarely stooping/kneeling/crouching/crawling
• Rarely climbing and/or balancing
• Continuously sitting; occasionally standing/walking

Additional Working Conditions/Aspects:

• Ability to travel between offices, as required
• Ability to work overtime, weekends, and/or holidays
• Legally eligible to work in the United States
• Valid driver’s license (if applicable)
• Must successfully complete pre-employment testing
• Must be able to read and speak the English language

This job description is intended to describe the general nature, complexity, and level of work to be performed by employees assigned to this position and is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. It does not prescribe or restrict the work that may be assigned. Furthermore, this does not establish an employment contract and is subject to change at the discretion of the company.

Rumpke Waste and Recycling is committed to equality in all aspects of employment. It is Rumpke’s policy to provide equal opportunities to all employees and potential employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.