Vendor Account Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Title : Vendor Account Manager
Location : Elmhurst, IL
Hire Type : Full-Time
Compensation : $90,000 - $110,000
Benefits : Health, Dental, Vision, 401K, PTO

Must have Skill Set :

• Must have proven experience in a manufacturing environment. Candidates must have direct experience supporting manufacturing operations, production, purchasing, procurement, materials management, or supply chain.
• Must have vendor management and supplier relationship experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Must have experience with inventory management, purchasing, and production material planning.
• Must have experience managing purchase orders, vendor lead times, supplier quotes, reorder points, and safety stock.
• Need to have experience preventing and resolving material shortages that impact production schedules.
• Must have experience communicating with vendors and internal manufacturing teams to ensure materials are available to meet production deadlines.
• Proven experience with ERP systems, MRP reports, purchasing dashboards, or inventory planning systems.
• Proven ability to manage supplier performance, vendor quality issues, delivery commitments, and corrective actions.
• Must have strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
• Need to have the ability to prioritize urgent material needs, take ownership of issues, and proactively communicate risks to production and leadership.

Overview:

The Vendor Account Manager is responsible for managing supplier relationships, purchasing activities, inventory levels, and material availability in a manufacturing environment. This role is critical to maintaining production schedules, preventing material shortages, ensuring on-time supplier deliveries, and supporting efficient manufacturing operations. The ideal candidate must have proven experience in manufacturing procurement, vendor management, inventory planning, and production support. This individual will work closely with vendors, engineering, quality, inventory, production, and order management teams to resolve supply chain challenges, improve supplier performance, manage purchasing priorities, and ensure materials are available when needed. Success in this role requires a proactive, detail-oriented professional who takes ownership of supplier commitments, communicates risks early, and consistently drives issues to resolution.

Job Duties: 

Vendor Management

• Manage vendor relationships and communicate regularly regarding pricing, quality, delivery, and performance.
• Evaluate supplier performance and identify opportunities for cost savings and improved reliability.
• Partner with engineering to approve new vendors and parts.

Manufacturing & Inventory Management

• Ensure materials are available to meet manufacturing and production schedules.
• Manage inventory levels, purchase orders, reorder points, safety stock, and supplier lead times within the ERP/MRP system.
• Proactively identify and resolve material shortages, delayed orders, and supplier delivery issues.
• Coordinate with production, engineering, inventory, and order management to minimize production disruptions.
• Obtain and analyze vendor quotes, resolve purchasing discrepancies, and optimize purchasing costs.

Project Management & Communication

• Coordinate supplier projects, track deadlines, and communicate updates to internal teams.
• Escalate supplier delays and material risks to leadership.
• Identify and recommend improvements to purchasing and supply chain processes.

Supplier Quality

• Partner with Quality to resolve supplier quality issues and coordinate returns, replacements, and credits.
• Ensure purchased parts are inspected and available for production in a timely manner.

Qualifications: 

• Proven experience working in a manufacturing environment.
• Direct experience in manufacturing purchasing, procurement, vendor management, materials management, inventory control, or supply chain operations.
• Experience managing suppliers, purchase orders, delivery schedules, and material availability.
• Experience supporting production schedules and resolving material shortages in a manufacturing or industrial setting.
• Working knowledge of inventory planning concepts, including reorder points, safety stock, supplier lead times, and demand planning.
• Experience using an ERP or MRP system to manage purchasing, inventory, and production materials.
• Experience reviewing supplier quotes, analyzing pricing, and supporting cost-effective purchasing decisions.
• Experience monitoring supplier performance, including quality, reliability, and on-time delivery.
• Experience coordinating with engineering, production, inventory, quality, or other cross-functional manufacturing teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including professional vendor communication and internal issue escalation.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated ownership, urgency, problem-solving ability, and proactive follow-through.
• Ability to identify supply chain risks, develop corrective action plans, and keep stakeholders informed.
• Experience with project tracking or project management tools is a plus.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.