Vendor Manager

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree: Supply Chain, Engineering, Business Administration or similar
  
• Minimum 5–7 years in: Vendor management, Supply chain, technical project delivery
  
• Telecom/Pan-African infrastructure experience preferred
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead contract and commercial negotiations
  
• Strong risk, compliance and SLA administration knowledge
  

Vendor Strategy and Planning

• Develop and implement the vendor management strategy aligned to business plans
  
• Identify supplier gaps to match future expansion (network build, POP expansion, fibre access projects)
  
• Maintain a vendor capacity matrix per region
  
• Work with PMO to forecast workload and match vendor capacity pipeline to delivery plans
  
• Work with Hyperscale's Engagement Director to align on the commercial and operation implications of back-to-back deal involving Hyperscale's
  

Vendor Selection, Sourcing and Onboarding

• Support RFP/RFQ preparation, issuance, evaluation, and vendor shortlisting
  
• Lead commercial and delivery-related negotiations with shortlisted suppliers
  
• Manage vendor due diligence checks covering: financial stability, track record and capability, HSSE policies, resource availability & equipment
  
• Facilitate contract award and onboarding into WIOCC systems
  

Contracting, Compliance and SLA Governance

• Draft, negotiate and execute supplier contracts with Procurement and Legal oversight
  
• Ensure SLA terms reflect: delivery timelines, downtime guarantees, workmanship standards, penalties for delay or non-performance
  
• Monitor adherence to contractual obligations and maintain renewal/expiry calendars
  
• Implement systematic compliance audits and remedial plans
  

Vendor Performance Management

• Develop vendor scorecards with KPIs including On-time delivery, Quality pass rates, Rework/defect frequency, Responsiveness and communication, Safety compliance
  
• Run monthly/quarterly performance reviews with each vendor
  
• Track and escalate underperformance with corrective action plans
  
• Recommend vendor expansion or decommissioning based on performance
  
• Work with Service Management and Network Operations and the Hyperscale's Engagement Director
  

Project Delivery Support

• Serve as primary vendor escalation point for PMO, Engineering and Operations
  
• Resolve delays in mobilization, material delivery, site access, installation, testing and invoicing
  
• Ensure rapid communication to keep projects moving
  
• Maintain accurate vendor delivery status reporting
  

Cost Control and Value Optimization

• Benchmark vendor pricing across countries/vendors to ensure competitiveness
  
• Track spend vs budget by vendor and project category
  
• Identify opportunities for: aggregated procurement, volume discounts, standard price lists, cost avoidance through planning
  
• Support Finance with accruals and cost forecasting
  
• Work with Engineering and Hyperscale Engagement Director to track spending vs budget by vendor and project category
  

Risk Management and Issue Escalation

• Identify delivery bottlenecks and future risks per vendor
  
• Maintain a vendor risk register and mitigation plans
  
• Manage escalation workflows across vendor management, PMO, Engineering, Legal
  
• Resolve disputes related to delays, quality issues or scope deviation
  

Relationship and Stakeholder Management

• Maintain strong working relationships with vendor leadership and operations teams
  
• Engage cross-functional stakeholders (Procurement, PMO, Engineering, Network Ops, Logistics, Finance, Service Management and Hyperscale's Engagement Director)
  
• Build strong internal partnerships to meet delivery and cost targets
  
• Represent WIOCC professionally in vendor forums and negotiation sessions