Vendor Operations Manager

Job Title: Vendor Operations Manager

Reports to: Sr. Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives + Partnerships

Position Summary:

Apkudo is a rapidly scaling software- and robotics-as-a-service company focused on transforming reverse logistics for mobile phones and other connected devices. We deliver our robotics and operations with the help of managed service providers, OEMs, field service vendors, and regional support partners across the US and internationally. Keeping those partners performing is central to how we deliver for our customers.

New partnerships are built and launched by our Partnerships team. This role will be the go to person for managing key service and hardware partnerships day to day. You will onboard new vendors and partners, hold them to the service levels in their agreements, work escalations to resolution, report on how they are performing, negotiate new commercials, and run the regular business reviews that keep everyone aligned. This is a hands-on execution role. 

What you'll do:

• Lead new vendor and partner relationships at the point they move from launch into execution, and manage performance, communication, and issue resolution from that point forward

• Onboard new vendors and partners

  • gather what they need to operate

  • coordinate documentation and system access

  • set up reporting and communication schedules

• Manage the day-to-day performance of our managed service, field service, and hardware vendors across US and international sites, holding each to the service levels in their agreements

• Act as the daily point of contact for vendor site and regional management; log, triage, and work escalations through to closure

• Manage the global partner network supporting product deployments, including regional coverage, response expectations, and partner readiness as new markets come online

• Monitor whether vendors are delivering what their agreements require, and drive any gaps to correction

• Own the SLA regime: build and publish the monthly performance scorecard, calculate credits earned under each agreement, and drive them to claim

• Validate vendor invoices against contracted rates, volumes, and escalators; identify and resolve billing discrepancies

• Administer rate cards, escalators, and headcount true-ups; track cost per unit against plan and flag drift

• Work with partners and internal stakeholders to develop monthly business reviews, maintain action logs, and drive open items to completion

What you'll need:

• BA/BS or equivalent operating experience.

• 5+ years in vendor/partner management, supplier or partner operations, or managed services delivery

• 2+ years of experience in the mobile/connected device, supply chain (reverse or forward), consumer electronics,, and/or technology industries is desired

• Direct experience managing third-party vendors — OEMs, staffing, field services, or logistics

• Expert with Project Management tools and AI tools

• Experience onboarding new vendors or partners and getting them running

• Strong analytical and reporting skills; Excel/Sheets required, SQL or Power BI a plus

• Strong written and verbal communication, including working directly with vendor leadership

• Has administered a services agreement, not just managed a relationship — SLAs, credits, rate cards, escalation clauses

• Comfortable holding a vendor to account without damaging the relationship

• Organized, process-driven, execution-focused, and comfortable with ambiguity

• Willing to travel to US and international sites as needed

Nice to haves:

• Managing vendors across multiple countries or regions

• Managed services or BPO environments

• Supporting hardware or robotics deployments in the field
  
  
  
  NOTICE TO APPLICANTS/EMPLOYEES 

Apkudo, Inc.

Please take notice that Apkudo, Inc. (“the Company”) collects certain information about you. For more information on the Company’s policies, please refer to the Company’s privacy policy on its website (https://apkudo.com/legal/privacy.html) and thePersonal Data Protection Process.

If you are a California resident, please take note of the following:

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) provide California residents with certain rights.  As an applicant or employee of Company, these include: 

• Knowledge and access of information collected;

• Deletion of information collected;

• Opt-out of information collected;

• Opt-in of information collected;

• Correction of information collected;

• Go to court;

• Limit use of information collected;

• Not to be discriminated or retaliated against for exercising rights under the law. 

If you are a Texas resident, please take note of the following:

The Texas Data Privacy Act (“TDPA”) provides Texas residents with certain rights regarding their personal data. As an applicant or employee of the Company, these include:

• Right to confirm whether the Company processes their personal data and to access such personal data.

• Right to correct inaccuracies in their personal data.

• Right to delete personal data provided by or obtained about them.

• Right to obtain a copy of their personal data in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format.

• Right to opt out of the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer.

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The Personal and Sensitive Personal Information That We Are Collecting. We are collecting the following information: 

• Identifiers, such as name, government-issued identifier (e.g., Social Security number), and unique identifiers (e.g., employee ID);

• Personal information, such as real name, signature, SSN, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, passport number, federal identification authorizing work in the United States, access and/or passcodes, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information;

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• Commercial information, such as transaction information and purchase history (e.g., in connection with travel or other reimbursements [or purchases from Company]);

• Internet or network activity information, such as browsing history and interactions with our online systems and websites and any personal information that you provide while accessing the Company’s computer systems, such as personal credit card information and passwords;

• Geolocation data, such as device location from usage of the Company’s devices;

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• Audio, electronic, visual, and similar information;

• Professional or employment-related information, such as work history and prior employer;

• Non-public education information; and

• Inferences drawn from any of the Persona and Sensitive Personal Information listed above to create a profile or summary about, for example, an individual’s preferences and characteristics. 

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• For hiring, retention, and employment purposes;

• To otherwise accomplish our business purposes and objectives, including, for example:

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• Any other purposes authorized by the California Privacy Protection Agency, California for California residents; the Texas Attorney General's Office, Texas for Texas residents; or applicable federal law. 

We may or may not have used Personal and Sensitive Personal Information about you for each of the above purposes.

Sharing of Personal Information. We only share your information with the following third-party entities:

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Selling of Personal Information. The Company DOES NOT sell your personal information.

Data Retention.The Company retains the information it receives about you for a period in accordance with our Record Control Plan, unless a shorter or longer period is required by California, Texas, or federal law.

For Inquiries and/or to Submit Requests for Information, Deletion or Correction.Please contact the Privacy Team atprivacy@apkudo.com for inquiries about the Company’s policy, or to submit your requests for information, deletion or correction.