[Hiring] Senior Product Manager - Vendor Relations @KPI Solutions

Role Description

The Senior Product Manager – Vendor Relations owns the product strategy and roadmap for a portfolio of material handling and warehouse automation solutions, with primary emphasis on managing and growing the OEM, technology, and equipment vendor relationships that underpin those offerings. This role serves as the strategic and technical bridge between engineering, IT, sales, operations, and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Vendor Relations & Partnership Management (Primary Focus)
  • Serve as the primary product-side point of contact for OEM and technology vendors throughout the partnership lifecycle.
  • Lead vendor evaluation, onboarding, and tiering processes; negotiate commercial terms, SLAs, and roadmap commitments alongside Procurement and Legal.
  • Own the vendor scorecard process — tracking reliability, cost, lead time, quality, and roadmap alignment.
  • Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key suppliers and technology partners.
  • Coordinate joint go-to-market activities, co-development initiatives, and technology roadmap alignment sessions with strategic vendors.
  • Manage vendor contract renewals, escalations, and dispute resolution in partnership with Legal and Finance.
  • Represent the company at vendor summits, industry trade shows, and partner advisory boards.
• Software & Systems Integration (Vendor Interoperability)
  • Own the technical requirements and acceptance criteria for integrating vendor-supplied software and hardware.
  • Define and document API contracts, data exchange formats, and middleware requirements.
  • Lead technical due diligence during vendor evaluation and onboarding.
  • Oversee integration testing, user acceptance testing, and go-live certification with vendors.
  • Ensure the vendor integration playbook is accurate, current, and effectively reduces integration risk.
  • Review the Technical Product Owner's assessment of vendor capabilities.
• Product Strategy & Roadmap
  • Define and maintain the product roadmap for assigned material handling / automation solution lines.
  • Translate vendor technology capabilities and constraints into product requirements.
  • Conduct market and competitive analysis across MHE, robotics, and warehouse software segments.
  • Prioritize the backlog in collaboration with Engineering and Solutions Design.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Sales and Solutions Engineering to support proposals and client presentations.
  • Work with Implementation and Field Service teams to resolve vendor-related product issues.
  • Partner with IT and Engineering to define integration architecture standards.
  • Provide vendor and product roadmap input to Finance for cost modeling.
  • Train internal sales, service, and support teams on new vendor technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of product management experience, with at least 3 years focused on vendor/partner or supplier relationship management.
• Demonstrated experience in the material handling, warehouse automation, robotics, or broader supply chain/logistics industry.
• Proven track record negotiating vendor contracts, SLAs, and commercial terms.
• Working knowledge of WMS, WES, WCS, and/or PLC/controls ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience defining or evaluating software integration requirements.
• Excellent negotiation, stakeholder management, and executive communication skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple concurrent vendor relationships and competing priorities.

Preferred

• MBA or advanced degree in a related field.
• Product management certification (e.g., Pragmatic Institute, AIPMM).
• Direct experience partnering with automation OEMs.
• Experience at a systems integrator, equipment OEM, or software provider serving the MHI space.
• Familiarity with contract/vendor management tooling and CRM/PLM systems.
• Experience with integration platforms or API testing/documentation tools.

Competencies

• Vendor & Partnership Management.
• Strategic Thinking.
• Technical Acumen.
• Influence & Communication.
• Commercial Judgment.
• Collaboration.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Health Care Concierge Service
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (Pre-tax & Roth)
• Company paid Basic Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability & Long-Term Disability
• Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Milk Stork Program
• Wellness Program with gift card redemption and wellness challenges
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & 10 Holidays)
• Training & Development
• Competitive base salary plus performance-based bonus.

Why KPI Solutions?

At KPI Solutions, you’ll be part of a team that values innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. This is more than a reporting role—it’s an opportunity to make a measurable impact on project success and business performance.