Sr. Vendor Manager and Operations, Customer Support

At Klaviyo, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives each Klaviyo (we call ourselves Klaviyos) brings to our workplace each and every day. We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at success and appreciate the experiences each person brings beyond the traditional job requirements. If you’re a close but not exact match with the description, we hope you’ll still consider applying. Want to learn more about life at Klaviyo? Visit careers.klaviyo.com to see how we empower creators to own their own destiny.

The mission for Klaviyo Support is to empower customers and partners to have an extraordinary experience with Klaviyo solutions so that they can own their destiny. Klaviyo support is therefore multi-faceted, with multiple internal stakeholder groups.We are seeking an experienced vendor manager to help define our global vendor support strategies. In this role you will be the head of our support operations team and responsible for managing our projects and programs function as well as our external vendor partnerships With a small team of direct and indirect reports, you’ll be responsible for the day to day management of and success of our vendor partners. Your previous vendor experience and work in this role will be an important contribution to how we shape our multi-language, multi-channel, multi-tiered support strategy in 2024 and beyond. 

In this role you will:

• Oversee performance metrics, ensuring partners meet and exceed contractual SLAs and KPIs.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation within BPO operations, implementing best practices and new technologies.
• Drive cross-functional efforts to align BPO strategies with company-wide customer service objectives.
• Strategically guide and advance relationships with BPO partners to ensure excellence in customer service while partnering on staffing, budgeting, and efficiency.
• Oversee vendor contracts, negotiations, and partnerships, fostering strong, productive relationships.
• Lead Country Managers to conduct regular performance reviews, leveraging data analytics to identify areas for enhancement.
• Head a team that is the primary point of contact for escalations and critical issues, ensuring swift resolution.
• Motivate the Agent Success Learning & Development team, driving quality improvement initiatives and comprehensive agent training programs to enhance performance and ensure continuous growth.
• Oversees performance management processes for their entire business area
• Responsible for approving hiring and attrition processes
• Hires and develops new team members; coaching through effective leadership (how to have an effective 1:1, how to hold a team meeting, how to hold a team accountable, and how to stretch top talent)
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.
• Communicate, motivate, and inspire employees  on the team to drive a positive team culture.
• Create an inclusive culture on team through leading by example with being humble and open-minded, and operating with high integrity by being open to feedback.
• Handles discipline and termination of employees and vendors in accordance with company policy.

We're looking for people who have:

• 8-10 years combined experience in operational leadership and/or vendor management with extensive experience in contract management, negotiation, cost control and business process development.
• Previous experience supporting BPO’s internationally
• Experience in RFP process, sourcing and onboarding successful vendor partnerships.
• Demonstrated success in both business and leadership roles
• A collaborative leadership approach and the ability to develop strong relationships with cross-functional teams and departments.
• Exceptional critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Strong business acumen and ability to perform well in a fast-paced, hyper-growth environment. 
• Strong communication and presentation skills. Comfortable presenting to large groups of people, vendor partners and executives. 
• A champion of change management and successful project implementation. 
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Passionate about creative problem solving for customers and internal teams
• Strong leader dedicated to helping others develop
• Self-motivated, eager to learn and thrive in a collaborative environment
• Capable of adapting quickly to changing priorities
• Analytical and driven to achieve quantitative and qualitative targets
• Experience with or able to quickly pick-up (a plus): Microsoft Office Suite, G-Suite,