| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Procurement and Purchase |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | General Manager Purchase |
| Direct reports | Vendor Development Engineer |
| Experience | 8 to 12 years in vendor development or supplier quality |
Vendor Development Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Vendor Development Manager
Department: Procurement and Purchase
Reports to: General Manager Purchase
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Vendor Development Manager builds the supplier base a manufacturer needs. They find and qualify new vendors, develop their capability on quality, cost and delivery, and localise parts that are imported or single sourced. The role reports to the General Manager Purchase or Head of Procurement. A good vendor development manager brings in a second source for critical items, moves imports to capable local suppliers, lifts weak vendors instead of only dropping them, and gives sourcing a panel of proven suppliers ready to compete.
Key responsibilities
- Identify and assess new suppliers for capacity, quality systems, financial health and location fit before onboarding.
- Run vendor qualification with sampling, first article inspection and process capability checks for new parts.
- Localise imported and single source parts by developing capable Indian suppliers to cut cost and lead time.
- Build a second source for critical items so a single supplier failure cannot stop production.
- Develop weak but useful suppliers through improvement plans on quality, delivery and cost.
- Audit supplier processes and follow up on corrective actions with the supplier and quality team.
- Transfer drawings, specifications and standards to suppliers and confirm they are understood and met.
- Set up capacity and ramp up plans with new suppliers ahead of regular volume.
- Rate and rank the vendor panel and feed it to sourcing and category managers for events.
- Keep vendor records, audit reports and approval status current for audit and sourcing.
Requirements
- Degree in mechanical or production engineering
- Training in quality systems or auditing is an advantage
- Knowledge of PPAP and inspection methods
- 8 to 12 years in vendor development or supplier quality
KRAs and KPIs for a Vendor Development Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| New vendors | Agreed number of new suppliers qualified and made supply ready in the year |
| Localisation | Target imported or single source parts localised to capable vendors |
| Second source | Critical items with a qualified second source raised to the agreed level |
| Supplier quality | Newly developed vendors meeting quality and delivery standards after ramp up |
| Supplier development | Improvement plans closed with measured gains for the assigned vendors |
| Audit readiness | Vendor audits and approvals kept current on schedule |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: SAP MM, Measuring instruments, PPAP documents, MS Excel, Quality audit checklists.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Procurement, General Manager Purchase, Category Manager
Interview questions for a Vendor Development Manager
- How do you assess whether a new supplier can meet quality and volume before you commit?
- Walk me through localising an imported part from search to regular supply.
- How do you decide between developing a weak supplier and dropping them?
- What do you check in a supplier process audit and how do you follow up?
- How do you build a second source without upsetting the incumbent supplier?
- How do you make sure a new supplier reads drawings and specifications correctly?
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What does a Vendor Development Manager do?
A Vendor Development Manager builds and strengthens a manufacturer supplier base. They find and qualify new vendors, localise imported parts, create second sources for critical items and develop weak suppliers on quality, cost and delivery. Their job is a panel of proven, capable suppliers ready to supply and compete.
What is the difference between vendor development and sourcing?
Vendor development builds supplier capability: finding, qualifying and improving vendors so they can supply well. Sourcing then runs competitive events among qualified suppliers to select and negotiate the best deal. Vendor development gets suppliers ready; sourcing chooses among them for each buy.
What qualifications does a Vendor Development Manager need?
Most roles ask for a mechanical or production engineering degree with long experience in vendor development or supplier quality. Employers value knowledge of PPAP, process capability and supplier auditing, along with the drawing reading and negotiation skills needed to qualify and improve suppliers.