Vendor Manager, Publishing Operations

About this role

*This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the UK and the following US states: FL, IL, MA, MD, NY, PA, TX, VA.

In the US, this is a union represented position as part of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America.

Role Summary

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.

As the Publishing Operations Vendor Manager, you will play a critical role in ensuring PLOS’s publishing workflows are supported by a diverse, high-performing network of external partners. You will lead vendor strategy across the publishing lifecycle, ensuring supplier capabilities align with organizational needs. With a focus on quality, scalability, and continuous improvement, you will foster strong partnerships, oversee procurement and contracting processes, drive best practices in vendor management, and support long-term operational resilience.

Supervisory Responsibilities

N/A- This role will involve management of vendors but will be on the individual contributor track and will not have direct line reports.

Responsibilities

• Oversight of vendor use in end-to-end workflows, ensuring a joined-up and efficient approach

• Seek continuous improvement in removing departmental silos and promoting cross-functional vendor scoping (e.g. take steps to move vendors to operating across the workflow from submission to publication, rather than siloing on the basis of department).

• Limit risk to PLOS by ensuring a healthy diversity in the suppliers that support our work, while maximising efficiency and quality

• Maintain awareness of relative strengths offered by suppliers that offer publishing support, and develop risk-reward scenarios for changing suppliers/opening requests for proposals (RFPs)

• Management of vendor contract renewal

• Serve as primary point of contact with suppliers/vendors in contract negotiations (cascading to relevant teams/legal where needed)

• Track contract end dates and alert teams to pending end of contract three months before renewal date

• Work with internal stakeholders to review and update tasks, volumes and quantifiable and reportable SLAs based on forecast submission and publication volume.

• Develop forecast of supplier-side headcount (including optimal seniority of roles, where options exist) likely needed to support outsourced work

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