Support Services Vendor Manager

Job Details: Job Location: 617 Arena Towers

• Houston, TX, Position Type: Full-Time, Education Level: Bachelors Deg. or Equivalent Experience, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Travel Percentage: Minimal Local Travel (up to 10%), Job Category: Program Management & Support, Founded in 1907 in Houston’s Second Ward (today’s East End), Baker. Ripley is the largest community development nonprofit in Texas, delivering holistic, community-based programs and services that bring resources, education, and connection to more than half a million people each year. Baker. Ripley works with Neighbors in approximately 60 service locations to help them discover the strengths and skills necessary to become productive and self-sufficient, so that they can fulfill their aspirations to earn, learn, belong, and be well. Through our work in socioeconomic mobility, health and wellness, and education, Baker. Ripley is addressing the inequities that prevent our Neighbors from navigating a pathway to achieve their dreams.

Job Summary

The Support Services Vendor Manager provides operational, procurement, vendor administration, and inquiry-response support exclusively to the Workforce Solutions Financial Aid Services Office. The position ensures that vendor onboarding, purchasing requests, purchase orders, financial documentation, reconciliations, and 1099-related activities are completed accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable requirements.

The position serves as a central point of coordination for questions and information requests received from the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC), the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Financial Aid Services leadership, vendors, auditors, and other authorized stakeholders. The manager researches questions, coordinates input from appropriate subject-matter experts, validates supporting information, and assists in preparing complete and accurate responses within established deadlines.

Qualifications

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Financial Aid Services Operational Support
• Provide vendor, procurement, purchasing, and administrative support to the Financial Aid Services Office.
• Coordinate with Financial Aid Services leadership and staff to resolve operational issues and meet established deadlines.
• Monitor outstanding requests, address processing delays, and escalate unresolved matters when necessary.
• Serve as a resource to Financial Aid Services staff regarding vendor, purchasing, and financial procedures. Vendor Administration
• Coordinate vendor onboarding, including applications, W-9 forms, certifications, supporting documentation, system setup, and approvals.
• Review vendor documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Maintain current and accurate vendor records in approved systems and document repositories.
• Coordinate vendor updates, renewals, suspensions, and closures.
• Respond to vendor questions concerning documentation, purchase orders, payments, and 1099 information. Procurement and Purchasing
• Review procurement requests and determine the appropriate purchasing method in accordance with established policies.
• Prepare and process purchase requisitions and purchase orders with the required funding information, documentation, and approvals.
• Track open purchase orders, balances, amendments, renewals, expirations, and closures. Identify purchasing exceptions and escalate matters requiring management review.
• Coordinate with Accounting, Accounts Payable, Financial Analysis, and other internal departments to resolve purchasing and payment issues.
• Financial Reconciliation and 1099 Administration
• Reconcile vendor records, purchase orders, invoices, payments, financial reports, and supporting documentation.
• Research and resolve discrepancies among vendor, purchasing, payment, and financial-system records.
• Coordinate the annual 1099 review and reconciliation process for applicable Financial Aid Services vendors.
• Validate vendor classifications, taxpayer information, and payment totals and assist with resolving 1099 inquiries.
• Maintain supporting documentation and escalate significant or unresolved discrepancies to Financial Aid Services leadership. Gulf Coast Workforce Board and Other Inquiries
• Coordinate timely responses to questions and information requests from the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, HGAC, TWC, auditors, vendors, and other authorized stakeholders.
• Research inquiries and gather information from appropriate Financial Aid Services records, systems, and subject-matter experts.
• Review responses and supporting information for accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
• Track significant inquiries through completion and escalate sensitive, overdue, or unresolved matters to Financial Aid Services leadership. Compliance, Monitoring, and Internal Controls
• Ensure vendor, procurement, purchasing, reconciliation, and 1099 activities comply with applicable organizational, contractual, state, federal, and funding requirements.
• Maintain appropriate approvals, segregation of duties, audit trails, and record-retention practices.
• Identify documentation deficiencies, compliance concerns, financial risks, and control gaps and coordinate corrective action.
• Support internal and external audits, monitoring reviews, and regulatory requests by providing accurate supporting documentation.
• Escalate suspected fraud, misuse of funds, material errors, or significant noncompliance in accordance with established procedures. Reporting and Data Management
• Prepare periodic reports on vendor activity, purchase orders, 1099 matters, outstanding requests, exceptions, and processing timelines.
• Track key performance indicators and provide updates to Financial Aid Services leadership.
• Ensure vendor and financial information is complete, accurate, and consistent across approved systems.
• Maintain organized reports, reconciliations, tracking logs, and supporting documentation.
• Identify recurring discrepancies and recommend preventive actions. Policies, Procedures, and Process Improvement
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, process maps, templates, checklists, and tracking tools.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance concerning vendor documentation, procurement, purchase orders, reconciliations, and inquiry responses.
• Identify process bottlenecks, duplicate activities, manual processes, and internal-control weaknesses.
• Recommend and assist with improvements that strengthen accuracy, efficiency, accountability, and service quality.
• Participate in special projects and perform other Financial Aid Services duties as assigned. Key Performance Objectives
• Accuracy: Maintain accurate vendor, procurement, purchase-order, reconciliation, and 1099 documentation.
• Compliance: Ensure transactions and records meet applicable organizational, contractual, state, federal, and funding requirements.
• Responsiveness: Provide timely, accurate, complete, and well-supported responses to Gulf Coast Workforce Board and other authorized inquiries.
• Timeliness: Complete vendor setup, purchase orders, reconciliations, and assigned follow-up activities within established deadlines.
• Issue resolution: Research, resolve, or appropriately escalate vendor and financial discrepancies promptly.
• Documentation: Maintain complete records that support management review, monitoring, audits, and regulatory inquiries.
• Internal controls: Reduce compliance risks, unsupported transactions, duplicate payments, documentation gaps, and audit findings.
• Continuous improvement: Identify and implement improvements to Financial Aid Services vendor and purchasing workflows.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, accounting, finance, public administration, supply chain, or a related field. Relevant professional experience may be considered in place of some educational requirements, consistent with organizational policy. Experience At least four years of progressively responsible experience in vendor administration, procurement, purchasing, financial operations, contract administration, public programs, or a related area.

Experience researching and responding to complex management, regulatory, audit, or stakeholder inquiries. Experience with purchase orders, vendor documentation, financial reconciliation, or 1099 administration. Experience working in a publicly funded, regulated, nonprofit, governmental, or workforce-development environment is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of vendor administration, procurement, purchasing, purchase orders, financial documentation, reconciliation, and internal controls.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies, contracts, procedures, regulations, and funding requirements.
• Ability to research complex questions and prepare clear, accurate, complete, and well-supported responses.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and follow-up skills.
• Ability to reconcile information from multiple systems and identify the source of discrepancies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, inquiries, and deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively with management, subject-matter experts, vendors, auditors, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive financial, vendor, participant, and program information.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and other applicable systems.
• Experience with Salesforce, Smartsheet, financial accounting systems, purchasing systems, or document-management platforms is preferred.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and appropriately escalate sensitive or high-risk matters.