Partnerships Development Manager

Supplier Partnership & Operations Manager

Department: Supplier Operations

Reports To: Director of Supplier Operations

Employment Type: Full-Time / Contractor

Experience: 3–5 years in supplier operations, vendor management, partnerships, transportation operations, procurement, or network management

Status: Open — Immediate Start

About Elife

Elife is the unified API infrastructure behind global mobility and instant delivery across 182 countries. We power Super Apps, FinTechs, neobanks, and ride-hailing ecosystems worldwide — we don't compete with them, we enable them.

Our partners integrate once and serve their users globally. We build and operate the infrastructure. They own the brand and the customer relationship.

MISSION

Execute and sustain the day-to-day performance of eLife's ground transportation supplier portfolio across assigned Southeast Asian markets, under the direction of the Director of Supplier Operations.

The Supplier Partnership & Operations Manager manages relationships with existing fleet partners, executes onboarding of new suppliers against Director-approved targets, monitors supplier performance and compliance, and works closely with Operations, Dispatch, QC, Pricing and Finance to keep transportation coverage reliable and cost-effective.

This is a hands-on execution role for someone comfortable managing suppliers, resolving operational issues, following performance data and taking action — within established guidelines — when suppliers are not meeting expectations.

ROLE OVERVIEW

This role combines supplier relationship management, operational coordination and supplier development at the individual-contributor level — no direct reports.

You will manage a portfolio of transportation suppliers within your assigned market(s) and keep them operationally healthy, compliant with eLife requirements and aligned with agreed service standards.

You will also support supplier network expansion by identifying potential fleet operators and coordinating their onboarding against targets and priorities set by the Director of Supplier Operations.

The role requires strong follow-through and attention to operational detail. Day-to-day decisions on issue resolution and escalation are yours; commercial terms outside standard guidelines, budget, market-expansion strategy and headcount or portfolio reallocation are decided by the Director of Supplier Operations.

SCOPE & DECISION AUTHORITY

To avoid ambiguity in a fast-scaling environment, authority is defined as follows:

Decides independently

• Day-to-day supplier communication
• Routine issue resolution
• Performance follow-up within established scorecards
• Supplier documentation and pipeline tracking
• Coordination of onboarding activities
• Identification and escalation of supplier risks

Recommends — Director approves

• Rate or term changes outside established guidelines
• Supplier suspension or offboarding
• Significant volume reallocation across suppliers
• Entry into a new market or city
• Exceptions to established supplier requirements

Escalates to Director

• Recurring or serious supplier performance failures
• Supplier disputes with commercial or legal exposure
• Capacity shortages that put service coverage at risk
• Issues requiring budget, strategic or policy decisions

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

30% — Supplier Partnership Management

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 20–40 active fleet partners within assigned markets.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for assigned suppliers.
• Maintain regular communication with supplier operations and management contacts.
• Support commercial discussions on rates, service levels, payment terms and operational requirements within established company guidelines.
• Prepare contract renewals and supplier documentation updates for Director sign-off.
• Identify suppliers that are consistently underperforming and recommend corrective actions or escalation.
• Resolve routine supplier issues and commercial discrepancies in coordination with Finance and Operations.
• Build productive, professional relationships while maintaining clear performance expectations.

25% — Supplier Performance & Quality

• Monitor supplier performance against agreed KPIs, including:
• Acceptance / fulfillment rate
• On-time performance
• Cancellation rate
• Complaint rate
• Vehicle quality
• Driver and service compliance
• Maintain supplier performance trackers and scorecards.
• Identify recurring supplier issues and coordinate corrective action plans.
• Work with QC and Operations to investigate supplier-related complaints.
• Follow up with suppliers on agreed improvement actions.
• Recommend volume reductions, warnings or escalation when suppliers consistently fail to meet requirements; final decisions rest with the Director.
• Escalate serious or recurring performance issues to the Director of Supplier Operations.

20% — Supplier Sourcing & Onboarding

• Identify potential fleet operators, transportation companies, taxi operators and local mobility providers in assigned markets, against Director-set targets.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of potential suppliers.
• Conduct initial supplier qualification and collect required documentation.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding with relevant internal teams.
• Verify required licenses, insurance, vehicle information and other compliance documentation.
• Coordinate commercial information, rate sheets and operational setup.
• Follow up with suppliers and internal stakeholders to keep onboarding on schedule.
• Identify potential alternative suppliers when additional capacity or coverage is required.

15% — Supplier Capacity & Operational Coordination

• Monitor supplier capacity and availability in assigned markets.
• Coordinate with Dispatch to keep supplier capacity information current.
• Identify capacity shortages and escalate potential risks to the Director and Operations team.
• Support preparation for peak periods, holidays and major events.
• Follow established volume allocation guidelines and flag when supplier performance or capacity changes warrant a review.
• Propose alternative suppliers when coverage or fulfillment is at risk, for Director sign-off.
• Monitor supplier cost and rate information and flag anomalies to the appropriate team.

10% — Reporting & Administration

• Maintain accurate supplier records, including:
• Contacts
• Contracts
• Rate sheets
• Compliance documents
• Performance history
• Prepare weekly and monthly supplier performance updates for the Director.
• Track supplier onboarding pipeline and status.
• Maintain supplier scorecards and action plans.
• Support Finance with supplier invoice or payment discrepancies.
• Keep supplier information in internal systems accurate and up to date.

REQUIREMENTS

Must-Have Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in supplier operations, vendor management, procurement, transportation operations, partnerships or network management.
• Experience managing external suppliers or vendors directly.
• Experience coordinating supplier onboarding and documentation.
• Comfortable monitoring KPIs and following up on supplier performance.
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills.
• Comfortable working with Excel / Google Sheets and operational data.
• Able to communicate effectively with both operational teams and supplier management.
• Professional working proficiency in English (B2 minimum).
• Comfortable working independently in a remote environment.
• Willingness to work across multiple Southeast Asian markets and time zones when required.

STRONG ADVANTAGE

• Experience working with ground transportation providers, fleet operators, mobility companies, transfer services, or similar transportation networks.
• Experience in transportation, mobility, logistics, tourism, ride-hailing, taxi or related operational environments.
• Experience with supplier negotiations or rate discussions.
• Experience supporting new market or city launches.
• Experience working with fleet operators or transportation companies.
• Strong Excel skills, including filters, pivot tables and basic cost/performance analysis.
• Working knowledge of HubSpot for supplier onboarding and lifecycle tracking is a plus, but not required.
• Additional Southeast Asian language skills are a plus.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

You think like this:

• "This supplier's cancellation rate is increasing — what is causing it?"
• "We are missing capacity in this city. Which suppliers can we activate, and what do I need the Director to approve?"
• "This supplier is not meeting the agreed SLA. What action do we need to take, and when do I escalate?"
• "This supplier has good quality but limited capacity. I'll flag the opportunity to the Director."
• "This rate looks different from what we agreed. I need to investigate it."
• "This supplier is underperforming. I need to follow up, document the issue and escalate if it doesn't improve."

This is NOT the role for someone who:

• Only wants to manage relationships without accountability for performance.
• Has experience exclusively in customer account management or sales.
• Is uncomfortable with operational follow-up and detailed supplier data.
• Waits for suppliers or internal teams to solve issues without taking ownership of follow-up.
• Has difficulty working with multiple suppliers and competing priorities.
• Avoids difficult conversations with underperforming suppliers.
• Expects to independently set market strategy, budget or headcount priorities — those decisions sit with the Director.