Location: Mumbai / Kolkata / Siliguri (On-site)
About Us:
Founded in 2007, E-commerce company, Ergode with a global reach of more than 120 countries and over 100 marketplaces. We have catered to over 5 million customers worldwide in a short amount of time. Currently, we have 21 curated websites that bring to our customers. We are a Houston, Texas based corporation and have been in the business for almost 15 years. We have a dedicated and strong team of 650+ associates and we are continuously adding new people to our team. Ergode is consistently ranked among the top online shopping destinations as we have been rated as the Top 30 Sellers on Amazon, and Top 5 in Walmart, and have also managed to achieve the number 1 ranking on eBay.
Our Businesses | AMI VENTURES INC. | VIR VENTURES INC. | BOSON TECHNOLOGIES |
Our Brands | MALCO MODES | BELLA SOUS | RED CUP LIVINGS | KEEBLE OUTLETS | STORE INDYA | VIZARI SPORTS | SHALIN INDIA | WRISTY BUDDY I BOLABALL I US TECH I HERBAL CONCEPTS | MORNING STAR | YARDLIO | KOZI | CLEAR BOTTLE |
JD - Vendor Relations Manager (VRM)
Location: Mumbai / Kolkata / Siliguri — On-site | Shift: 4:00 PM–1:00 AM IST | 3–8 years experience
About Ergode
Ergode is a global e-commerce organization serving customers across 120+ countries on 100+ marketplaces. Through Vir
Ventures Inc., we work with manufacturers, distributors, and consumer brands worldwide to grow their business across
Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and other major channels. Our success depends on onboarding strong vendor partners and building
commercially valuable, long-term relationships with them.
Role Purpose
At Ergode, vendor management is a commercial leadership responsibility, not an administrative function. We're looking for
someone who combines the analytical thinking of a business analyst, the commercial instincts of a business-development
professional, and the communication maturity of a key account manager.
The Vendor Relations Manager is the business and relationship owner for assigned vendor partners — not a coordination,
follow-up, or account-servicing role. You'll act as a business analyst and commercial advisor for each account: understanding
how the vendor makes money, what problems they're facing, what they expect from Ergode, and what Ergode needs from
them in return — then using that understanding to find the negotiation and growth levers that work for both sides. The goal is
measurable improvement in revenue, margin, assortment, pricing, and commercial terms.
Three Capabilities This Role Combines
- Business analysis — studying vendor performance and identifying commercial opportunities.
- Business development — expanding the relationship and creating additional revenue opportunities.
- Communication & negotiation — communicating credibly, influencing decision-makers, and developing win-win commercial
solutions.
What Success Looks Like
- Understands each vendor's business beyond contact details and price lists; has a clear commercial strategy for every major
account.
- Secures improved pricing, terms, rebates, assortment, and operational cooperation.
- Builds trust with decision-makers while protecting Ergode's commercial interests — never lets relationships go passive or
transactional.
- Resolves disagreements through counterproposals, not simple acceptance or rejection.
- Expands relationships over time through new products, channels, and geographies.
Core Responsibilities
1. Understand the Vendor's Business: Develop deep knowledge of each vendor's model, products, competitors, and strategic
priorities. Identify key decision-makers, where they have excess capacity or growth ambitions, and maintain a documented
account strategy for every major vendor.
2. Serve as the Vendor's Business Analyst: Analyze performance by SKU, category, and geography, benchmarked against
competitors. Translate data into clear recommendations — shared with the vendor directly, not just filed internally.
3. Develop a Vendor Growth Strategy: Build a structured growth plan per strategic vendor — pricing, rebates, incentive
programs, payment terms, freight support, inventory commitments, marketplace authorization, geographic expansion,
exclusivity, promotional participation, returns support, and new distribution opportunities — prioritized by value and feasibility.
4. Own Commercial Negotiations: Lead negotiations using facts and history. Develop SKU-wise counterproposals instead of
cold rejection or blanket acceptance. Know when to hold firm, compromise, or escalate.
5. Build Strong Vendor Relationships: Develop trusted relationships with owners, senior leaders, and operational stakeholders.
Run structured business reviews, communicate difficult messages clearly, and maintain the relationship even through
disagreement.
6. Drive Business Development Within Accounts: Treat every account as a continuing BD opportunity — expand assortment,
channels, and territories; identify new brands or divisions and seek introductions to additional decision-makers within the
vendor's org.
7. Coordinate Internal Execution: Work with pricing, procurement, supply chain, catalog, and finance to ensure agreed terms
are implemented. Resolve internal bottlenecks and escalate commercial or relationship risks promptly.
8. Manage Vendor Performance & Risk: Track revenue, profitability, inventory, and service levels. Flag early signs of decline,
reduce dependency risk from vendor concentration, and ensure compliance with marketplace, legal, and documentation
requirements.
9. Use Data, CRM & AI Effectively: Maintain accurate pipelines and account notes in CRM. Use Excel/dashboards for analysis
and AI tools for research, prep, and automating routine reporting.Key Performance Indicators
- Revenue growth and contribution margin improvement from assigned vendors
- Growth from existing vendor accounts; improved cost pricing, commercial terms, and rebates/incentives secured
- Assortment expansion; new channels, marketplaces, or geographies activated
- Recovery of declining or inactive vendor relationships; vendor retention and responsiveness
- Reduction in excess or aged inventory; improved payment terms
- Number and value of commercial opportunities identified; % of negotiations resulting in improved outcomes
- Timely implementation of vendor agreements; accuracy and completeness of CRM records
Candidate Profile
- 3–8 years in vendor management, key account management, business development, category management, procurement,
sales, or commercial operations.
- Strong business-analysis capability and commercial judgment; comfortable with revenue, pricing, margins, rebates,
inventory, and ROI.
- Excellent written and verbal English; demonstrated experience managing senior external stakeholders.
- Strong negotiation and influencing skills — able to build relationships while holding firm commercial positions.
- Experience independently managing and growing accounts, converting data into practical commercial actions.
- Comfortable working an evening/night shift aligned with US business hours.
Preferred Experience
- E-commerce, retail, marketplaces, consumer brands, distribution, or supply chain background.
- Exposure to Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Shopify, or similar marketplaces.
- Experience with vendor pricing, rebates, procurement terms, or channel expansion.
- CRM familiarity (HubSpot, Zoho, Salesforce) and strong Excel/Google Sheets proficiency.
- Experience running quarterly/annual business reviews; applied use of AI tools for analysis and workflow automation.
