SHANKAR NP

Currently heading the Global Vendor Operations Team, overseeing Vendor Data Management, vendor onboarding/offboarding, Compliance, Contract Management, and vendor audits. Managing a diverse global vendor base supplying both Print and non-Print products, while also supervising the Buying Admin function.

• Overseeing the Global Team responsible for Vendor Operations and Vendor Database Management within the Sourcing Domain.
• Managing the Global Vendor Audit Team, ensuring vendor compliance with company policies.
• Actively resolving Process Workflow issues and maintaining workflow during team member absences.
• Continuously monitoring and reporting on various performance metrics.
• Supervising Contract Management, ensuring up-to-date contracts with vendors.
• Leading efforts in automating processes and driving continuous improvement.
• Regularly updating Regional Stakeholders (APAC/EMEA/US) and aligning with their requirements.
• Actively implementing and transitioning new processes, projects, and tools, along with process improvements.
• Managing the team, including leaves, attendance, and appraisals.
• Handling escalations for Vendor Operations and Contract Management.
• Proactively identifying process gaps and implementing improvement techniques.
• Actively overseeing the team managing multiple shared mailboxes, maintaining 100% quality and SLA adherence.
• Actively standardizing regional processes into a unified Global Process.
• Implementing and managing the Vendor Management tool.
• Reporting comprehensive statistics to stakeholders and line managers.
• Providing region-specific spend reporting.
• Leading the creation of customized dashboards in response to leadership requests.

• Managed a team responsible for Vendor Onboarding, Vendor Compliance Audit, and Contract Management exclusively for EMEA.
• Oversaw the team, addressing email inquiries regarding Vendor Onboarding and vendor audits in the EMEA region.
• Implemented backup systems and initiated process enhancements.
• Managed team attendance, leaves, and conducted performance appraisals.
• Developed automated macros for various Excel tasks, optimizing processing time.
• Generated ad-hoc reports and matrices to align with stakeholder requirements.
• Produced monthly dashboards for stakeholders.
• Facilitated the transition of new processes.
• Addressed escalations and conducted root cause analysis (RCA).
• Maintained records for internal audits.

• Identified and resolved technical issues in the supplier portal, collaborating with the development team.
• Assumed leadership responsibilities when the Team Lead was unavailable, providing guidance to the team.
• Kept the onshore team informed with weekly updates during the Team Lead's absence.
• Mentored team members on operational aspects.
• Conducted WebEx training sessions for various stakeholders on the process.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to develop and implement new sections and fields within the Supplier portal based on their requests.
• Offered valuable insights on process transitions from onshore.
• Worked closely with onshore stakeholders to implement control measures ensuring accuracy.

• Participated in monthly calls with the onshore team to gain insights into the business.
• Identified process gaps and executed process enhancements.
• Generated reports for spend analysis.
• Provided support for various ad-hoc tasks and report generation.
• Prepared PowerPoint presentations for financial data.
• Developed and maintained process manuals and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all processes.
• Acted as a subject matter expert in operational matters.
• Generated daily, weekly, and monthly reports.

• Computed Supplier Support Agreement (SSA) fees for eligible vendors.
• Generated monthly invoices for SSA fees to Suppliers.
• Produced reports for the finance team concerning SSA billing.
• Managed the SSA billing-related mailbox and addressed billing inquiries.
• Initiated process improvement efforts to identify and rectify process gaps.
• Contributed to the implementation of processes via the supplier portal for the US and APAC supplier base.
• Handled multiple mailboxes and resolved inquiries.
• Reviewed and verified audit questionnaire responses from suppliers.
• Maintained the Supplier onboarding tool to prevent anomalies.

• Ensured the seamless flow of the vendor onboarding process and addressed any issues promptly.
• Managed complex queries within the administrative mailbox, particularly those concerning vendor payments and vendor onboarding issues.
• Collaborated with the finance team, PO Management team, and category manager to resolve issues through telephone communication.
• Assisted the category manager with vendor onboarding issues across multiple systems.
• Conducted routine checks to verify the consistency, reliability, and accuracy of data within the Supplier portal, finance, and PO systems.

• Maintaining the supplier database of around 3000 print and Non-Print Suppliers within Europe
• Onboarding new Suppliers/vendors by setting them up in various systems like supplier portal, PO system and finance systems
• Contract management for the Print Suppliers including issuing and verifying it when received
• Handling the common admin mailbox on queries related to vendor onboarding from various stake holders
• Making sure the Supplier portal (Online Vendor Management tool) is up to date and ensuring the data across PO system, finance system and supplier Portal are in Synch
• Performing various control checks on monthly basis to verify if on boarded suppliers are compliant as per the process
• Resolving the payment related issues by identifying the anomaly in the backend workflow of the vendor on boarding process
• Cleansing the data in the supplier portal
• Issuing audits on regular basis to the suppliers to check compliance.

• Supervised the job queue to ensure punctual delivery of the final deliverables.
• Functioned as a liaison between the client and the team, serving as the primary contact point for the client.
• Initiated the initial phase of job processing.
• Maintained continuous monitoring of job statuses and regularly informed the client.
• Contributed to a project involving XBRL.
• Provided guidance to the team when the Team Lead was unavailable.

• Commenced multiple initiatives to enhance process quality.
• Generated reports outlining quality metrics.
• Addressed and engaged in discussions regarding quality concerns with the client.
• Implemented novel strategies to enhance process quality and upheld quality control measures.
• Engaged in tasks involving a back-office SAP-based application.

• Oversight of process quality, identification of areas of weakness, and offering innovative solutions to meet quality standards.
• Providing timely feedback and guidance to process associates for improvement.
• Engaging in tasks related to a back-office SAP-based application.