55645671350 - Senior Program & Vendor Manager
Somewhere
πΏπ¦ Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants
This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. This role is suited for lead-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa β whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.
Job Description
Senior Program & Vendor Manager (Remote)
About the Opportunity
Our client is a fully remote, fast-growing company that builds, scales, and operates a portfolio of consumer-focused brands. They are seeking a highly organized and execution-driven Senior Program & Vendor Manager to partner closely with senior leadership and oversee critical cross-functional initiatives.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, enjoys bringing structure to complex projects, and has experience managing external vendors, BPO partners, and cross-functional teams. You'll play a key role in ensuring major initiatives are delivered on time, stakeholders remain aligned, and operational processes continue to scale effectively.
What You'll Own
End-to-End Program Management of Major Initiatives
You'll manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously, including customer recovery programs, product activation initiatives, support center operations, vendor-led projects, and growth-focused workstreams. Responsibilities include project scoping, prioritization, dependency management, timeline tracking, and proactively removing blockers.
External Vendor & BPO Operations
You'll serve as the primary point of contact for external vendors, BPO partners, and product development providers. This includes monitoring KPI and SLA performance, managing quality assurance processes, coordinating contract renewals and scope adjustments, and ensuring effective escalation procedures are in place.
Cross-Functional Execution Coordination
Working closely with leadership, you'll transform strategic initiatives into actionable project plans and ensure seamless collaboration across operations, customer experience, product, technology, data, and growth teams.
Documentation, SOPs & Process Improvement
You'll establish and maintain operational documentation, including SOPs, project briefs, decision logs, vendor playbooks, and process documentation to ensure consistency and scalability.
Meeting & Communication Operations
You'll manage operational cadences by coordinating meetings, capturing decisions, assigning action items, tracking risks, and ensuring follow-through on commitments across teams.
Analytics & Reporting
You'll collaborate with technical and operational teams to establish performance tracking for key initiatives, vendor performance, customer engagement metrics, and operational KPIs. You'll be responsible for interpreting data and providing actionable insights to stakeholders.
Why This Role Exists
The organization is managing several complex initiatives simultaneously, including customer activation programs, call center operations, product launches, and growth projects. This role exists to provide dedicated ownership of project execution, ensuring that strategic decisions are translated into clear plans, assigned ownership, and measurable outcomes.
What Success Looks Like
Day 30
* Take ownership of at least one active initiative.
* Leadership is no longer responsible for day-to-day project coordination.
Day 60
* Successfully manage three or more active initiatives.
* Establish foundational reporting and analytics across key projects.
* Provide regular performance insights and recommendations.
Day 90
* Strategic ideas move from concept to execution rapidly through clearly defined ownership, timelines, and delivery processes.
What You Bring
* 5+ years of experience in program management, project management, operations management, or a similar role within a startup or high-growth environment
* Proven experience managing large-scale projects involving multiple stakeholders over extended timelines
* Experience managing external vendors and holding partners accountable to KPIs and SLAs
* Strong systems-thinking mindset with experience building SOPs, workflows, documentation, and operational frameworks
* Exceptional organizational and communication skills
* Native or fluent English proficiency
* Experience using Notion and AI productivity tools
* Ability to thrive in ambiguity and adapt to changing priorities
* Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills
Preferred Qualifications
* Experience serving as the first project, program, or operations manager within a growing company
* Background in eCommerce, DTC, digital products, performance marketing, media buying, or related industries
* Experience managing call center, activation center, or BPO operations
* Familiarity with GHL, Shopify, Zendesk, Figma, and Miro
* Understanding of CRM systems and workflow automation
* PMP certification or similar project management credentials
Why Join?
* Join a profitable, fast-growing organization with ambitious growth plans
* Enjoy significant autonomy and ownership from day one
* Work directly with senior leadership and influence company-wide initiatives
* Experience a fast-moving, results-oriented environment with minimal bureaucracy
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive Compensation
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Tips for South African Applicants
Timezone Advantage
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.
Salary in Context
Even without a listed salary, international remote roles typically pay 2-3x more than equivalent local positions in South Africa due to the exchange rate advantage.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to international standards β use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.
Load Shedding Preparedness
If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.
About Somewhere
Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 748 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs β