Production & Events Vendor Relationship Manager

Job Description
Company Description:
McDonald's is proud to be one of the most recognized brands in the world, with restaurants in over 100 countries that serve 70 million customers daily. We continue to operate from a position of strength. Our updated growth strategy is focused on staying ahead of what our customers want and realizing further growth potential. Our relentless ambition is why McDonald's remains one of the world's leading corporations after almost 70 years. Joining McDonald's means thinking big and preparing for a career that can have influence around the world.
At McDonald's, we see every day as a chance to create positive impact. We lead through our values centered on inclusivity, service, integrity, community and family. From support of Ronald McDonald House Charities to our Youth Opportunity project and sustainability initiatives, our values keep us dedicated to using our scale for good: good for our customers, people, industry and planet. We also offer a broad range of outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.
We are enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work model, in which employees spend part of their week connecting with co-workers in our state-of-the-art headquarters. Located in the booming West Loop of downtown Chicago, it's set up to be a global hub that cultivates collaboration:

• Take a class at Hamburger University
• Sample future items in our Test Kitchen
• Utilize the latest technology to connect with your team around the globe

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our crew members, staff, operators, and suppliers. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone.
Job Description:
Purpose
As the Production & Events Vendor Relationship Manager within McDonald's in-house agency, Agency 123, you will be responsible for managing supplier partner resources for creative, production, hotel, event, and communications across Global Communications. Responsible for the full supplier lifecycle from identifying, negotiating, on-boarding to handling provider's performance via a structured governance process. You'll partner with the Centralized Resources Director to establish and execute innovative strategies for the Centralized Resourcing Team.
As part of vendor management, you'll also be responsible for overseeing the training, compliance and promotion of the McDonald's Meetings Management (M3) program and tools. The M3 platform supports users with professional venue & hotel searches and contracting services.
What You Will Be Doing

• Evaluate, manage, and maintain relationships with supplier partners to ensure compliance with Global Workforce Solutions, Sourcing, and Legal requirements while safeguarding McDonald's business terms
• Identify, evaluate, and monitor diverse suppliers for engagement
• Introduce new/trending solutions across managed categories
• In partnership with the Creative Operations Supervisor, develop, lead, and oversee the:
• Process to vet, select, and manage new and existing suppliers
• Guidelines for vendor compliance management (including SLAs, NDAs, RFPs, etc.) in conjunction with GWS, Sourcing, and Legal for new and existing suppliers to safeguard business terms
• Comprehensive vendor training and onboarding process
• Process to conduct annual vendor reviews
• On-going assessment process for production, hotel and communications resources providing services to A123
• In partnership with the Meetings Supervisor develop, lead and oversee:
• M3 (McDonald's Meetings Management), our global strategic meeting management program
• Annual vendor review process
• Renewal process for M3 agreements
• Update preferred hotel MSAs
• Training/education program on M3 tools/resources
• Compliance and adoption of M3 Program
• Manage legal agreements and reporting for M3 programs
• Serve as an escalation point for supplier partner issues
• Evaluate supplier partners for best-in-class support
• Participate in cross-functional teams to identify process gaps and supplier opportunities
• Maintain industry network inside and outside the McDonald's organization
• Ensure supplier partners are consistently informed about department processes & priorities and strategic direction on McDonald's evolving priorities
• Mitigate risks through effective vendor management
• Lead ongoing vendor governance activities for day-to-day project support and staffing as well as special projects (like Worldwide Convention)

Qualifications:
What You Need

• College degree combined with 7+ years' experience in relevant field (communications, creative production, hospitality, procurement)
• Exceptional verbal / written communication, interpersonal, organizational, customer service and teamwork skills
• Time management skills with the ability to multi-task and perform efficiently under any condition
• Good conceptual and creative thinking with ability to communicate complex issues and information to all levels of the organization
• Team orientated, collaborative leadership skills and ability to lead cross-functional colleagues and provider teams
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Ability to lead and influence
• Strong process improvement experience
• Proficient in reporting and data analysis
• Proven ability in documenting and establishing process and protocols
• Ability to identify and manage risks and issues
• Success leveraging interpersonal skills to influence behavior and operate in complex team environments
• Actively engages across department and within the organization
• Customer-obsessed mindset
• Strategic Meeting Management programming is a plus
• Prior production and hotel contract experience preferred

About Agency One TwentyThree
Agency One TwentyThree is McDonald's In-House Creative Agency that operates as a function within Global Communications. We are thinkers. Strategists. Creatives. Doers. We know McDonald's, because we are McDonald's. But we also know how to push boundaries. Exceed limitations. We are McDonald's inside source and secret weapon. We pride ourselves on being true partners that can anticipate a project's needs and drive results.
Additional Information:
McDonald's is an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our workforce. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. McDonald's provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities as part of the application or hiring process or to perform the essential functions of their job. If you need assistance accessing or reading this job posting or otherwise feel you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact [email protected] . Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
McDonald's provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, disability status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, protected military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.