Vendor Management Coordinator Position Available In Rapides, Louisiana

We’re committed to being the clean energy leader in Louisiana. By investing in renewables like solar and utilizing carbon capture and sequestration technology to make our air cleaner, we’re in this for the long haul, because our state and future generations depend on it. Come be a part of our journey at Cleco where we’re Energizing Your Tomorrow.

Role Summary:

The Vendor Mgmt Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting the end-to-end procurement lifecycle and vendor management processes within the IT organization, ensuring the efficient acquisition of technology goods and services while maintaining compliance with financial and operational policies. This role is responsible for managing vendor relationships, optimizing contract performance, and ensuring timely and accurate processing of invoices and payments. By collaborating closely with internal stakeholders, finance teams, and external vendors, the Vendor Mgmt Coordinator ensures alignment between procurement activities and strategic business objectives. Additionally, the role supports contract lifecycle management, asset tracking, and the creation and maintenance of WBS data for IT projects and capital purchases. Through data analysis, process improvement, and system enhancements, the specialist contributes to cost optimization, operational efficiency, and the overall success of IT procurement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence. Support the IT organization in managing vendor contracts and relationships, with a strategic focus on optimizing vendor performance, aligning with business goals, and enhancing long-term value. Ensure timely and accurate payment of IT vendors by adhering to departmental procedures. Collaborate with managers and supervisors to consistently review and validate invoices, ensuring compliance and accuracy prior to payment authorization. Conduct detailed reviews of all technology-related invoices in partnership with departmental leads to confirm accuracy, completeness, and alignment with contractual terms. Generate and analyze financial and operational reports to identify discrepancies, monitor trends, and uncover cost-saving opportunities across IT procurement activities. Partner with internal stakeholders and external vendors to reconcile purchase orders and resolve invoice discrepancies, ensuring seamless procure-to-pay operations. Maintain a comprehensive electronic database of IT contracts, tracking key terms and expiration dates. Provide proactive notifications to contract owners regarding upcoming renewals or terminations. Prepare routine and ad hoc financial and vendor reports for leadership, analyze data to detect anomalies or trends, and escalate critical issues based on urgency and business impact. Serve as a liaison between internal stakeholders, teams and external vendors, addressing and resolving payment-related inquiries and ensuring a high level of service and responsiveness. Contribute to the development of contract lifecycle planning, and contribute to special projects aimed at improving procurement efficiency. Track and report on budget variances, providing insights to management for informed financial and vendor decision-making. Oversee the end-to-end management of procurement documentation, including requisitions, purchase orders, invoices, and payment records. Develop and manage WBS for IT projects and capital equipment purchases, ensuring accurate alignment with project scopes, budgets, and procurement plans. Collaborate with project managers and leadership to structure WBS elements that support effective tracking, reporting, and cost control throughout the project lifecycle. Ensure all procurement activities comply with internal policies, financial regulations, and external compliance requirements. Foster strong relationships with vendors, resolve operational issues promptly, and maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all interactions. Maintain and regularly update vendor master data, ensuring data integrity and consistency across procurement systems.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field preferred . 2-5 years of related experience Strong knowledge of leading practices for their practice area Strong planning and project management skills Willingness and ability to learn new technologies on the job Demonstrated ability to communicate complex results to technical and non-technical audiences Proficient at functioning effectively within a team environment, present ideas and opinions in a respective and collegial manner Strong customer focus and employee experience mindset May perform other duties as assigned. Salary dependent on experience, skills, education, and training. Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through its primary subsidiary, Cleco Power. Headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana, and in business since 1935, the company has approximately 1,200 employees. Cleco Power Cleco Power is a regulated electric utility that owns 8 generating units with a rated capacity of 2,676 megawatts and operates 946 megawatts on behalf of its generation partners. Assets also includes 1,386 miles of transmission lines and approximately 12,228 miles of distribution lines. Cleco Power uses multiple generating sources and multiple fuels to serve approximately 295,000 customers in 24 of Louisiana’s parishes through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana. Parishes served include Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Catahoula, DeSoto, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, Vernon and Washington.