This is our Partner Management & Vendor Support Team

How the team is structured

The team is divided into three technical areas: 

• Partner Management: This area focuses on managing supplier and brand integration, developing processes with suppliers, and managing operational brand processes. The team works on successfully integrating new partners and continuously cultivating existing relationships.
• Vendor Support: In Vendor Support, the team handles all inquiries and issues from our sellers. It offers functional customer service escalation management for Kaufland sellers and takes on all the administrative tasks related to Extended Producer Responsibility. The team is also the source of information for all contract and condition details and manages the mass mails for the entire area.
• Process Management: This area is responsible for managing all changes in processes with internal and external interfaces in the department, as well as all legal and compliance-related topics for Kaufland sellers on the marketplaces.

What the team does

In Partner Management and Vendor Support, the team is there for suppliers and brand partners. Seamless process and technical integration of new partners, as well as cultivating and developing existing partner relationships, both play a crucial role. To create a sustainable exchange, the team is constantly optimizing processes with suppliers as well as with internal and external interfaces. The team works closely with departments like Vendor Management, Supply Chain Management, Legal, Marketing, Product Data Management, Finance, and Tech & Product. What’s more, the team stays on top of legal compliance for the area and functions as an expert resource for supplier-related customer inquiries.

What day-to-day business looks like

The team’s daily tasks revolve around partners in the vendor and brand areas, as well as the key topics mentioned above. They handle inquiries, clarify problems, and work towards optimizing processes to make cooperation as efficient as possible. To do so, the team is constantly in contact with partners as well as various departments to ensure that all information flows promptly and accurately.

How the team keeps in touch

The team members are in regular exchange with each other, whether in informal or fixed formats. Multiple weekly meetings create a scaffold for creating transparency, sharing knowledge and preparing decisions efficiently:

• PMVS team meeting: In this weekly meeting, the whole team gets together to discuss the week’s most important topics, business-relevant updates and strategic decisions.
• Jour fixe on partner topics: This is where the team discusses all of the partner-related updates, successes, or challenges. Thanks to this operative transparency, everyone on the team is able to learn from the experiences and support each other.
• Small-scale team meetings: These sessions take place in team- or topic-specific groups to ensure efficient access to crucial information or tackle challenges together.

What makes the team special

Thanks to this structured discussion model and the shared values, your future colleagues in Partner Management and Vendor Support create an environment in which everyone can take responsibility and act independently. And that supports a strong team spirit. Your future colleagues see it the same way:

The flexibility during working hours and the trust that I’ve experienced mean that I enjoy doing my work.

– Laura, Partner Manager Direct Sales

In Partner Management & Vendor Support, the team is passionate about providing comprehensive support to suppliers and brand partners. By continuously optimizing processes and working closely with various departments, the team not only ensures seamless integrations but also fosters long-term, successful partnerships. And it’s fun, too!

– Tanja, Head of Partner Management & Vendor Support