Vendor Risk Manager Jobs in Katy, TX (NOW HIRING)

Position Title:          COMMERCIAL GOVERNANCE MANAGER
Location:                  HOUSTON, TX
FLSA Class:             EXEMPT
Responsible to:      MANAGER OF SUPPLY CHAIN

 Position Summary: VoltaGrid is building a strategic Supply Chain function, and we're looking for a Commercial Governance Manager to establish and lead the commercial and contractual governance framework that underpins our category management, vendor risk, and contract lifecycle activities. This is a foundational role on a newly formed team, offering the opportunity to design processes, controls, and standards from the ground up rather than inherit an existing playbook.

 Reporting into the Supply Chain Manager, this role will directly manage the Vendor Compliance Risk Analyst and will partner closely with internal stakeholders to ensure contracts, supplier commitments, and commercial decisions are governed consistently, transparently, and in line with company policy and risk appetite.

This role is focused on commercial and contract governance, vendor risk management, and front-end control design — it is not an internal audit or SOX/SOC2 compliance role. It will work closely with Internal Audit, Legal, and Finance, but does not own audit execution or internal control testing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain the commercial governance framework for Supply Chain, including approval thresholds, decision rights, and escalation paths
• Establish standard operating procedures for contract lifecycle management — from sourcing through execution, amendment, and closeout
• Own and evolve decision-support tools (e.g., decision models, criticality frameworks) used across the Category Management team to ensure consistent, risk-appropriate commercial decisions
• Provide governance oversight across the contract portfolio, ensuring contracts are structured, reviewed, and approved in accordance with company policy
• Partner with Category Managers and Specialists during contract phases to ensure commercial terms, risk allocation, and performance mechanisms meet governance standards
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations and commercial policies across the supplier base
• Refine and enforce the existing Vendor Risk Management (VRM) framework, strengthening front-end controls and ensuring consistent, risk-appropriate application across the vendor base
• Support the company's efforts as they relate to commercial and vendor governance — building and documenting scalable frameworks and controls, rather than performing internal audit testing
• Partner with Internal Audit, Legal, and Finance to ensure governance frameworks meet the standards expected of a public company, while Internal Audit retains ownership of formal audit execution
• Directly manage the Vendor Compliance Risk Analyst, including goal-setting, performance management, coaching, and professional development
• Direct the work of the Vendor Compliance Risk Analyst to align commercial governance with vendor risk assessments, ensuring high-risk or high-criticality suppliers receive appropriate scrutiny
• Set priorities and quality standards for vendor compliance risk assessments, reviewing and approving the Analyst's output before it feeds into governance decisions
• Support supplier performance management processes, ensuring governance data (compliance, exceptions, escalations) feeds into performance reviews and business reviews
• Develop and maintain governance reporting and dashboards for leadership, highlighting compliance trends, exceptions, and areas of commercial risk
• Serve as a key point of contact for internal audit, legal, and finance on matters of contract and commercial governance
• Present governance updates and recommendations to Supply Chain leadership and cross-functional stakeholders
• Identify gaps or inefficiencies in current commercial processes and drive continuous improvement
• Support training and enablement for Category Managers and Specialists on governance requirements, tools, and decision frameworks
• Contribute to broader Supply Chain initiatives, including team workshops, tool rollouts (e.g., project intake and tracking systems), and change management efforts

 Requirements:

•  Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Law, or a related field
•  5+ years of experience in commercial governance, contract management, procurement, or supply chain roles, ideally within a public energy, infrastructure, or a related capital-intensive company
•  Strong understanding of contract structures, commercial terms, and risk management principles
•  Experience building or maturing governance frameworks, policies, or decision models in a growing or evolving organization
•  Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence Category Managers, Specialists, and senior leadership alike
•  Prior people management experience, with a track record of coaching and developing individual contributors
•  Strong analytical skills, with comfort translating governance data into clear reporting and actionable recommendations
•  Exceptional attention to detail balanced with pragmatic, business-oriented judgment
•  Experience with contract management or project intake tools (e.g., ERP Systems, SAP, Oracle, Ariba, GEP) a plus

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification.  All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. 

VoltaGrid is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. 

Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.