Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, Project Management, or related field; relevant experience may substitute for degree
3+ years in project/program management, vendor management, or operations coordination
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, especially with C-suite executives
Ability to critically assess presentations and reports for accuracy and business sense
Working knowledge of vendor relationships, SLAs, and KPIs
Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint for project tracking and reporting
Responsibilities
Act as SunStrong's onsite liaison with the vendor, facilitating communication and pushing initiatives forward
Maintain project plans and track progress on SunStrong initiatives, escalating risks as needed
Communicate process and policy changes effectively, ensuring understanding and implementation
Coordinate onsite training sessions, managing logistics and tracking attendance
Review vendor reports and presentations for accuracy and alignment with SunStrong's objectives
Share context behind initiatives with vendor teams to ensure alignment with outcomes
Observe vendor operations to identify gaps and report findings to leadership
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
401(k) plan
Generous employee reward package
Full Job Description
Onsite Vendor Program Manager
THE POSITION
The Onsite Vendor Program Manager is SunStrong Management's embedded presence at our subservicer, serving as the day-to-day liaison between SunStrong's internal departments and the vendor's teams. This is a project and program management role: the Program Manager drives SunStrong initiatives forward onsite, tracks progress against milestones, coordinates visits and training, and ensures directives and changes are communicated, understood, and acted on in both directions. The ideal candidate understands the business reasons behind SunStrong's plans, can critically review slide decks and reports to confirm they make sense, and can turn direction into clear, actionable work for the vendor's teams. This role will be onsite in Phoenix, Arizona. Must be located in the area.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Serve as SunStrong's onsite representative at the subservicer, acting as the day-to-day liaison between SunStrong departments and the vendor's primary contact and leadership to push directives forward.
Drive progress and tracking on SunStrong initiatives by maintaining project plans, milestones, owners, and due dates; following up proactively; and escalating risks and blockers to SunStrong leadership.
Ensure process, policy, system, and priority changes are communicated accurately in both directions, confirm understanding and implementation, and maintain a log of changes, decisions, and open items.
Coordinate onsite visits and training sessions, including scheduling, agendas, logistics, and materials, and track attendance and follow-up to confirm training is completed.
Review slide decks, reports, and status updates from the vendor and internal teams to confirm they are accurate, consistent with the underlying data, and aligned with SunStrong's objectives; flag gaps and inconsistencies.
Share the context and reasoning behind SunStrong's initiatives with vendor teams so their work stays aligned with the intended outcome.
Observe vendor operations onsite, identify process gaps, training needs, and performance concerns, and report findings and recommendations to Servicing and Vendor Management leadership.
Support vendor performance monitoring by gathering SLA, KPI, and deliverable information and partnering with SunStrong analysts on follow-up and corrective action plans.
Lead or support recurring status meetings, capturing action items, owners, and next steps, and keep vendor contact lists, escalation paths, trackers, and meeting notes current.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's Degree (Business, Finance, Project Management, or other applicable field); sufficient relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement
Minimum of 3 years of experience in project or program management, vendor management, or operations coordination, with a track record of driving initiatives to completion
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated experience engaging C-suite and senior executives; clear, concise communication is essential to a role built on translating direction and keeping multiple parties aligned
Ability to critically review presentations, reports, and performance data and quickly judge whether they are accurate, complete, and make business sense
Working knowledge of vendor relationships, SLAs, and KPIs, and how operational activity connects to business outcomes
Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to build and maintain project trackers and status reports
Preferred Qualifications:
Project management certification or formal training (e.g., PMP, CAPM, or similar)
Experience in the solar industry
Knowledge of Snowflake or SQL
Salesforce experience
Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Self-directed and comfortable working independently onsite with limited day-to-day supervision
Strong presentation and interpersonal skills, with the diplomacy to build trust and influence without direct authority
Detail-oriented, highly organized, and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
Ability to understand the "why" behind business initiatives and explain it clearly to others
Sound judgment in knowing when to resolve an issue directly and when to escalate
WORKING CONDITIONS
Onsite position at the subservicer's facility; occasional travel to SunStrong's Houston office may be required
Ability to adhere to Compliance standards
Projects and activities may dictate the need for working longer hours at times
Benefits SunStrong Management offers a generous employee reward package that includes:
Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k)
