Vendor and Quality Manager

Company Description

A Japanese global leader in the provision of ground-breaking and innovative technological and research solutions to the healthcare industry. The M3 Group operates in the US, Asia, and Europe with over 5.8 million physician members globally via its physician websites which include mdlinx.com, m3.com, research.m3.com, Doctors.net.uk, medigate.net, and medlive.cn. M3 Inc. is a publicly traded company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (jp:2413, NIKKEI 225) with subsidiaries in major markets including the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, and China, and in 2020 was ranked in Forbes’ Global 2000 list. The M3 Group provides services to healthcare and the life science industry. In addition to market research, these services include medical education, ethical drug promotion, clinical development, job recruitment, and clinic appointment services. M3 has offices in Japan, UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Sweden, China, USA, and South Korea, as well as India.

About the Business Division

This role is part of MED PLANET, a Lyon based fieldwork agency and wholly owned subsidiary of M3 Inc. MED PLANET is a leading provider of data-collection services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. We specialize in conducting both qualitative and quantitative market research in France. MED PLANET provides high quality translations and transcription for healthcare fieldwork projects for the M3 MR group.

Job Purpose

As a Vendor and Quality manager your role is to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across language services operations by effectively handling vendor management, overseeing quality assurance and its processes, and driving continuous improvement in workflows. The role focuses on expanding as well as maintaining strong vendor partnerships, enhancing operational efficiencies in line with ISO standards, and supporting compliance, while leveraging strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills to optimize performance and uphold quality standards.

• Vendor Management
  • Oversee and manage the vendor pool to ensure optimal size, coverage, and capability aligned with business needs.
  • Ensure vendors possess the required skills and receive appropriate training on processes and tools.
  • Lead contract negotiations, including rates and scope of services, to maintain healthy margins and support scalable service delivery.
  • Manage end-to-end vendor lifecycle, including onboarding and offboarding processes.
  • Act as the primary escalation point for vendor-related issues, including performance concerns and disputes, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
• Quality Assurance
  • Oversee quality assurance processes to ensure translations/transcriptions and deliverables meet client expectations and industry standards.
  • Develop, implement, and monitor quality control procedures and evaluation frameworks.
  • Conduct regular audits, reviews, and quality assessments to identify improvement opportunities.
• Process Improvement
  • Analyze existing workflows and operational processes to identify inefficiencies and optimization opportunities.
  • Develop and implement new procedures to improve productivity, reduce costs, and enhance service quality.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives across departments.
• Training & Development
  • Provide training and guidance to internal teams on quality standards, tools, workflows, and best practices.
  • Ensure teams remain informed about industry trends, technologies, and operational updates.
  • Create and maintain training documentation and quality guidelines.
• Collaboration & Communication
  • Work closely with project managers, team leads, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure smooth project execution.
  • Facilitate clear communication between vendors and internal teams.
  • Support client satisfaction through proactive issue management and service excellence.
• Issue Resolution
  • Investigate and resolve quality-related or operational issues as per the processes.
  • Implement preventive and corrective measures to minimize recurring problems where applicable.
  • Escalate critical issues appropriately while maintaining professional communication.
• ISO & Compliance Support
  • Support the implementation, maintenance, and improvement of ISO processes.
  • Ensure operational procedures align with company ISO standards and compliance requirements.
  • Assist with audits, documentation, and compliance monitoring activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Linguistics, Quality Management, or a related field.
• A min. of 3+ years’ experience in vendor management, quality assurance, localization, or operations management.
• Strong understanding of QA methodologies and process improvement practices.
• Experience working with Market Research projects preferred.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001/17100 standards and compliance processes is an advantage.

Knowledge, Skill, Ability

• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and quality standards.
• Proficiency in project management and reporting tools.
• Collaborative mindset with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent knowledge of translation and transcriptions workflows and processes.
• Good understanding of Market Research localization projects.
• Experience in localization, translation, or language services industry.
• Knowledge of CAT tools and localization platforms.
• Experience with KPI tracking and performance reporting.
• Background in process optimization or operational excellence initiatives.