Vendor Performance Manager

The Community You Will Join:

The Enterprise Operations Workforce Management team is responsible for partnering with third party vendors to acquire and manage hosts on the Airbnb platform. As a Vendor Performance Manager, you will be the primary operational owner for strategic vendor relationships critical to scaling and managing the Homes program.

The Difference You Will Make:

This role is remote but needs to be within easy commuting distance to Barcelona, Spain. This role is not eligible for relocation support.

As a Vendor Performance Manager for Homes, you set the portfolio vision and governance for Airbnb’s global vendor ecosystem—defining standards, incentives, and the operating model so vendors become a strategic lever for growth, cost efficiency, quality, compliance, and risk control. You act as a senior advisor who translates operational and market signals into clear trade‑off recommendations, aligns leaders on priorities and investment, and institutionalizes executive visibility through rigorous performance narratives. You steward contract and policy alignment, mature workflows, and establish the accountability mechanisms that elevate vendor performance from execution to durable business impact.

A Typical Day:

• Lead portfolio‑level performance programs and governance across multiple strategic vendors, setting targets, incentives, and corrective mechanisms to deliver business outcomes.


• Translate complex operational signals into executive‑ready narratives and recommendations, securing decisions from senior stakeholders and vendor leaders.


• Structure and drive cross‑functional initiatives with Policy, Legal, Product, Finance, and Enablement to resolve ambiguous, multi‑stakeholder issues and de‑risk operations.


• Conduct deep‑dive analyses to identify root causes, drive accountability, and land corrective actions.


• Develop and negotiate trade‑off recommendations with senior stakeholders to balance growth, cost, quality, and risk, building consensus and securing decisions.


• Own regular business reviews across the vendor portfolio; track results, enforce governance, and hold partners accountable.


• Ensure adherence to contractual, security, and policy requirements, proactively identifying and mitigating operational and compliance risks.


• Serve as the point of escalation for high‑impact issues; assess business and organizational risk and implement corrective and preventive actions.


• Establish operating rhythms and executive‑ready reporting that convert complex data into business context, decisions, and action.


• Provide functional guidance and mentorship to junior team members or cross-functional partners on vendor performance management best practices.

Your Expertise:

• Experience: 10+ years of professional experience, including 5+ years in vendor management, supplier relationship management, or outsourced operations performance in high‑volume, global environments.


• Cross‑functional program leadership: Proven track record leading programs with notable risk and complexity; operates with minimal guidance and sets strategy for execution.


• Subject‑matter expertise: Recognized expertise in vendor/outsourced performance; communicates difficult concepts, negotiates at senior levels, and converts complex data into compelling business recommendations.


• Analytical judgment under ambiguity: Structures trade‑offs across growth, cost, customer experience, and risk; advanced BI/spreadsheet skills with SQL preferred.


• Technology & CRM proficiency: Deep working knowledge of CRM (Salesforce) and sales enablement tools (e.g., MixMax, Gong) to optimize workflows and operational efficiency.


• Operational excellence: Deep understanding of contact center operations, quality assurance methodologies, and process improvement frameworks (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).


• Communication & influence: Exceptional written and verbal communication; presents complex information clearly and influences stakeholders at all levels.


• Program/project management: Experience managing complex operational projects with clear timelines, deliverables, and cross‑functional dependencies.

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.