About the role
Awardco is reimagining the workplace to be more rewarding, supportive, and fun for everyone. As one of the fastest-growing companies in the employee experience industry, our mission is to help employees love what they do, love where they work, and get recognized for their efforts—especially our own employees! And as winners of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, Best in Brightest in the Nation, and Great Place to Work, we do much more than talk the talk. The Marketplace Growth Specialist drives expansion and quality of Awardco's global rewards catalog by sourcing new vendors, managing mid-tier vendor relationships, and negotiating terms that improve pricing, affiliate revenue, and product availability. This is a mid-level individual contributor role that sits between the Marketplace Coordinator/Team Lead level and Marketplace Development Manager — someone ready to own vendor relationships independently, but who still partners with leadership on complex, high-stakes decisions. What you will do: Vendor Sourcing & Negotiation: Initiate outreach to new vendors and independently manage mid-tier vendor accounts to negotiate pricing, catalog offerings, and affiliate terms directly. Catalog Strategy: Track competitor and industry trends, and proactively recommend new catalog additions that keep the marketplace competitive. Cross-Functional Contribution: Support and contribute to larger vendor negotiations led by managers, developing a working understanding of global vendor landscapes and pricing structures. Catalog Operations: Develop deep fluency in how the redemption catalog works end-to-end - fulfillment capabilities, root-level navigation, and how clients actually use the marketplace day to day. Creative Contribution: Bring new ideas to catalog growth and merchandising, with openness to coaching and refinement as those ideas mature. Communication & Reporting: Clearly relay vendor and catalog updates across departments, clients, and vendor partners, keeping their manager informed on account status and opportunities. What you will bring: 1-3 years of experience in vendor management, partnerships, category/merchandising, or marketplace operations - ideally in e-commerce, rewards/incentives, retail, or a DTC-adjacent industry. Track record of directly negotiating pricing or commercial terms with external partners (not just supporting negotiations). Exposure to global or multi-region vendor relationships is a plus, even if not yet deep expertise.
