Assistant Vice President – Vendor Ecosystem, Procurement & Marketplace

About the Role

Trafasa Technologies is looking for an experienced and highly hands-on Assistant Vice President – Vendor Ecosystem, Procurement & Marketplace to build and scale our vendor ecosystem across Trafasa Circle and Trafasa Exchange.

This is not a conventional vendor-management or procurement role.

We are looking for someone capable of building the vendor ecosystem from the ground up — personally identifying, approaching, developing, onboarding, verifying and activating new suppliers, while eventually building and leading the vendor acquisition/category function.

For Trafasa Circle, the objective is to develop a large pool of verified, credible and trusted suppliers that buyers can confidently discover and invite to procurement opportunities.

For Trafasa Exchange, the role will involve identifying and onboarding manufacturers, distributors, dealers, stockists and other suppliers, facilitating product/service listings, activating sellers and ultimately helping generate marketplace transactions.

Initially, the focus will be on:

Steel · MRO & Industrial Supplies · Infrastructure · Chemicals

However, the candidate must be capable of subsequently developing vendor ecosystems across other industries and procurement categories.

What You Will Own

You will be responsible for the complete vendor lifecycle:

Identification → Acquisition → Registration → Documentation → Verification → Category Mapping → Product/Service Listing → Activation → RFQ/Marketplace Participation → Transactions → Engagement & Retention

Key Responsibilities

Develop Trafasa's overall vendor acquisition and ecosystem strategy.

Build category-wise and geography-wise vendor networks.

Personally acquire and onboard vendors during the initial phase.

Develop strong supplier coverage initially across Steel, MRO, Infrastructure and Chemicals.

Identify manufacturers, distributors, dealers, stockists and service providers.

Develop vendor pools based on actual buyer procurement requirements.

Drive vendor verification and profile completeness on Trafasa Circle.

Drive seller onboarding and product/service listings on Trafasa Exchange.

Encourage vendor participation in RFQs, quotations and auctions.

Improve vendor response rates, activity and retention.

Develop relationships with industry associations, trade bodies, industrial clusters and other potential vendor-acquisition channels.

Build scalable vendor acquisition processes rather than relying only on individual cold calling.

Work closely with Sales, Procurement, Technology and Management.

Develop measurable acquisition, activation, marketplace transaction and eventually revenue targets.

Subsequently build and manage the vendor acquisition/category team as Trafasa scales.

What We Are Looking For

Mandatory Requirements

Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience.

Graduation in Materials Engineering, Materials Management or a closely related engineering/materials discipline.

Strong exposure to procurement, materials management, strategic sourcing, vendor development, supplier acquisition and/or category management.

Hands-on experience in personally identifying, approaching, developing and onboarding new vendors, rather than merely managing an existing approved vendor base.

Understanding of B2B RFQs/RFPs, quotations, negotiations, supplier evaluation and vendor selection.

Strong commercial orientation and willingness to carry measurable vendor acquisition, activation, transaction and eventually revenue targets.

Ability to work across industries and procurement categories rather than being restricted to one particular industry.

Ability and willingness to remain hands-on during Trafasa's present zero-to-one stage.

Willingness to work full-time from our Kolkata office.

Experience in the following areas will be particularly relevant:

B2B marketplaces, procurement technology, industrial procurement, manufacturing, EPC/infrastructure, MRO, steel/metals, chemicals, engineering and industrial distribution.

However, the candidate should ultimately be industry agnostic.

Who This Role Is For

This role is suited to a senior procurement/vendor-development professional who can operate at both strategic and execution levels.

You should be comfortable with:

Personally approaching new suppliers.

Building vendor networks from zero.

Negotiating with suppliers.

Evaluating and verifying vendors.

Driving vendor onboarding.

Activating vendors after registration.

Increasing RFQ and marketplace participation.

Building scalable acquisition channels.

Carrying measurable commercial and acquisition targets.

Eventually building and managing a vendor acquisition/category team.

This is an early-stage, zero-to-one role. Someone who expects to only manage an established vendor team or existing supplier base will not be the right fit.

Why Join Trafasa

You will have the opportunity to build a major part of Trafasa's B2B procurement ecosystem from the ground up.

The role combines:

Procurement + Vendor Development + B2B Marketplace + Commercial Growth + Team Building

Your work will directly influence the depth, quality and commercial usefulness of Trafasa's vendor ecosystem.

Application Process

Interested candidates are required to complete the screening form before their application can be considered.

Apply through the screening form:

[PASTE GOOGLE FORM LINK HERE]

Please provide accurate and verifiable information. The screening form contains mandatory eligibility questions, and candidates who do not meet the required criteria may not proceed further.

Screening & Selection Process

Application → Mandatory Screening → Detailed CV Review → Trafasa Profile → Candidate Review → First-Round Interview → Founder/Management Interview

Shortlisted candidates will receive Trafasa's company/ecosystem profile before the first-round interview and will be expected to understand:

Trafasa and our vision

Trafasa Source

Trafasa Circle

Trafasa Exchange

Trafasa Bid

Our integrated B2B procurement ecosystem

Why a large verified vendor network is important to Trafasa

The zero-to-one nature of this role