This role involves monitoring vendor performance to ensure they meet quality and delivery requirements, particularly with new vendors, and implementing strategies for vendor diversification to deliver sustainable value. It includes working with vendors in factories to observe capabilities, build plans to meet sourcing goals, and implement approved plans. The role requires collaboration with global cross-functional product teams to secure favorable pricing, quality, delivery, and relationship management, and partnering with the Asia team to ensure vendors meet requirements and execute plans using expert data gathering. Additionally, the role involves maintaining extensive daily communication with global teams, consolidating projects, and recommending vendor solutions based on project activities. It includes executing complex projects, providing updates to leadership independently, and managing tasks and outcomes. The role also leads vendor management strategic implementation, working with on-the-ground labs to identify deficiencies and recommend solutions to prevent product timeline slowdowns, ensuring strong relationships with all vendors and external partners to meet ATP goals.
Essential Functions-See Job Summary:-
- Monitor the performance of vendors, assessing their ability to meet quality and delivery requirements, especially with new vendors. Implement end-to-end strategies for vendor diversification to deliver sustainable value. Ensure vendors can truly commit to the plan and are sustainable in terms of timeline and cost. Work with vendors in factories to observe capabilities and build plans to meet sourcing goals. Once approved, implement the plan with the vendor.
- Collaborate with global cross-functional product teams to ensure vendors to provide the most favorable pricing, quality, delivery, and relationship management to meet company goals and objectives. Partner with the Asia team (engineering, quality) to ensure vendors can meet requirements and execute plans using expert data gathering.
- Maintain extensive daily communication with global teams in the USA, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and China. Consolidate projects and recommend vendor solutions based on NPD activities.
- Execute complex projects, provide updates to leadership independently, and manage tasks and outcomes.
- Lead vendor management strategic implementation, working with on-the-ground labs to identify vendor deficiencies and recommend solutions to prevent product timeline slowdowns. Ensure strong working relationships with all vendors and external partners to meet ATP goals.
- Excellent understanding of the supply chain process as it relates to B2B and retail environments.
- Skilled at growing and curating vendor partnerships and relationships to promote best outcomes.
- Excellent knowledge in Plastics or Furniture products and cost structure, interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with new and existing vendors and partners.
- Aptitude in contract negotiation techniques tailored to an Asia supply chain
- Awareness of and planning for proactive mitigation around strategic and global procurement challenges
- Awareness of strategic and global procurement issues and vendor negotiations
- Intermediate to advanced level of proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Great organizational skills including ability to prioritize and meet deadlines
- 8+ years of experience in the field
- 6+ years of experience in a similar position
- 6+ years of experience managing projects
- 8+ years of experience in global Plastics, or furniture sourcing
- Advanced experience, ideally as part of regional U.S. or European-headquartered companies and with product or industry experience similar to Lakeshore Learning Materials
- Superb written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate with team members from all levels/areas of the organization.
- Demonstrates good judgment in routine, day-to-day decision making independently.
- Clearly shares complex information and ideas verbally and in writing, providing the right amount of detail to meet audience needs.
- Proactively seeks out the diverse perspectives and talents of others to influence own work.
- Consistently delivers results independently.
- Takes advantage of stretch opportunities to learn and contribute more broadly to the team.
- Leads others to complete assigned tasks and meet goals; holds self and direct reports accountable for outcomes; Communicates clear goals and accountabilities to team members and acknowledges and celebrates team efforts and accomplishments.
- Minimum Required:
- Bachelor's degree (B. A. or B. S.) or equivalent from a four-year college in a related field. An advanced degree is a plus.
- Required: English
- Preferred: Vietnamese