Associate Sourcing Manager, Business to Business

The Associate Sourcing Manager will maximize company sales growth and profitability by overseeing the merchandising sourcing activities for assigned categories. The Associate Sourcing Manager will be involved in all aspects of sourcing which will require the skills necessary to manage vendor selection, performance management, identify cost saving opportunities, create competitive environments, creatively negotiate and manage on time deliveries. This is an on-site position (Monday through Thursday) based out of our Northbrook, IL offices with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays. A day in the life as an Associate Sourcing Manager... Execute vendor strategies and utilize vendor matrix to support Product Design and Development and Buying strategiesNegotiate first cost for new and existing productsDevelop and monitor pre-production activities (sample development, quotes, packaging, etc) to ensure all are completed in a timely manner.Monitor purchase order milestones to improve cost and reliabilityAssess and analyze vendor capacities and partner with planning teams to utilize projections and forecastsAssess capabilities of new suppliersClose working partnership with Product Design and Development, Buying, Planning, and Quality and Compliance.Improve vendor reliability through the management of vendor performanceAchieve department margin goalsAssess, react and communicate to appropriate business units on missed production or purchase order deadlines.Assist the Sourcing Manager on products and tasks.Participate in ongoing training regarding technology upgrades and new systems applicable to the position.Monitor and adhere to key milestone dates on the PDP calendar. What You’ll Bring To The Table… Good reading and written language skills (English), multi-cultural awareness and respect, basic arithmetic, interpersonal skills, telephone presence, data entry skillsAbility to manage a time and action calendarKnowledge of sourcing capabilities by country / regionBasic understanding of manufacturing processes for assigned categoriesEffective email communication with overseas vendors and agentsAbility to be agile and flexible in a changing environmentAbility to travel internationally We’d love to hear from you if you have… 3+ years in a Sourcing or Product Development RoleCollege Degree required