Sourcing Associate

About the role

Under broad supervision, you will develop, monitor, and pursue tactical and strategic initiatives/projects in a specialized area (e.g., commodities, vendor/contract relationships, or supplier management). You will prepare analytical reports and forecasts to track product costs and recommend appropriate courses of action to senior purchasing/sourcing leaders. You will work closely with Design to ensure successful product development.

This is an on-site position (Monday through Thursday) based out of our Northbrook, IL office with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays.

Responsibilities

• Supports associate managers and senior managers in seasonal sourcing activities and ongoing vendor performance management
• Monitors pre-production tasks (sample development and costing)
• Tracks calendar milestones
• Gathers and manages SKU data to ensure all item-related information is accurate and complete prior to SKU set-up
• Performs reporting tasks including IMU tracking and analysis, internal on-time performance reporting, and capacity reporting

Requirements

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Multi-cultural awareness and respect
• Strong financial reporting and quantitative analysis skills, including retail math
• Customer focus (internal and external)
• Effective email communication with overseas vendors and agents
• Negotiating skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Adaptable to meet rapidly changing priorities
• Basic understanding of manufacturing processes for assigned categories

Qualifications

• 2+ years in an associate-level role within sourcing, product development, production, or merchandising
• College degree preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications and G Suite

Schedule

On-site Monday through Thursday in Northbrook, IL, with remote work flexibility on Fridays.