About the position
At Chewy, it is our mission to become the most trusted and convenient online destination for pet parents and our partners – vets and service providers – alike. Our success is measured by the happiness of the people and pets we serve, not simply by the amount of pet supplies we deliver. That’s why we continue to think of outside-the-Chewy-box ways to delight, surprise, and thank our loyal pet lovers! We are seeking an Associate Director of Sourcing, Consumables who will drive sourcing for core foods portfolio (Dry) and collaborate with internal collaborators to monitor the performance of our supply partners. This position will be responsible for driving the long-term strategy and execution for sourcing and manufacturing to drive business growth and a best-in-class Customer Experience. The ideal candidate should be Customer Focused and have a strong background in sourcing, including an understanding of supplier segmentation and how to drive improvements across the supply chain while setting the standard on quality, fill rates, cost, and transparency. Attention to detail, eye for creativity and innovation, developing long term partnerships with manufacturers, and strong negotiation skills are some of the key characteristics to be successful. This individual will partner with a hardworking team consisting of business planning, quality, R&D, and supply planning professionals. In addition, they will be partnering with cross-functional leaders across category management and marketing, finance, and supply chain, to deliver on the product roadmap.
Responsibilities
- Drive strategic sourcing and manufacturing plans, objectives, and financial goals using a proven sourcing process.
- Influence senior leaders to gain approval.
- Lead the evaluation, design, and development of sourcing capabilities, scale the sourcing business while improving on product quality.
- Assist in setting appropriate prioritization for team in alignment with broader organizational goals; delegates work effectively in alignment with priorities.
- Conduct supplier risk assessments and develop / complete strategies to manage costs and ensure partnerships are favorable to Chewy.
- Be a leader with vision with respect to sourcing processes and policies which can be easily applied across Chewy.
- Work cross functionally to scale processes and leverage data to build dashboards which drive supplier accountability and performance.
- Develop relationships with external suppliers while holding them to high operating and quality standards.
- Travel domestically and represent Chewy in industry forums, shows, etc.
- Drive cost and quality improvements.
- Be an excellent negotiator.
- Ensure all activities are conducted in compliance with domestic and international federal, state, and local laws, regulations and ordinances.
- Drive responsible sourcing across all products, drive sustainability, and high-quality product development.
- Experience leading people and developing a team to high performance.
- Effectively coach and mentor team and act as a change champion through leading by example and fostering collaboration.
- Help lead team and peers through change tied to new projects / initiatives, as well as personnel or business changes.
- Outstanding organizational, analytical and project management skills.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with both internal and external partners.
Requirements
- 8+ years of sourcing and product development experience preferably in e-commerce or Retail.
- 3+ years of proven experience in manufacturing in Food space (preferred pet food).
- In-depth solid understanding of manufacturing relationships.
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
- Experience with data driven decision making and cost P&L ownership.
- Ability to travel 30%+.
Nice-to-haves
- MBA
- Private Label Experience in e-commerce or Retail
- Experience leading high performing teams and working in premium consumer goods segment
