Director, Category/Supplier Management

BDA•Woodinville, WA

10h•$170,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

BDA is seeking a strategic and dynamic Category/Supplier Director to enhance business success and drive continuous improvement. This role involves working closely with sales, product development, merchandising, and sourcing leadership to bridge operations risk and portfolio management, while developing and executing global procurement plans with effective business analysis and oversight to maximize profitability. The Director will leverage industry expertise, market insights, and category/supplier retail knowledge to unlock high-impact trends, develop data-driven strategies, and strengthen supplier partnerships. The ideal candidate is a results-driven strategic leader with a strong background in global business negotiations, experience leading future-state transformation strategies, scaling current business, analyzing category insights, supplier performance, and fostering collaborative relationships across teams.

Requirements

Minimum 15 years strategic sourcing, procurement, and category management
A. Business Administration or equivalent
Strong proficiency in complex contract negotiations, Consumer Products Costing & “should-cost modeling, and executive-level stakeholder communication
Knowledge of purchasing fundamentals including strategic procurement, EOQ, and winning contract negotiations strategies and tactics
Demonstrated success within a multi-tasking, matrix management, cross-functional team environment with changing priorities and dynamic response times
Strong understanding of supplier compliance, product safety standards, regulatory requirements, and Code of Conduct
Proven experience building, leading, and developing high-performing sourcing, procurement, or category management teams
P&L ownership/experience

Nice To Haves

Strategic, Analytical and Creative Thinker
Strong aptitudes for observation, analysis, design, and implementation of materials management process and control
Strong Leadership skills and ability to develop and communicate vision
Superior ability to educate, delegate and motivate direct reports
Independent problem-solving expertise, with tenacious enthusiasm to meet goals with a sense of urgency
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with coworkers, vendors and internal customers and present to external clients
Ability to recognize and act upon trend information
Self-Motivator and Detail Oriented
Proven autonomy through high responsibility and result driven planning

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional efforts to communicate and execute category and supplier growth strategies partnering with executive leadership, legal, sales, and supply chain teams to ensure KPI’s goals align with broader business objectives
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous learning, operational discipline, and critical thinking
Identify and analyze emerging trends, market opportunities, and consumer data to curate optimal product assortments and drive profitability
Develop and implement strategic initiatives that align with evolving consumer demand, commodity cost, and industry landscapes
Build out a strategic approach to procurement focused on developing deep expertise, alignment with business goals, and the delivery of substantial value through smarter sourcing practices
Expand and strengthen vendor/supplier global network, ensuring efficiency and alignment with business goals, while proactively assessing their capabilities
Implement vendor/supplier performance metrics, that drive the right business outcomes resulting in risk reduction, cost savings, and operational resilience
Responsible for planning and executing annual exclusive BDA/vendor tradeshow
Responsible for ongoing contract control system to ensure value, compliance with all laws, internal policies & standards and risk mitigation throughout the vendor/supplier lifecycle
Responsibility to negotiate and continuously improve Preferred Vendor contracts terms and conditions to improve BDA outcomes
Overall accountability for purchasing and margin improvement including the oversight of purchase order management, sale interface on credits, rebates, and demand plan inventory
Supervise and mentor the program buyers to ensure timely, complete, and accurate purchase orders maintaining program in stock rates of 100% for Key Drivers and 96% overall