Director - Merchandise Sourcing & Strategy

Maritz•Fenton, MO

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Maritz, decades of innovation and perseverance have built more than just a strong reputation — they’ve shaped a culture where human connection and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do. Joining Maritz means becoming part of a workplace grounded in a critical truth; people and their potential is our greatest resource. Maritz helps companies achieve their business goals by inspiring people to perform their best. We design experiences, incentives, and recognition programs that spark action and deliver measurable impact. And we’ve brought this human-first design inward – intentionally building teams that care for each other and collaborate powerfully. In our most recent employee survey, nearly 90% of respondents said that their managers care about their concerns and 82% said they feel genuinely appreciated. We know that when employees feel seen, supported, and celebrated for who they are, they thrive and so does our business. That’s why we’ve created a flexible, environment that empowers you to do your best work without sacrificing what matters most to you. In fact, in that same survey, nearly 90% of respondents said they have the flexibility they need to balance work and personal life and nearly 80% said Maritz does a great job prioritizing employee well being. We have a passion for excellence and genuine care for the people making it possible. The Director, Merchandise Sourcing & Strategy leads the global sourcing and procurement strategy team within Engagement Solutions to ensure the Rewards buying team is sourcing the right catalog products, at the right cost, quality, and timing while aligning sourcing decisions with the company’s overall business strategy. Analyze global redemption patterns and develop sourcing strategies to maximize profitability and drive reward redemption.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required or equivalent work experience; Master's preferred.
6 years of Procurement or Buying experience required.
Demonstrated negotiating skills, specifically with outside suppliers.
Proven planning and organization skills.
Execution-focused, ability to set and meet aggressive goals/timelines.
5+ years of people leadership experience managing cross functional teams.
Demonstrated ability to work well with others in a collaborative, team environment.
Must be proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

Manage global sourcing strategy by category and region; Identify and qualify new suppliers and sourcing markets; Own vendor selection, onboarding and supplier partnership; Monitor market trends and geopolitical impacts; Drive supplier innovation and continuous improvement initiatives; Drive cost savings, margin improvement, supplier diversification, and supply continuity.
Align purchasing strategies with merchandising plans and overall ES reward strategy; Oversee global buying decisions and contracting; Partner with merchandising and planning teams on forecasts: Optimize product availability; Evaluate product costs, pricing, and profitability, Support new product launches and category growth initiatives: Identify and adhere to Custom Programs Service Level Agreements; Maintain appropriate inventory value level; Review vendors for historical delivery pattern and work with Manager(s) and Assistants, Merchandising and Sourcing to adjust item lead times. Generate and review Reorder Item Analysis Reports for creation of Authorization to Buy Form for Client Owned inventory; Identify any categories and/or items with increased or decreased redemption.
Sets pricing and target margin objectives in order to drive overall profitability; directs competitive pricing analysis; defines new tax categories required for reporting and analysis; analyzes and determines appropriate cost components in rewards pricing; evaluates effectiveness of promotional efforts; responsible for forecasting and achieving rebate and back-end funding targets;