Director - Vendor Negotiations & Commercial Strategy

Michaels Stores•Irving, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director - Vendor Negotiations & Commercial Strategy is a critical leadership role within the Merchandising organization, responsible for maximizing enterprise value through strategic vendor partnerships, best-in-class negotiations, and innovative commercial frameworks. This leader partners closely with Merchandising, Planning, Finance, and Supply Chain to shape vendor strategies that drive margin expansion, product differentiation, speed to market, and customer relevance. The role goes beyond cost negotiation — serving as a commercial architect who aligns vendor relationships with brand positioning, assortment strategy, and long-term growth. The ideal candidate is a sophisticated negotiator, retail merchant thinker, and enterprise influencer capable of operating at both strategic and tactical levels.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent experience
10+ years in retail merchandising, sourcing, buying, or commercial negotiations.
Merchant mindset with strong commercial acumen
Advanced negotiation and deal architecture
Executive influence and stakeholder alignment
Financial and analytical rigor
Vendor partnership leadership
Strategic decision-making under ambiguity
Thinks like a merchant, negotiates like a strategist
Balances partnership with disciplined commercial rigor
Influences without authority across complex organizations
Data-driven but relationship-centered
Comfortable challenging the status quo to unlock value
Applicants in the U.S. must satisfy federal, state, and local legal requirements of the job.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success negotiating with national brands and strategic suppliers.
Deep understanding of retail financial drivers: margin, inventory turns, GMROI, and promotional economics.
Proven ability to influence senior merchandising and executive leadership.
Experience operating in fast-paced, multi-category retail environments.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute negotiation strategies across national brands, private label suppliers, and strategic vendor partners.
Lead complex, high-value negotiations including cost of goods, margin structures, markdown funding, exclusivity, marketing support, supply commitments, and joint business plans.
Establish standardized negotiation frameworks aligned with merchandising calendars and seasonal buying cycles.
Drive continuous improvement in commercial terms across categories while protecting brand equity and product quality.
Act as a strategic partner to Merchandising leaders to influence assortment decisions through financial and vendor insights.
Support category strategies by aligning vendor economics with growth opportunities, trend investments, and innovation initiatives.
Collaborate on product lifecycle profitability, pricing architecture, and promotional funding strategies.
Enable merchants to negotiate from a position of data, clarity, and strategic alignment.
Identify and unlock sustainable margin opportunities beyond initial cost negotiations, including: Vendor-funded marketing and customer acquisition programs, Inventory risk-sharing models, Exclusive product development, Improved payment terms and cash flow optimization.
Build multi-year value creation roadmaps with top vendor partners.
Establish executive-level relationships with key brands and suppliers.
Lead joint business planning processes to align vendor investment with company growth priorities.
Balance collaborative partnership with disciplined commercial accountability.
Serve as senior escalation point for complex negotiations or performance issues.
Leverage analytics including sell-through, inventory productivity, pricing elasticity, and competitive benchmarking to inform negotiation positions.
Partner with Planning, Pricing and Finance to model negotiation outcomes and margin impact scenarios.
Introduce negotiation scorecards and performance dashboards across vendor portfolios.
Oversee commercial contract structures in partnership with Legal.
Ensure consistent governance around vendor terms, compliance, and performance accountability.
Reduce supply, margin, and operational risk through proactive negotiation structures.
Elevate negotiation capability across the merchandising organization through coaching, tools, and structured preparation processes.
Develop negotiation playbooks and training programs for merchants and category leaders.
Foster a culture of disciplined preparation, fact-based negotiation, and enterprise thinking.
Champion professional development by mentoring team members to enhance skills and career growth.
Set clear expectations, priorities, and performance standards across the team.