Associate Sourcing Manager

The Associate Sourcing Manager is the liaison between the Buyers and agents/factories. This position is responsible for partnering closely with the Sourcing Manager in developing the overall sourcing strategy by category.

• Support the Sourcing Manager in the Product Partner Matrix process
• Lead for the Product Partner Matrix discussion for assigned responsibility
• Compile and analyze data (Product Partner Scorecard) and make recommendations for grow/maintain/decline
• Partner with Sourcing, Trend and Merchant Partners to align the matrix to the business needs
• Identify any gaps in the matrix and present recommendations to fill to the team
• Assist in balancing global risks with country of origin diversification plans
• Partner with Manager to communicate action plans with Agents/Product Partners
• Assist in onboarding new agents/factories
• Track, report and manage agent/factory performance
• Drive margin savings through cost negotiations during the development process
• Identify cost improvement opportunities (bidding)
• Clarify and communicate specs and product engineering details, labeling and packaging instructions and other information to in country sourcing and/or vendors
• Negotiate the costs from the directives
• Compile and submit costing worksheets for PO creation to Merchant Partners
• Execute, manage and report on production, resolve any issues to ensure on-time delivery
• Build collaborative relationships with business and support teams
• Perform other duties assigned by manager

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Candidate must have a minimum of 3 - 5 years’ experience in international sourcing and/or buying, preferably within home goods, working directly with agents/factories
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Ability to source from and work with overseas markets as needed
• Strong ability to identify global issues and communicate within the organization
• Demonstrate strong analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills
• Ability develop/maintain strong working relationship with peers and cross-functional teams
• Demonstrates leadership and decision-making skills
• Demonstrates strong listening, written and oral communication skills
• Willing and able to travel for market and store trips
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities
• Possesses a clear understanding of the supply chain: product development, sourcing, packaging and shipping
• Able to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadline
• Takes calculated risks to achieve results
• Develops creative solutions to business issues
• Prior experience working in a US/European retail business model is a plus
• International travel required