Vice President – Global Sourcing and Product Development

Staples is business to business. You’re what binds us together.Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit by bringing your ideas to life within the Staples Private Brands Team. Our leading brands, along with our high-performing Staples business will provide you with countless opportunities to develop your skills and explore new paths. We are passionate about building the right solutions that enable our customers to work from anywhere most effectively. Our Merchandising team aims to deliver the best value and selection to our customers through products, services and solutions all centered around our customers’ needs. We are driven by customer insights and analytics to bring products and solutions to market seamlessly. We’re inclusive, well-rounded professionals who have deep experience in buying, selling, negotiating, operations, design, innovation, finance and more.The Vice President – Global Sourcing and Product Development leads a global team of experts across all facets of product development and manufacturing including sourcing and contract manufacturing, product engineering, and quality, product safety & regulatory compliance. This role also serves on the private brand senior leadership team and helps to develop and shape strategy for the future of private brands within Staples.What you’ll be doing:Global Sourcing

Develop strategies, policies, and controls for private brands Global Sourcing and Manufacturing that align and support Staples long-term vision and fully leverage Staples scale to achieve lowest possible Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Build strategic relationships with CEOs, Presidents, and other Senior Executives at key suppliers and service providers to ensure Staples has competitive and stable access to manufacturing capacity and supply chain services

Develop and oversee product cost accrual and expense budgets for private brands for domestic teams and offshore offices

As requested, serve on the Board of Directors of Staples’ subsidiary companies

Partner with leaders in Staples affiliate companies to ensure the success of private brands across the enterprise

Ensure factories comply with Staples’ Code of Conduct and are compliant with Social Accountability standards

Understands cultural and legal differences by global region and ensures business policies and practices are appropriately set by region while remaining compliant with Staples corporate requirements

Provide costing and negotiating support through commodity tracking and should-cost thinking to Merchants as they negotiate with national brand vendors

Product Development and Quality Assurance

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop innovative product concepts and designs that meet customer requirements and company goals

Lead the engineering team in the development of product prototypes and working models

Conduct feasibility studies and risk assessments to ensure product viability and safety

Utilize advanced engineering principles to optimize product performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness

Establish and implement rigorous testing protocols to ensure products meet all regulatory and quality standards

Analyze test results and make necessary design adjustments to improve product performance and reliability

Responsible for system administration & improvement for Staples Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system

Lead sustainability planning and execution to ensure Staples complies with legal requirements and delivers against consumer expectations

Global Team Leadership

Lead and inspire a multi-site/multi-country team of roughly 100 associates and additional 3 rd party contractors

Inspire the team with expert-level supply chain, product development, manufacturing, sourcing, and negotiating skills, along with a proven track record of successful business results

Oversees responsibilities, performance targets, and optimal organizational structures of global teams while ensuring integration and coordination with other corporate functions

Provide coaching to direct reports and aid their development of their teams

Model the way as a leader to train and inspire individual contributors to advance their career into roles that involve greater levels of responsibility and impact to the business

Oversee hiring decisions, Associate Success Plans, and strengthening of associate engagement

Conduct performance reviews for direct reports and provide performance guidance to direct reports for associates they manage

What you bring to the table:

Deep knowledge of global sourcing, product development, quality assurance, regulatory and product safety

Strong and proven leadership of a multi-national team

Experience working within a CPG-like manufacturing environment

Understanding of Private Brands

Experience working in a retail / delivery environment

Unwavering focus on the customer and passion for product

Ability to travel (domestically and internationally) up to 50% depending on business needs

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications:

15+ years of relevant experience across product development/engineering and global sourcing

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business or engineering or equivalent work experience

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender idenity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the process, please call 1-888-490-4747 for more information.