Senior Vice President, Procurement and Merchandising

COMPANY:
A privately owned distributor headquartered in the Southeast.

REPORTS/RELATIONSHIPS:
This position will report directly to the President with three to five direct reports and 60-75 indirect reports.

BASIC FUNCTIONS:
The Senior Vice President, Procurement and Merchandising (SVP) is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of enterprise-wide procurement and merchandising for independent retail customers across the company’s network.

The SVP will lead sourcing, private label development, inventory visibility, and procurement systems with a focus on efficiency, quality, and customer-centric strategies. The position plays a critical role in aligning procurement efforts across all operating companies to support enterprise growth, optimize supply chain performance, and elevate the merchandising experience for customers.

Specific duties will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

Set and execute the strategic direction for procurement and merchandising, including ad planning, margin optimization, inventory management, and independent retail pricing.
Provide strategic leadership for procurement to achieve financial targets and meet or exceed customer expectations.
Analyze market trends and identify opportunities for procurement optimization and product innovation.
Oversee the selection and sourcing of products, ensuring they meet quality standards and customer preferences.
Lead and mentor a team of procurement and merchandising professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Work collaboratively with the organization’s leaders to optimize supplier relationships and leverage enterprise buying power to create synergies across the network of operating companies.
Ensure strong alignment across merchandising, category management, and supply chain teams to support retail customer success and enterprise objectives.
Partner with enterprise supply chain leadership to drive upstream supply chain planning, enhance inventory transparency, and improve vendor collaboration.
Lead enterprise-wide procurement capability development, including systems, analytics, and processes that enable visibility, performance tracking, and scalable growth.
Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of procurement and merchandising strategies.
Champion a modern, data-driven procurement approach that balances cost, quality, and service while promoting operational excellence.
Support business transformation initiatives, including automation strategy, quality and retention efforts, and integration of acquisitions into procurement operations.
Develop and manage budgets for procurement and merchandising activities, ensuring cost-effectiveness and financial accountability.
Serve as a key enterprise leader and strategic partner, influencing at all levels of the organization and collaborating cross-functionally with sales, merchandising, supply chain, and distribution.
Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, negotiate contracts, and ensure compliance with procurement policies and procedures while contributing to a dynamic, customer-focused procurement ecosystem.

REQUIREMENTS:

Ten plus years of progressive experience in procurement and merchandising.
Proven success in leading large-scale procurement operations across diverse categories, with a focus on margin management, inventory optimization, and supplier development.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives across a multi-entity organization, including acquisitions and integrations.
Strong analytical mindset with the ability to make data-informed decisions and implement performance tracking tools and KPIs.
Experience working with executive teams to drive business transformation and foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and customer-centricity.
Exceptional leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders across functions and levels.
Proven experience recruiting and developing high-performing teams and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Strong customer mindset with an ability to develop and maintain positive relationships across a wide variety of stakeholders
Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, or a related field preferred; MBA strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION:
Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive base salary, bonus opportunity, and competitive benefits package.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jonas Hedin, Managing Partner
jhedin@CLCBsearch.com
704.377.0362