Job DescriptionJob Summary: The Sr. Manager, Material Cost Optimization & Negotiation Support serves as the organization's lead subject matter expert (SME) in value capture, transforming complex data (including SQL databases, commodity indices, and global economic factors) into high-impact negotiation strategies for merchandising product categories. This leader oversees a team of analysts to architect the organizations should-cost models, equipping the Merchandising team with the technical insights and defensive intelligence necessary to navigate high-stakes vendor engagements. By fostering a culture of analytical excellence and building deep cross-functional trust, this role ensures that cost-improvement initiatives are rigorously tracked and that stakeholders are prepared to deliver effective, data-driven messaging that maximizes margin expansion and mitigates cost increases.
Key Responsibilities:- Negotiation Strategy & SME Support: Act as the lead consultant for the Category Management function, developing comprehensive playbooks for vendor negotiations that leverage should-cost modeling, teardown analytics, and competitive benchmarking.
- Commodity & Tariff Intelligence: Lead the development of dynamic tracking models for raw materials, and currency; help quantify the financial impact of tariffs and trade policy changes to provide a real-time, defensible view of landed costs.
- Value Capture Tracking: Own the end-to-end tracking of cost-improvement initiatives, ensuring that negotiated savings and margin enhancements are accurately quantified, validated against the P&L, and reported to executive leadership.
- Team Leadership & Development: Direct and mentor a team of analysts, managing workload prioritization across sourcing events, cost change requests, and cost improvement projects while fostering a collaborative environment for professional growth.
- Executive Communication & Presentation: Synthesize complex technical data into high-level executive summaries and negotiation materials that clearly articulate value, risk, and recommended action plans.
- Process Architecture & Innovation: Drive the evolution of MCO capabilities by implementing advanced analytics tools and refining methodologies for tracking global economic factors and automotive aftermarket benchmarks.
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Build deep trust with Merchandising leadership and Finance to ensure MCO targets are integrated into the strategic plan.
Qualifications: - Expert-level understanding of negotiation tactics and should-cost modeling; proven ability to coach teams on how to pivot strategies based on vendor behavior and market shifts.
- Advanced understanding of global trade mechanics, including Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes, duty mitigation strategies, and commodity exchange indexing.
- Proven ability to influence executive decision-making through data-driven storytelling.
- Expertise in synthesizing disparate data sources into actionable financial strategies.
- High proficiency in managing complex, multi-variable projects with the ability to zoom in on data integrity and zoom out for executive-level strategy.
Certifications, Experience, and Education: - Experience: 8-10+ years of progressive experience in Strategic Sourcing, Finance, or Supply Chain, including 2-3 years in a leadership role. Significant experience in negotiation preparation and global trade/tariff impact is essential.
- Education: Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, Data Analytics, or a related quantitative field; OR relevant work-related experience. MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Location & Work Availability: This position is Hybrid (4 days in office, 1 day remote), based at our corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Benefits Summary: We believe in supporting our Team Members and those they love through comprehensive health & wellness benefits. Learn more here: https://jobs.advanceautoparts.com/us/en/benefits
