Supplier Account Manager

Role Overview 

The Supplier Account Manager  is a key role within our procurement team, responsible for strategically managing suppliers and product categories to drive competitiveness, mitigate risks, and enhance overall supply chain performance. This role involves building strong supplier relationships, conducting competitive bidding activities, and strategically sourcing new suppliers to challenge and improve existing terms. 

This is the senior commercial owner of the Americas supply base. Alongside owning supplier relationships and category strategies for a portfolio of unybrands brands, you will be expected to take ownership of the wider strategic procurement agenda for the region — helping to shape how sourcing and procurement activity is organised, supported and resourced as the function develops, and overseeing supporting resource and cross-functional teams involved in delivering it. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of procurement strategies, supplier management for e-commerce companies, and a proactive approach to negotiation and risk management. 

Key Responsibilities 

Supplier Relationship Management 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, understanding their business dynamics and production cycles. 

• Negotiate and improve key commercial terms, ensuring alignment with company goals for cost, quality, and delivery. 

• Take an analytical and data-driven approach, leveraging should-cost analysis and commodity price insights to guide negotiations and supplier selection. 

• Drive supplier performance through regular business reviews, audits, and structured feedback. 

• Monitor the "heartbeat" of suppliers, proactively identifying risks, capacity issues, and opportunities for improvement. 

• Track, analyze, and report on supplier and category performance using KPIs and benchmarks. 

• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to senior management. 

• Maintain accurate procurement records and documentation. 

Strategic Category Management 

• Develop and execute category and sub-category strategies to ensure competitiveness and long-term value creation. 

• Analyze market trends, commodity prices, and cost structures to inform procurement strategies. 

• Implement risk management plans, including diversification of suppliers and mitigation of potential disruptions. 

• Ensure product categories meet customer expectations in terms of quality, pricing, and availability. 

• Conduct competitive bidding activities to evaluate and source challenger suppliers with a view to cost savings and supplier diversification. 

• Ensure sourcing decisions are data-driven, focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO) and long-term value. 

• Lead resourcing and dual-sourcing programs for products currently concentrated in a single country or supplier. 

• Proactively identify and address procurement challenges, minimizing risks to the supply chain. 

• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to align procurement activities with business objectives. 

Ownership & Oversight 

• Own the strategic procurement agenda for your categories and region, and help shape how sourcing and procurement activity is structured, supported and resourced as the function develops. 

• Direct, coach and oversee supporting sourcing and procurement resource where assigned — setting priorities， quality standards and building capability. 

• Work alongside quality, brand, planning and logistics colleagues to align procurement activity with wider business objectives. 

• Be deliberate about what is delegated and what is not, protecting your own time for the negotiation, supplier development and category strategy that only you can do. 

• Contribute to improving procurement processes, tooling and data quality, so that supplier and item information supports trustworthy reporting and planning. 

Qualifications 

Education & Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field. 

• 5+ years of experience in supplier management, category management, or procurement, preferably in an e-commerce or consumer products environment. 

• Strong background in competitive sourcing, negotiation, and supplier relationship management. 

• Experience in pet or human consumables and supplements, food, or another regulated consumable category is highly desirable, though not essential. 

• Experience leading, mentoring or directing others is an advantage. 

Technical Skills 

• Deep understanding of procurement processes, cost analysis, and category management strategies. 

• Knowledge of commodity markets, should-cost analysis, and procurement tools/software. 

• Proficiency in data analysis, research and reporting tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, or similar). 

• Working knowledge of an ERP environment (NetSuite or similar) is an advantage. 

Soft Skills 

• Exceptional negotiation skills with a proactive and results-driven approach. 

• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities. 

• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills. 

• Ability to manage multiple categories and projects simultaneously. 

Other Requirements 

• Able to work effectively across time zones with colleagues and suppliers in Asia, Europe and Latin America. 
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to supplier locations as needed.