Vendor Manager, Hardlines at Amazon – Toronto

AI Summary

This Vendor Manager role at Amazon Canada in Toronto, ON, involves overseeing a full P&L for Hardlines categories. Key duties include setting strategic direction, driving vendor negotiations, and implementing business improvements. Candidates need at least five years of relevant retail or business management experience, including negotiations and P&L ownership, along with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional background.

About the Vendor Manager Opportunity at Amazon Canada

Amazon Canada is actively seeking a highly motivated and strategic Vendor Manager to join its fast-growing business in Toronto. This role is integral to a dynamic environment where the business model continually evolves with technological advancements and industry trends. Amazon values nimble leaders who can move swiftly, adeptly break down and solve complex problems, and possess a strong will to achieve results in an atmosphere akin to a start-up. This is an exceptional opportunity for individuals aspiring to grow into general management positions, independently overseeing significant business segments that span multiple functional areas. Incoming hires are granted substantial ownership over large and important areas of opportunity, considerable autonomy in decision-making, and the capacity to drive significant positive impact on the customer experience across Canada. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Amazon's Hardlines categories, contributing to a robust and expanding retail presence. This position offers a unique blend of strategic oversight and hands-on execution, making it an ideal fit for professionals eager to make a substantial mark within a global e-commerce leader. The experience gained here is invaluable for long-term career progression within Amazon, a company renowned for its commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities and Strategic Business Management

As a Vendor Manager, your core responsibilities will revolve around comprehensive P&L management, including meticulous planning, accurate forecasting, and aggressively driving growth for a specific category or a subset of vendors. This requires a complete and nuanced understanding of both internal and external variables that significantly impact the business. A critical aspect of this role involves setting clear goals and defining the strategic direction for the business, ensuring these align seamlessly with broader Amazon business objectives and the overarching vision. You will be instrumental in driving strategic negotiations with external vendors, leveraging your strong business acumen to secure favourable terms and foster long-term partnerships. The role also mandates generating and implementing innovative, "big ideas" designed to drive substantial business improvement, foster innovation, and scale operations effectively within your assigned category and across the wider retail business. This includes leading cross-functional collaboration on essential systems and processes to support evolving business needs, including retail systems, site merchandising, and in-stock management. Identifying pertinent industry trends that influence customer selection and overall experience is crucial, as is collaborating on impactful marketing and merchandising initiatives. Furthermore, you will be tasked with innovating and implementing new customer and vendor programs, representing Amazon during meetings with senior executive teams from top vendors, and cultivating enduring strategic relationships. Your strong analytical skills will be continuously tested as you draw metrics-based conclusions by leveraging and interpreting complex data, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams on strategic, marketing, and operational business issues. This management position demands a proactive approach to problem-solving and a consistent drive for excellence.

Candidate Profile and Essential Experience

The ideal candidate for this Vendor Manager position will possess strong business judgment, evidenced by a proven track record of successful negotiations and overall relationship management within a retail or e-commerce context. A key requirement is the ability to define and drive long-term objectives and strategy for the business, demonstrating foresight and a clear vision for growth. Proven analytical thinking, robust project management skills, meticulous attention to detail, and exceptional organisational skills are absolute musts for success in this demanding role. Basic qualifications include at least three years of experience with Excel, coupled with a minimum of five years of experience in retail, operations, product or program management, or business management/consulting, specifically with a focus on negotiations and delivering tangible results. A Bachelor's degree, or three years of professional or military experience, is also required, alongside practical experience with financial analysis and P&L ownership. Preferred qualifications further enhance a candidate's profile, including experience managing large data sets and effectively utilising them to drive performance and process improvements. Experience in vendor negotiations, pricing and promotion strategies, inventory management, and product development will be highly regarded. Additionally, candidates who have a history of improving free cash flow and automating processes will find their experience particularly relevant. Amazon is committed to an inclusive culture that empowers its employees to deliver the best results for customers, making this an excellent opportunity for a dedicated professional to build a strong career. The base salary range for this position in Toronto, ON, is between 61,400.00 CAD and 102,600.00 CAD annually. Amazon's total compensation package may also include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs), with final compensation determined by factors such as experience, qualifications, and location. Comprehensive benefits are offered, including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, basic life & AD&D insurance), a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), a Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP), paid time off, and other resources aimed at improving health and well-being.