Director - Vendor Negotiations & Commercial Strategy

Director - Vendor Negotiations & Commercial Strategy

The Director - Vendor Negotiations & Commercial Strategy is a critical leadership role within the Merchandising organization, responsible for maximizing enterprise value through strategic vendor partnerships, best-in-class negotiations, and innovative commercial frameworks.
This leader partners closely with Merchandising, Planning, Finance, and Supply Chain to shape vendor strategies that drive margin expansion, product differentiation, speed to market, and customer relevance. The role goes beyond cost negotiation serving as a commercial architect who aligns vendor relationships with brand positioning, assortment strategy, and long-term growth.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Negotiation Strategy
Develop and execute negotiation strategies across national brands, private label suppliers, and strategic vendor partners.
Lead complex, high-value negotiations including cost of goods, margin structures, markdown funding, exclusivity, marketing support, supply commitments, and joint business plans.
Establish standardized negotiation frameworks aligned with merchandising calendars and seasonal buying cycles.
Drive continuous improvement in commercial terms across categories while protecting brand equity and product quality.
Merchandising Partnership & Commercial Leadership
Act as a strategic partner to Merchandising leaders to influence assortment decisions through financial and vendor insights.
Support category strategies by aligning vendor economics with growth opportunities, trend investments, and innovation initiatives.
Collaborate on product lifecycle profitability, pricing architecture, and promotional funding strategies.
Enable merchants to negotiate from a position of data, clarity, and strategic alignment.
Demonstrated success negotiating with national brands and strategic suppliers.
Deep understanding of retail financial drivers: margin, inventory turns, GMROI, and promotional economics.
Proven ability to influence senior merchandising and executive leadership.
Experience operating in fast-paced, multi-category retail environments.
Margin Expansion & Value Creation
Identify and unlock sustainable margin opportunities beyond initial cost negotiations, including:
Vendor-funded marketing and customer acquisition programs
Inventory risk-sharing models
Exclusive product development
Improved payment terms and cash flow optimization
Build multi-year value creation roadmaps with top vendor partners.
Strategic Vendor Partnerships
Establish executive-level relationships with key brands and suppliers.
Lead joint business planning processes to align vendor investment with company growth priorities.
Balance collaborative partnership with disciplined commercial accountability.
Serve as senior escalation point for complex negotiations or performance issues.
Data-Driven Negotiation Excellence
Leverage analytics including sell-through, inventory productivity, pricing elasticity, and competitive benchmarking to inform negotiation positions.
Partner with Planning, Pricing and Finance to model negotiation outcomes and margin impact scenarios.
Introduce negotiation scorecards and performance dashboards across vendor portfolios.
Governance, Risk & Contract Leadership
Oversee commercial contract structures in partnership with Legal.
Ensure consistent governance around vendor terms, compliance, and performance accountability.
Reduce supply, margin, and operational risk through proactive negotiation structures.
Team & Capability Development
Elevate negotiation capability across the merchandising organization through coaching, tools, and structured preparation processes.
Develop negotiation playbooks and training programs for merchants and category leaders.
Foster a culture of disciplined preparation, fact-based negotiation, and enterprise thinking.
Champion professional development by mentoring team members to enhance skills and career growth.
Set clear expectations, priorities, and performance standards across the team.
Success Measures
Gross Margin dollar improvement
Vendor investment growth (marketing funds, exclusives, partnerships)
Improved inventory productivity, supply chain efficiencies and risk mitigation
Stronger strategic vendor alignment
Increased negotiation capability across merchandising teams
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience
10+ years in retail merchandising, sourcing, buying, or commercial negotiations.
Core Leadership Competencies
Merchant mindset with strong commercial acumen
Advanced negotiation and deal architecture
Executive influence and stakeholder alignment
Financial and analytical rigor
Vendor partnership leadership
Strategic decision-making under ambiguity
Leadership Profile
Thinks like a merchant, negotiates like a strategist
Balances partnership with disciplined commercial rigor
Influences without authority across complex organizations
Data-driven but relationship-centered
Comfortable challenging the status quo to unlock value