Staples is business to business. You’re what binds us together.

Our merchandising team aims to deliver the best value and selection to our customers through products, services and solutions all centered around our customers’ needs. We are driven by customer insights and analytics to bring products and solutions to market seamlessly. We are inclusive, well-rounded professionals who have deep experience in buying, selling, negotiating, operations, design, innovation, finance and more.

What you’ll be doing:

·        Lead the domestic product engineering, domestic sourcing, and global post launch quality management roles for the private brands team.

·        Act as the executive sponsor and commercial relationship owner for Staples' 3rd party audit, testing and inspection service providers. Conduct regular business reviews and lead program improvement initiatives.

·        Provide leadership and guidance to domestic sourcing team in finding suppliers that can meet capacity, quality, delivery, and cost requirements for Staples private brand products. Also provide leadership to Merchants that manage relationships with national brand suppliers that make private brand products.

·        Oversee the negotiation of product costs and minimum order quantities with domestic suppliers. Review assigned categories for cost savings opportunities related to improved sourcing, specification adjustments or OEM leverage.

·        Actively develop strong relationships with key leaders within the Merchandising and Inventory organizations to aid in the removal of obstacles that inhibit successful development. Serve as the internal product expert and use this expertise to assist Category Development in presenting new products to the Merchant teams.

·        Direct the setting of performance and regulatory compliance testing requirements. Specify critical component suppliers/specifications when needed.

·        Investigate, present, and implement product improvements, new product categories and innovative concepts.

·        Lead team responsible for monitoring and addressing quality issues after a product is launched. Develop and maintain reporting tools to drill down to the root causes of all issues. Oversee the resolution of the Critical and Major issues that impact the supply chain (includes both corrective and preventive action).

·        At the direction of the Legal department, oversee the Product Safety Committee and execute the private brands recall process when necessary.

·        Direct the development of strategies to ensure compliance with regulations prior to their implementation. Inform stakeholders of the ongoing status of proposed regulations throughout the world that could affect business (i.e. Conflict Mineral Act, CPSIA, REACH, CARB, etc.).

·        Create the supporting SOPs, provide training, and monitor compliance to ensure the procedures are consistently executed by the business teams.

·        Provide support to the global QA team and act as an executive mentor to the Global QA Manager, who is located in China.

·        Direct the corporate ethical sourcing program to ensure private brand suppliers meet and adhere to the corporate social accountability guidelines laid out in the Staples Supplier Code of Conduct. Work closely with the Legal team and other stakeholders to continually develop the Code and the SA Audits that support it. Follow-up with factories not in compliance to get letters of commitment written and corrective action plans developed and approved. Working with independent third party auditors, follow up and monitor implementation of action items. In cases of continued or prolonged non-conformance, work with the Sourcing teams to develop and implement an exit strategy.

·        Direct compliance and provide support for the Direct Import program, Risk Management (legal cases) and supplier PLI requirements. This includes managing day to day correspondence related to approving DI’s for set-up, providing supporting documents for legal issues and reviewing/updating insurance coverage. 

·        Lead a multi-site team of approximately 6 associates.

·        Provide coaching to direct reports that aid their development of their team members.

·        Model the way as a leader to train and inspire individual contributors to advance their career into roles that involve greater levels of responsibility and impact to the business.

·        Oversee hiring decisions, Associate Success Plans, and strengthening of associate engagement.

·        Conduct performance reviews for direct reports and provide performance guidance to direct reports for associates they manage. Also recommend merit increases and promotions for the entire team that you lead.

·        Drive the specification development and management for products that fall within the scope of the product engineering function that is managed domestically.

·        Serve on the Product Development, Global Sourcing and Operations leadership team and provide leadership that will drive future strategy for the functions in the coming 3 - 5 years. Also provide leadership related to needed short term adjustments to the current strategies for the functions.

·        Support the innovation function within the private brands team with technical support and project execution guidance.

·        As requested, participate on strategic innovation initiatives that are led by the Design and Innovation team.

What you bring to the table:

·        Experience sourcing and developing products.

·        Strong understanding of product manufacturing

·        Experience working at a product testing, inspection, and audit organization.

·        Experience working in a retail / delivery environment.

·        Experience working in a manufacturing environment.

Qualifications:

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications:

·        10+ years of relevant experience in quality, regulatory compliance, product safety, product development and/or product manufacturing

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications:

·        Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

We Offer:

·        Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups

·        Flexible PTO (22 days) and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays)

·        Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more perks and benefits

At Staples, “inclusion” is an action word. It represents what we do to ensure that all employees feel valued and supported to contribute to their fullest potential. When we operate inclusively, diversity naturally follows. This is why we work hard to foster an inclusive culture, as we seek employees with unique and varied perspectives and areas of expertise. The result is a better workplace and innovative thinking that helps us exceed our customers’ expectations -- through the power of the people behind our iconic brand.

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.