Manager, Product Management & Sourcing

Since 1952, Lawson Products has worked hard to make our customers' jobs easier by improving their operational efficiency, productivity, and overall performance. As a leader in the MRO industry, we partner with customers to make sure they have the right maintenance and repair parts on hand when needed.

We’re looking for a Manager of Product Management & Sourcing responsible for identifying nuances of the Canadian marketplace regarding product offerings and sources of supply. This role defines a product offering and sourcing plan to meet country-specific objectives around revenue growth, cost savings, and margin. It then takes responsibility for the tactical execution of these plans. Cross-functional touchpoints include sales, pricing, marketing, engineering, and supply chain.

This position is located at Lawson’s Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, ON. We offer a competitive benefits package that includes medical benefits, dental, vision, and retirement benefits, as well as a paid holiday and PTO package.

Responsibilities

• Works in conjunction with key Canadian business leaders and the Product Management and Purchasing teams.
• Coordinates product management activities with multiple departments and branch personnel.
• Other duties as assigned or required.
• Negotiates with suppliers to ensure optimal product quality, cost, and delivery conditions.
• Works in conjunction with sales personnel and customers to better understand market needs.
• Defines and manages the nuances of the Canadian product offering.
• Prepares surveys and confers with management regarding marketing strategy.
• Conducts market research and analyzes market data to identify opportunities and threats that could impact the product offering.
• Defines the sourcing strategy for our Canadian business with a goal of balancing cost, delivery, and customer satisfaction.
• Works to ensure a stable and quality vendor base.
• Prepares business plans for product additions and manages the lifecycle of this product offering.
• Refines the product assortment to fit customer needs and company goals.
• Creates and participates in promotional campaigns to increase product awareness and market share.
• Attends and participates in industry conferences, conventions, and trade shows.
• Implements pricing and branding strategies developed by upper management to optimize revenue, margin, and inventory.
• Reviews, maintains, and reports on product categories.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to utilize data to solve issues or improve processes.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain management, or a related field, plus 7 years of multi-functional supply chain, purchasing and/or product management experience in a distribution or manufacturing company, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• APICS Certified (CPIM) or equivalent required.
• Ability to professionally present findings and recommendations to senior executives.
• Skills to effectively negotiate an index-based costing model with key suppliers to mitigate risk in rising markets and provide margin-improvement opportunities in downturn markets.
• Self-motivated and comfortable leading the decision-making process for cross-functional teams.
• Ability to guide and influence all levels of the organization, including internal stakeholders and management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Good business acumen with knowledge of Lean or 6-Sigma process improvement preferred.
• In-depth experience using ERP systems and the ability to synthesize large amounts of data creating management reports.
• Ability to coordinate supplier agreements to ensure that the benefits of the sales side reflect the benefits of the buy side.
• Knowledge of fasteners, cutting tools, abrasives, electrical supplies, fluid power products and shop-type MRO items is helpful.
• Proven track record of success in similar and related Supply Chain/Purchasing/Product Management roles.
• Ability to develop an index-based costing methodology based on global indexes for material and production costs, labor, packaging, transportation, and monetary exchange rates for international sources.
• PC literacy in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint preferred; SAP experience is a plus.

Lawson Products is an Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.