Company Description

At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, 60+ retail stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things, and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.

Job Description

We are seeking a Manager of Sourcing, Furniture to handle Lakeshore’s China operations. In this role, you will lead the effort to enhance our current Furniture supply chain while also helping to build a diversification/mitigation strategy to qualify and onboard new vendors. You will help manage China sourcing responsibilities while working as part of a global team, partnering with our Global Sourcing Leadership team in Carson, California. Reporting to the Senior Director of Global Sourcing, you will help define and build this department from the ground up to expand our global supply chain efforts. This position will lead and direct all strategic sourcing initiatives in China, such as implementing strategic-risk mitigation, quotation analysis and price negotiations. You will also be responsible for capacity planning with the goal of maximizing process efficiency, productivity and reducing costs. The successful candidate will have 8+ years of sourcing experience in mainland China, with experience in Furniture and other products similar to Lakeshore’s current catalog.  

This position will be located in South China and expected to travel up to 30% of the time.  

A day on the job looks like this: 

Assist and support the development and implementation of end-to-end strategies for vendor diversification and deliver sustainable value from strategic sourcing initiatives.  Collaborate with the Global Sourcing Leadership team on qualifying and onboarding new vendors, as well as assessing current vendor capabilities/capacity to mitigate future interruptions and price Work with global cross-functional product teams to provide the most favorable pricing, quality, delivery and relationship management (vendor) to meet company goals and objectives—including extensive daily communication with global teams in U.S. and Hong Kong  Effectively connect with strategic suppliers and partners to create value-driven relationships and promote new product sourcing as well as dual-sourcing initiatives  Manage and execute complicated projects, independently provide updates to leadership and manage and measure tasks and outcomes across our cross-functional team  Assist in the planning and execution of an overall supply chain strategy that supports Lakeshore’s growth goals over the next three to five years at the lowest possible cost  Monitor the performance of suppliers, assessing their ability to meet quality and delivery requirements.  Lead established vendor management strategies to ensure strong working relationships with all suppliers/partners. 

Qualifications

Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for: 

8+ years of experience in global sourcing, specifically in southern China and surrounding provinces 6+ years of experience in a similar position  6+ years of experience managing people/projects  6+ years in the furniture industry specifically. Leadership experience, ideally as part of regional U.S.- or European-headquartered companies and with product or industry experience similar to Lakeshore Learning Materials   Bilingual in Chinese and English, with a strong command of English (both written and verbal)  Ability to collaborate with global team members from all levels/areas of the organization   Excellent understanding of the supply chain process as it relates to B2B and retail environments   Skilled at growing and curating vendor partnerships and relationships to promote best outcomes   Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with new and existing vendors and partners   Aptitude in contract formation and negotiation techniques tailored to China’s supply chain   Awareness of and planning for proactive mitigation around strategic and global procurement challenges   Awareness of strategic and global supply chain/ procurement issues and vendor negotiations   Intermediate to advanced level of proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)   Great organizational skills including ability to prioritize and meet deadlines  

Additional Information

And here’s our end of the bargain! 

Competitive compensation based on skills and experiencePaid leave for new parents to support work/life balance and family bondingGenerous employee discountCasual dress…and we really mean it

At Lakeshore, we know our diversity makes us stronger, and when everyone feels included and valued, we all win. We strive to embrace our differences and create an intentionally diverse and inclusive community that is representative of the teachers, families and children we serve.

We know we couldn’t do the extraordinary things we’re doing without the people on our team. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of this spectacular group, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it’s a great experience to be part of. Day in and day out, we give everything we’ve got to create products that instill a sense of wonder and foster a true love of learning. To help maintain this high bar for success, we’re constantly on the lookout for people to join us. So if you’re a down-to-earth professional who shares our desire for making a difference, we’d love to hear from you. 
 
To learn more about Lakeshore, visit www.lakeshorelearning.com/careers 
 
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
People are selected to become members of the Lakeshore family based on skill, merit and mind-boggling talent—not based on race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, marital status, domestic partnership status, military status, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, alienage, AIDS or AIDS-related complex status, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, physical or mental disability, rural workers, carriers of infection diseases or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If things aren’t equal, we all lose. 

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