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Salary: USD 147,000 - 175,000 / annual
Quince is a manufacturer-to-consumer (M2C) brand delivering high-quality essentials at low prices through direct relationships with manufacturing partners. The company spans apparel, accessories, and home goods, operating at Series D stage with a mission to challenge retail conventions through technology, AI, and analytics.
You will lead global procurement strategy for the Sweaters category, reporting to the Head of Procurement. This is a critical role focused on achieving optimal product costs while maintaining quality and sustainability standards. You will own the complete procurement lifecycle: defining category strategy, running competitive RFP processes with Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, developing clean-sheet costing models, and identifying supply chain value creation opportunities.
Key responsibilities include:
**Procurement Category Strategy**: Define and execute the commercial roadmap and vendor distribution strategy to improve margins as Quince scales. Establish short- and long-term procurement targets aligned to business growth. Consistently deliver exceptional product cost without sacrificing quality or ESG considerations. Partner with the technology team to embed procurement capabilities into the Vendor Portal and Product Catalog tools. Identify and deliver 700 basis points of product cost reductions over 12 months.
**RFP Ownership & Execution**: Structure and run competitive, end-to-end bidding processes to secure optimal cost and commercial terms with manufacturing partners. Own the full lifecycle from vendor identification through award. Deliver immediate, best-in-class product cost savings through rigorous negotiation while institutionalizing repeatable negotiation frameworks. Build AI agents to run RFPs systematically with scenario analysis capabilities.
**Clean Sheet & Buy Plan Approvals**: Create and utilize component-level clean sheets to drive pricing transparency. Review, approve, and solution to optimum cost for all buy events within your categories. Ensure scale/cleansheet costing with finished goods manufacturers. Negotiate upstream of finished goods to secure best pricing and availability of inputs (fabrics, yarns, fibers, commodities, trims). Lead buy plan margin review to govern company margin targets. Partner with material sourcing teams to ensure transparent, competitive pricing from key material suppliers.
**Upstream Sourcing**: Partner directly with the Material Manager, Sourcing Teams, and Tier 1 and Tier 2 vendors to align on and implement material benefits into finished goods costing. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate upstream material availability into product design and development cycles, ensuring early-stage cost optimization.
**Value Creation**: Identify and execute opportunities to reshape the supply chain and extract new financial value beyond traditional sourcing boundaries, including verticalization and volume consolidation plays. Examples include becoming a market maker for premium materials (cashmere, silk), partnering with mills to build verticalized supply chains for critical materials, and managing commodity price fluctuations.
**Requirements**
- 8+ years of experience in global procurement, sourcing, or supply chain management in retail apparel environment
- Proven track record running competitive RFP processes with international manufacturing partners
- Hands-on experience building and leveraging clean sheets for cost negotiation
- Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision making
- Experience working cross-functionally with merchandising, materials, and production teams
- Technical aptitude for leveraging AI-powered platforms (e.g., LLMs) to conduct scenario analysis and automate complex procurement tasks
- Excellent negotiation skills and commercial acumen
- Experience in apparel, soft goods, or home goods strongly preferred
- Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree a plus
