Director, Partnerships & Negotiations

Overview

Sprouts Farmers Market is creating a new Sprouts Partnerships & Negotiations (SP&N) team to elevate how the company builds supplier partnerships and negotiates agreements that create lasting value for customers, supplier partners, and the enterprise. The Director, SP&N will establish and lead this new capability across Merchandising. Rather than negotiating every supplier agreement directly, this leader will build organizational capability by creating best-in-class negotiation processes, implementing Joint Business Planning (JBP), coaching category management teams, and ensuring enterprise alignment across Sprouts' most strategic supplier relationships. This leader will introduce collaborative negotiation principles, embed Portager.ai into merchandising processes, and help transform important supplier relationships from transactional interactions into long-term strategic partnerships.

Overview of Responsibilities

Build the SP&N Function

• Establish and lead the Sprouts Partnerships & Negotiations team.
• Define operating rhythms, governance, priorities, and success metrics.
• Create standardized negotiation and Joint Business Planning processes.
• Lead continuous improvement of negotiation capabilities across Merchandising.

Enterprise Partnership Leadership

• Identify Sprouts' most strategic supplier partnerships.
• Prioritize enterprise opportunities capable of delivering significant financial and strategic impact.
• Ensure supplier strategies align with Sprouts' merchandising strategy.
• Develop long-term partnership roadmaps.

Negotiation Excellence

• Establish negotiation best practices throughout Merchandising.
• Introduce collaborative negotiation methodology.
• Ensure category teams prepare thoroughly for major negotiations.
• Coach merchants through complex negotiations.
• Promote solutions that maximize long-term value rather than short-term concessions.

Joint Business Planning Leadership

• Establish the Joint Business Planning process.
• Determine which supplier relationships qualify as strategic partnerships.
• Ensure every strategic relationship has documented objectives, initiatives, owners, KPIs, and timelines.
• Review progress with executive leadership.

Portager.ai Leadership

• Lead implementation of Portager.ai across Merchandising.
• Ensure consistent utilization throughout negotiations.
• Develop reporting and analytics.
• Identify enhancements that improve merchant effectiveness.

Executive Facilitation

• Lead planning and facilitation of Strategic Business Reviews, Innovation Summits, Executive Business Reviews, CEO/executive meetings, and Joint Business Planning sessions.

People Development

• Build negotiation capability across the organization.
• Mentor SP&N Leads.
• Coach category managers.
• Develop future merchandising leaders.

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Senior Merchant or equivalent merchandising leadership experience.
• 8+ years of retail merchandising experience.
• Proven supplier negotiation experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong executive presence.

Critical Leadership Competencies

• Enterprise thinking and strategic planning.
• Collaborative negotiation and relationship leadership.
• Executive facilitation and communication excellence.
• Organizational influence and change leadership.
• Financial acumen and strategic problem solving.
• Coaching, talent development, and project leadership.

Success Measures

• Improved negotiation outcomes.
• Increased Joint Business Planning adoption.
• Supplier relationship health.
• Merchant capability improvement.
• Strategic initiative execution.
• Financial value creation.
• Adoption of Portager.ai.
• Executive stakeholder satisfaction.

Benefits

In addition to a rewarding career, Sprouts offers a comprehensive program to help support you and your family. These programs include:

• Competitive pay
• Sick time plan that you can use to support you or your immediate families health
• Vacation accrual plan
• Opportunities for career growth
• 15% discount for you and one other family member in your household on all purchases made at Sprouts
• Flexible schedules
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(K) Retirement savings plan with a generous company match
• Company paid life insurance
• Contests and appreciation events throughout the year full of prizes, food and fun!

Eligibility requirements may apply for the following benefits:

• Bonus based on company and/or individual performance
• Affordable benefit coverage, including medical, dental and vision
• Health Savings Account with company match
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Company paid short-term disability coverage
• Paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers
• Paid holidays

Get Paid Every Day!

Sprouts Farmers Market offers DailyPay - if you’re hired as an eligible employee, you’ll be able to transfer the money you’ve already earned at no extra cost, and get it the next business day, for free.  We offer DailyPay so you don’t have to wait for payday to access the money you’ve already worked for. With DailyPay, you can see how much you’ve made every day and you can transfer your money any time before payday.

 You can learn more by visiting https://www.dailypay.com/partners/sprouts-farmers-market/.

Why Sprouts

Grow with us!

If you have a passion for inspiring people and a flair for fresh food, consider applying for a job at Sprouts! With a focus on customer service, our neighborhood grocery stores offer high-quality, farm fresh produce, natural meats, plenty of scoop-your-own bulk goods and much more in a fun, friendly, old-fashioned farmer’s market setting.  Come grow your career in healthy living with a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and teams that pride themselves on empowering others along their journey.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Sprouts’ management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

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