The International Vendor Manager maintains negotiation and execution while managing a global supplier base to drive competitive costs, maintain production and shipment schedules, and ensure on-time delivery without compromising quality. This role partners closely with Merchandising, Quality, Planning/Inventory, Logistics, and Finance to balance speed, cost, and risk across the business. The position requires strong, data-driven decision-making, analytical rigor, and creative problem-solving to improve vendor performance and deliver measurable business results. With dynamic cross-functional involvement and responsibility for driving projects to completion, this role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact and supports strong potential for career growth.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Manage day-to-day business with a large global supplier base across China, Vietnam, India, and other low-cost countries, maintaining a consistent operating cadence through status updates, capacity reviews, and risk assessments.
- Build strong vendor partnerships that promote transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and rapid issue resolution while continuously monitoring supplier performance across lead times, quality, and on-time delivery.
- Lead multi-round cost negotiations across a large spend portfolio, delivering measurable savings through data-driven strategies that account for labor and material changes, yield, packaging, MOQs, lead-time tradeoffs, tariffs, and duties.
- Identify and execute cost-reduction opportunities through benchmarking, specification optimization, alternative sourcing, and informed commercial decision-making.
- Own production execution by tracking critical-path milestones, factory capacity, material readiness, and shipment schedules to ensure finished goods are delivered on time to port.
- Proactively identify risks, escalate issues early, and drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions to resolve delays, shortages, capacity constraints, and documentation challenges.
- Analyze data related to shipments, production capacity, purchasing plans, cost negotiations, tariffs, and duties to deliver accurate, decision-ready reporting and business insights on demand.
- Partner closely with Merchandising, Quality, Planning/Inventory, Logistics, and Finance to align priorities, manage tradeoffs, and ensure decisions reflect total enterprise impact across cost, speed, availability, quality, and risk.
- Drive projects to completion by working effectively within and around existing systems while maintaining strong organization, attention to detail, and execution discipline in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
- Continuously improve tools, workflows, and standard operating procedures to increase predictability, efficiency, and scalability; share best practices across the Vendor Management team.
- Travel internationally as needed to strengthen vendor relationships and drive results.
- Support departmental process improvements and perform additional duties as assigned by management.
Scope
- Staff supervision and development: Yes
- Decision making:
- Creates policy and resolves problems
- Travel: Up to 50%
- Flex Designation: Anywhere
The anticipated salary range for this position is $117,300 – $176,000 depending on location, knowledge, skills, education and experience. This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits to Associates (and their families) such as medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability. Eligible Associates are able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan. Associates will accrue paid time off up to 236 hours per year (inclusive of PTO, floating holidays, and paid holidays). Paid sick time up to 80 hours per year unless otherwise required by law.
Requirements
Education and Experience
Education Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required, MBA a plus or equivalent practical experience in international business
Years of Experience
- 5+ years of experience managing and negotiating with overseas vendors; international travel required, with China and/or other low-cost country experience strongly preferred
Skills
- Proven success balancing cost negotiation with production execution and on-time delivery in fast-paced, high-volume environments
- Substantial business acumen with demonstrated success negotiating multi-round, high-stakes commercial agreements and consistently meeting firm deadlines
- Strong negotiation excellence, commercial judgment, and ability to deliver measurable financial results
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable decisions
- Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency required; SQL knowledge preferred
- Hands-on experience with global sourcing, contract manufacturing, and logistics coordination within FMCG or similar high-velocity environments
- Experience managing and directing overseas employees and/or in-country management teams is a plus
- Data-driven decision-making combined with sound financial and operational judgment
- Demonstrated ownership mindset with strong organization, persistence, accountability, and follow-through
- Proven leadership and management skills characterized by drive, initiative, and a continuous-improvement (“never settle”) attitude
- Strong interpersonal skills with excellent planning capability and effective collaboration across teams
- Ability to identify risk early, develop mitigation strategies, and drive resolution
- Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional partners
- Ability to work independently as a proactive self-starter while contributing effectively as a team player in evolving environments
Physical Requirement
Corporate - Remote - General office environment requiring ability to:
- Stand, walk, sit for extended periods of time .
- Speak and listen to others in person and over the phone and video conferencing.
- Use keyboard and read from computer screen and reports.
- The ability to lift up to 15 lbs.
Safety
Must be able to perform this job safely in accordance with standard operating procedures and good manufacturing practices, without endangering the health or safety of self or others.
About Harbor Freight Tools
We’re a 45 year-old, $8 billion national tool retailer with the energy, enthusiasm, and growth potential of a start-up. We have over 1,600 stores in 48 states across the country and are opening several new locations every week. We offer our customers more than 7,000 tools and accessories, from hand tools and generators to air and power tools, from shop equipment to automotive tools. We provide our customers with the right tool for the right job at the right price, always delivering quality and value.
