Director, Product & Margin

Position Overview:

Reporting to the VP – Operations & Supply Chain, the Director, Product & Margin provides national leadership across Product Management, Pricing, Margin Management and Master Data. This individual will establish consistent strategies, processes and governance across product categories and branches while partnering closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations and suppliers.

The Director will lead the organization's category strategy and product portfolio, pricing strategy and governance, margin improvement agenda, supplier and brand partnerships, and master data standards. The role is accountable for ensuring that product assortment, pricing, supplier economics and commercial data are aligned to customer demand, market conditions and the organization's growth and profitability objectives.

This role can be fully remote, hybrid or based in office. Home location is flexible for any metropolitan area in which Source Atlantic / Bolt Supply House / Soucie Salo operates, however, preference would be one of the below:

Calgary, AB

Saint John, NB

Halifax, NS

Responsibilities:

Product & Portfolio Strategy

Lead the national product and category strategy, ensuring the portfolio supports customer needs, market opportunity, growth and profitability objectives.

Own portfolio decisions including assortment, brands, new product introductions and product rationalization.

Set expectations and approve annual plans for Product Managers, with clear accountability for sales, gross margin and inventory productivity.

Lead strategic supplier and brand relationships, including commercial programs, rebates, marketing funds and line reviews.

Ensure market, customer, competitive and supplier insights inform product and portfolio decisions.

Pricing & Margin

Own the organization's national pricing strategy and governance across list, matrix and contract pricing.

Establish pricing, discount and approval frameworks that balance competitiveness, customer value and profitability.

Lead margin improvement initiatives, identifying and addressing leakage across pricing, costs, discounts, product mix and commercial terms.

Oversee the response to supplier cost changes, tariffs and other market movements, ensuring appropriate and timely pricing actions.

Partner with Sales, Finance and Supply Chain on strategic pricing, customer profitability and commercial decisions.

Data, Analytics & Commercial Insights

Own the governance and quality of product, cost and pricing master data within the ERP environment.

Establish clear standards, ownership and controls to ensure accurate and timely product, vendor, cost and pricing information.

Lead the development of reporting and analytics that provide leadership with a clear view of product, pricing, sales and margin performance.

Use data and market intelligence to identify trends, risks and opportunities and translate them into actionable commercial decisions.

Establish a consistent monthly performance view across categories and ensure the organization has timely, reliable answers to product, pricing and margin questions.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

Lead, coach and develop the Product, Pricing and Data functions, establishing clear priorities, accountability and performance expectations.

Build consistent processes, tools and best practices across Product Management and commercial data functions.

Partner closely with the Director, Supply Chain to align product, supplier, sourcing, inventory and supply decisions.

Work with Sales, branches, Finance and Operations to drive adoption of product, pricing and margin strategies across the organization.

Manage the team budget and Vserve relationship and ensure the function delivers against agreed business priorities.

Serve as the senior escalation point for product, pricing and margin decisions and provide clear, data-driven recommendations to executive leadership.

Qualifications

10+ years of progressive experience in product management, category management, pricing, purchasing, commercial strategy or a related discipline.

Proven ability to lead teams through other leaders, with a strong track record of developing talent and driving accountability across Product Managers, Category Managers and Specialists.

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Marketing or a related discipline is required. An MBA, CPA or other relevant advanced designation is considered an asset.

Experience within industrial distribution, MRO, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fasteners, safety, welding or another complex B2B environment is strongly preferred.

Demonstrated success improving sales, gross margin and/or broader commercial performance.

Strong understanding of pricing strategy, margin analysis, product economics and supplier program economics.

Demonstrated experience developing and executing product or category strategies.

Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management experience.

Experience establishing or improving master data standards and governance within an ERP environment.

Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to translate data into actionable commercial decisions.

Experience working across Sales, Supply Chain, Finance and Operations in a decentralized organization.

Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior leadership.

Advanced Excel skills; experience with Power BI, Tableau, ERP analytics or other commercial analytics tools is an asset.

Working Conditions:

This position offers the flexibility to work fully remotely or in a hybrid arrangement, however, the employee must be based in or near a metropolitan area in which Source Atlantic / Bolt Supply House operates

Candidate must be ready & able to travel approximately ~25% travel across Canada.

In accordance with provincial wage transparency requirements, the expected base annual compensation for this position is $130,000 or more, depending on experience, technical competencies, certifications, and qualifications, with opportunities to participate in a lucrative Annual Incentive/Bonus Plan.