Vendor Relations Manager

Robertson Electric Wholesale is a highly regarded Electrical Distributor in Canada. Robertson has demonstrated steady and secure growth since many years, proving to be a dominant player in the industries we serve. With numerous branches across Canada and secure business plans for further growth and expansion, Robertson is seeking talented individuals to join our dynamic Company and be part of our continued success.

We are a proud member of the Sonepar Group, the world's largest privately-held electrical distributor. The Sonepar Group is present in more than 40 countries with over 45,000 employees. In Canada, we are represented by 6 locally managed electrical and industrial distributors and have over 110 locations with coverage in 9 provinces.

To explore and learn more about Sonepar opportunities, please visit

What’s In It For You?

• You will be joining a market leader with over 40 years of experience to help you elevate your potential.
• You will be working for the world's #1 privately held business to business distributor of electrical products and related solutions.
• A chance to get involved in the forever growing electrical industry.
• We house the largest inventory to better service our customers and deliver on sales commitments.
• An opportunity for career development across many business departments within our organization.

Working from our Brampton, Ontario location, the Vendor Relations Manager will develop and leverage strong relationships with strategic vendors and operating companies to maximize profitability through alignment and execution. This individual will be responsible for the development and management of vendor agreements. This includes negotiating new and/or existing vendor year end rebates, terms and conditions of agreements, making recommendations of investment levels for new vendors, and determining added value of new vendor(s) while ensuring there is a minimized risk of possible duplicate product conflict. They will work with operating companies, who are responsible for profitable growth of the category, including vendor relationships and negotiations at local levels, to will develop data analytics tools to profitably grow the business. They will also assist with efforts to maximize buying actions, decisions, cost savings, and introduce new products to the organization through the management of product changes or additions.

Responsibilities

• Manage, negotiate, and implement national vendor programs to maximize alignment and financial outcomes while managing risks. Analyze profitability of key vendor product lines.
• Forecast, model, and monitor vendor incentives and rebates, ensuring maximum capture against contractual agreements and identifying gaps or underperformance in real time.
• Support organization-wide needs for due diligence, risk assessment and vendor monitoring.
• Responding to problems and resolving issues that may arise between vendors and the Company.
• Partner with Finance, Purchasing, and Operating Companies to align on KPIs, reporting cadence, and performance targets, ensuring visibility into vendor contribution to overall profitability.
• Develop and maintain trusting and respectful relationships with vendors, corporate and operating company leadership, and vendor relations’ teams.
• Collaborate with operating companies to embed data-driven decision making into local vendor negotiations and purchasing strategies.
• Troubleshoot problems and support process improvements across vendors and operating companies to drive productivity and growth.
• Own end-to-end vendor performance reporting, including the design and delivery of standardized dashboards and executive-level reporting (Power BI/Excel) to track rebates, margins, growth, and ROI on vendor investments.
• Develop data analytics capabilities to support strategic vendor decision-making, including:
  • Rebate performance tracking and forecasting
  • Vendor profitability and product line margin analysis
  • Cost-saving opportunities and purchasing optimization
  • Vendor concentration and risk exposure analysis
• Establish data governance and reporting frameworks to ensure consistency and accuracy of vendor-related financial metrics across operating companies.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights and recommendations for senior leadership (VPs/GMs), influencing vendor strategy, category management, and investment decisions.
• Conduct deep-dive analysis on vendor performance trends, identifying opportunities for SKU rationalization, product substitutions, and strategic vendor expansion.
• Lead continuous improvement of analytics tools and reporting processes, leveraging automation and Power BI to enhance efficiency, scalability, and accessibility of data.
• Attending key meetings with VP's/GMs as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum 5-7 years of related experience in a similar role (Purchasing, Sales, Product Management, Vendor Relations).
• Post-secondary education in Business, Commerce, or a related discipline; advanced coursework or certifications in Marketing, Analytics, or Supply Chain considered an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in the electrical distribution industry, with strong product knowledge and understanding of vendor dynamics, pricing structures, and rebate programs.
• Advanced analytical capabilities, with proven experience leveraging data to drive decision-making, including proficiency in Power BI, Excel (advanced functions), and data visualization tools.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a highly matrixed, fast-paced environment, balancing competing priorities and influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills with customer service orientation.
• Strong business acumen and negotiation skills, with the ability to structure agreements that optimize profitability while managing commercial risk.
• Ability to work independently in a team environment, without close supervision and meet deadlines.
• High degree of integrity.
• Outstanding team player.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of proprietary business information.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills required, including PowerBi and Excel.

Benefits & Perks

We offer a competitive salary, plus a full set of benefits, including:

• Flexible benefits program allowing you to choose from options that best fit you and your dependents’ needs. Benefit options include: Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Spending Account & RRSP matching.
• Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Discounts and a career path.
• Regardless of your benefits program, you will receive company paid Life Insurance, and employee paid disability.

Social Media

Website:

X: Robertson Electric

Facebook: Robertson Electric

LinkedIn: Robertson Electric

Instagram: Robertson Electric

Sonepar places the planet and diversity and inclusion at the core of its vision driving our business ethos.

Today, Sonepar is the leading distributor of energy-efficient products, pioneering the energy transition and making sustainability a priority. At Sonepar, we firmly believe that every action is crucial in safeguarding the environment, driving our commitment to a more sustainable future. We have accelerated our own transition to efficient generation and use of electrical energy across our business and champion the innovation of sustainable solutions in the market.

This commitment is tangible in our detailed Global CSR report, to learn more please visit

Sonepar has been recognized as a Diversity Leader by the Financial Times’ 2024 Diversity Leaders ranking and was awarded GEEIS Certification in 2022. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, welcoming submissions from all candidates. We believe in creating a work environment where everyone can feel safe, use their voice, and know that they belong. Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is a central focus of our global, strategic impact plan. We value diversity and inclusion in the workplace because it allows us to better meet the needs of the communities we serve. It helps us foster greater creativity, breadth of experience, and it’s essential to our success as an organization. All qualified individuals, regardless of race, ethnic or national origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, neurodiversity, disability status, gender identity, veteran status or any other aspect which makes them unique are encouraged to apply.

For more information about our Inclusion and Diversity initiatives, please visit

Sonepar is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes submissions from all candidates. Accommodation is available to all applicants upon request. If selected for an interview, please advise the Sonepar representative of your accommodation needs at that time. We will work with all applicants to accommodate their accessibility needs.

We are interested in knowing more about you. Start an exciting new career and enjoy a number of benefits by applying online. While we are very grateful for your interest in joining the team, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.