Senior Vendor Manager

Description

Are you excited by the prospect of building something from the ground up? Amazon is launching a new vendor management function in Sydney, and we are looking for a senior commercial leader to help define our category strategy and supplier landscape from day one. In this role, you will own end-to-end vendor relationships across one or more categories at a senior level - setting the commercial direction, leading complex negotiations, and driving the supplier partnerships that will underpin long-term business growth. You will work directly with Instock, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Legal teams to shape how this new business operates, influencing senior stakeholders and making decisions that have a real and lasting impact. Beyond your own categories, you will play a key role in coaching the team around you - mentoring Vendor Managers, establishing ways of working, and helping to create a high-performing commercial function from scratch. This is a rare opportunity to operate with genuine autonomy, define how a new branch of the business runs, and leave a lasting mark on how Amazon approaches this new business in Australia.

Amazon values diverse experiences and candidates with transferable skills are encouraged to apply. We are hiring across multiple business units and will help match your profile to one of the exciting categories as we go through the hiring process. Our categories include:
- Consumables (Grocery, Beauty, Household, Pet, Personal Care or Baby)
- Fashion (Luggage, Shoes, Watches or Clothing)
- Electronics (Audio, Consumer Electronics, TV or Camera)
- Home & Living (Toys, Kitchen, Sports, Lawn and Garden, or Office)
- Entertainment (Physical Books, Video Games, Music, or Digital Products)

A successful Vendor Manager will:
- Enjoy a high degree of ownership: this will include owning the category P&L, driving ranging decisions, category expansion, and identifying operational efficiencies across your portfolio
- Bring analytical depth: going beyond reviewing data to proactively dive deep into metrics, uncover opportunities, and build actionable strategies
- Be a skilled negotiator: confidently leading commercial discussions to secure optimal terms while fostering long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships and earning trust with stakeholders
- Embrace a growth mindset: demonstrating resilience, curiosity, and a genuine appetite for continuous learning, including Amazon’s ways of working such as document-led meetings and culture of high velocity decision making.
- Technology & AI Adoption: Embrace AI and new technologies, diving into Amazon's tools and systems quickly and confidently
- Thrive in a fast-paced environment: demonstrating strong organisational skills and effectively prioritising competing demands across multiple workstreams

Why Amazon?

Beyond joining one of the world's most customer-centric companies, you'll enjoy a range of benefits that make Amazon a great place to work:

- Dogs at Work: our popular program proven to lower stress and boost morale, running successfully across our Australian corporate offices
- Commuter benefits, helping you save on the cost of your daily commute
- Subsidised health insurance for you and your dependents, on top of salary continuance (income protection) and life insurance
- Inclusive culture: Amazon celebrates diversity of background, experience, and thought as a key driver of innovation and our mission to be the most customer-centric company in the world

This position requires full-time in-office presence 5 days per week at our CBD location.

Key job responsibilities
- Own end-to-end vendor relationships across one or more categories at a senior level, setting commercial strategy and driving performance across sourcing, range, negotiations, contracts, and supplier development
- Lead complex, high-value negotiations with strategic suppliers, securing trading terms, pricing, and supply agreements that deliver strong customer and business outcomes
- Build and manage a high-quality supplier base, making sound judgements on which vendors to prioritise and how to structure partnerships for long-term growth
- Partner with Instock, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Legal teams to resolve supply constraints, influence cross-functional priorities, and deliver outcomes that improve customer experience and commercial performance
- Analyse category and vendor performance at depth, identifying strategic opportunities, addressing underperformance, and making recommendations that shape the direction of the business
- Mentor and develop Vendor Managers, sharing expertise, and helping to build a high-performing and inclusive commercial team
- Represent Amazon externally as a senior commercial leader, building trusted long-term supplier relationships and acting as a credible face of the business in the market

A day in the life
You might start your morning reviewing category P&L and vendor performance trends, identifying where to push for better terms or address a supply risk. From there you could move into a senior negotiation with a strategic supplier, working through a complex trading agreement. After lunch you might join a leadership review to present a category strategy recommendation, backed by data and a clear commercial narrative. Later in the afternoon you may be working with a Vendor Manager on their development, reviewing their approach to a new vendor pitch or helping them navigate a difficult supplier conversation.

About the team
We are a newly formed team tasked with building a new Amazon business in Australia. Our mission is to offer customers a compelling product range - at the quality they expect, at prices they love, reliably available. We work closely with Instock, Operations, Finance, and Technology teams to solve supply chain and commercial challenges through data, strong vendor relationships, and creative problem-solving. If you want to shape how a high-growth business operates, influence its direction from the earliest stages, and see your ideas come to life quickly, this is the team for you.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree, or 5+ years of professional or military experience
- 5+ years of account management, project or program management or buying experience
- Experience with business analysis and P&L management
- Experience using data to influence business decisions

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience driving direction and alignment with cross-functional teams
- Experience building a category or supplier base from early stage
- Experience working with time-sensitive or complex product categories

Acknowledgement of country:
In the spirit of reconciliation Amazon acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

IDE statement:
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.