Vice President Vendor Relations

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

Overview: The Vice President, Vendor Relations & Financial Programs at Sonepar Canada sets strategic direction for vendor relationship management and rebate programs, leads a team, and ensures high‑impact negotiations, accurate forecasting, and profitability aligned with corporate goals. You’ll build executive-level vendor partnerships, drive data‑driven decisions, and collaborate with Finance, Operations, and Purchasing to optimize cost and risk. Requirements include 10+ years in vendor relations or procurement, 5+ in a senior role, a business or finance degree (MBA preferred), and strong modeling and negotiation experience. Tips: tailor your resume to quantify outcomes, showcase KPI leadership, rebate optimization, and cross‑functional wins; highlight your communication and change leadership; apply online with a targeted cover letter.

About Us:

Sonepar Canada is an independent family-owned company with global market leadership in the business-to-business distribution of electrical, industrial and safety products and related solutions. In Canada, we are represented by 6 locally managed electrical and industrial distributors and have over 100+ locations with coverage in 9 provinces.

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. 

To explore and learn more about Sonepar opportunities, please visit www.career.sonepar.com

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.

Scope of Position:

The Vice President, Vendor Relations & Financial Programs is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leadership of vendor relationship management and financial rebate programs across the organization. This role oversees the negotiation and optimization of vendor agreements, including rebate structures, terms, and conditions, while ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and profitability targets. The VP will lead a team and focus on driving data-driven decision-making, financial modeling, and performance analysis to maximize vendor value and minimize risk.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive vendor relations strategy aligned with corporate goals.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to the Vendor Relations team, including Financial Analyst and Financial Rebate Analyst.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics for vendor programs and financial analysis.
• Negotiate high-value vendor agreements, including year-end rebates, pricing structures, and terms.
• Evaluate new vendor opportunities, investment levels, and potential conflicts to ensure strategic alignment.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key vendors.
• Oversee financial modeling and profitability analysis of vendor programs.
• Ensure accurate forecasting and reporting of rebate income and vendor-related financial performance.
• Collaborate with Finance and Operations to align vendor strategies with budgetary objectives.
• Implement controls to minimize financial and operational risks associated with vendor agreements.
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations and corporate policies.
• Partner with Purchasing, Operations, and Branch leadership to ensure vendor strategies support business needs.
• Represent the organization in high-level negotiations and industry forums.
• Drive process improvements in vendor management and rebate tracking systems.
• Leverage analytics to identify trends and opportunities for cost optimization.

Requirements:

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in vendor relations, procurement, or financial management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field; MBA preferred.
• Strong knowledge of financial analysis, rebate structures, and vendor negotiations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and financial modeling tools.
• Leadership & Decision-Making
• High degree of autonomy in decision-making with broad organizational impact.
• Ability to analyze complex financial and operational data to inform strategic decisions
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office required.

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.

More information on Sonepar Canada:

Website: www.soneparcanada.com  

Twitter: @soneparcanada  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonepar-canada/  

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SoneparCanada  

Check out Sonepar Canada on Facebook!      

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  https://www.sonepar.com/en/commitments/sustainability.

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  https://www.sonepar.com/en/commitments/diversity-and-inclusion.

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.

Next steps:
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.