Director of Sourcing & Product Development

Insight Global; Niles (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Global in Illinois is seeking a Director of Sourcing & Product Development to build and professionalize the sourcing function for a growing apparel organization. You will own vendor relationships, supplier performance, onboarding initiatives, and sourcing strategy while leading a small team.

This leadership role requires balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution, partnering with Merchandising, Planning, Design, Product Development, and Finance to scale operations and ensure

Qualifications

• 8+ years in sourcing, product development, or vendor management in apparel or related consumer products.
• Experience building processes, infrastructure and sourcing foundations from scratch.
• Experience owning vendor agreements, negotiations, and onboarding initiatives.
• Strong cross-functional partnership with Product Development, Supply Chain, Finance and Quality.

Skills

Sourcing leadership

Vendor management

Product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Negotiation

Process building

Supplier onboarding

Tools

Centric PLM

D365 ERP

Job description

Job Description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a Director of Sourcing & Product Development to build and professionalize the sourcing function within a growing apparel organization. While the company has an established vendor base and successful product creation process, they are looking for a leader who can create the sourcing infrastructure behind the business, including vendor agreements, onboarding processes, quality and compliance programs, supplier performance standards, and sourcing strategy.

This is a highly visible, foundational leadership role that requires someone comfortable building processes from scratch while supporting a fast-growing business. The ideal candidate can balance strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, understands how sourcing decisions impact multiple departments, and has a proven ability to build strong supplier relationships while navigating the realities of a scaling organization.

The Director will serve as the primary owner of vendor relationships, supplier performance, compliance standards, new vendor identification and onboarding, and sourcing strategy. They will work cross‑functionally with Merchandising, Planning, Design, Product Development, Supply Chain, Finance, Logistics, and Quality while leading a small team and helping shape the future structure of the sourcing organization.

Skills and Requirements

Must Haves

• 8+ years of sourcing, product development, or vendor management experience within apparel, soft goods, fashion, accessories, or similar consumer products industries.
• Strong apparel sourcing background with experience managing finished goods and/or raw materials sourcing.
• Demonstrated experience building processes, infrastructure, and sourcing foundations from the ground up rather than inheriting mature programs.
• Experience owning vendor agreements, commercial negotiations, supplier relationships, and vendor onboarding initiatives.
• Deep cross‑functional partnership experience working with Product Development, Supply Chain, Finance, Quality, Compliance, Planning, and Logistics teams.
• Experience negotiating costs, payment terms, MOQs, supplier performance expectations, and vendor accountability measures.
• Ability to operate successfully in high‑growth environments where processes are being built while the business continues to scale.
• Strong relationship‑building and influencing skills with a consultative, partnership‑driven approach.
• Experience assessing operational gaps, identifying priorities, and implementing scalable solutions without extensive direction.
• Comfortable operating in an environment where there is not always a handbook, playbook, or legal team to lean on for guidance.

Nice to Haves

• Experience standing up supplier quality, compliance, audit, or scorecard programs.
• Experience with children's products, performance apparel, dancewear, or trim‑heavy product categories.
• Experience creating or improving supplier diversification strategies and building new vendor pipelines.
• PLM experience (Centric or similar) and ERP experience (D365 or equivalent).
• Experience within small‑to‑mid‑sized companies or businesses that have recently gone through significant growth.
• Exposure to quality, regulatory, social compliance, or factory audit programs.

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [e-mail].