Sourcing Lead

pep; Cincinnati (AR); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Time Off

Health and Wellness Plan

Family Support

Mentorship Program

401K Match

Role Autonomy

Certification Reimbursement and Oongo

Enrichment Events

Employee Resource Groups

Job summary

pep is seeking a Sourcing Lead to drive the sourcing of marketing goods and services across spends. You will build strategic supplier partnerships, develop sourcing strategies, and partner with our client services team to deliver campaigns and projects on time and on budget.

In this hybrid role, you will mentor junior teammates, stay current with industry trends, and help streamline processes to reduce risk and improve value for our clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, supply chain, operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of supplier and client negotiations experience.
• Demonstrates leadership with direct and cross-functional teams.
• Strong client communication and relationship-building skills.
• Proficient in spend analysis and basic math.

Responsibilities

• Relationship management with clients and vendors and internal partners.
• Day-to-day sourcing activities to maximize value on campaigns.
• Collaborate with client services to define program scope and execution path.
• Develop supplier partnerships for long-term mutual benefit.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to process improvements.

Skills

Relationship Management

Negotiations

Leadership

Mentoring

Client communication

Problem solving

Math ability

Education

Bachelor’s in marketing or related field

Tools

Project management tool

Job description

About WPP

pep is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

Who is pep?

pep started with 7 employees, a borrowed conference room, and an idea to fill a void in the marketing services space. Today we’ve grown to over 200 people and we are an industry leader in consumer activation, serving some of the top Fortune 500 companies. We’ve managed over $5 billion in marketing spend for over 750 brands and pride ourselves on a client retention rate of 98%.

Our company has evolved since we started 22 years ago, but there is one thing that has remained constant. At pep, we put people first. Our core values of accountability, excellence, ingenuity, people, and tenacity guide our interactions, decisions, and drive our culture. We are committed to maintaining an inclusive environment where every member of our team feels seen, cared for, and has the support they need to thrive. And our tremendous growth provides our people with many new career and development opportunities along with the flexibility to pursue their professional goals.

We’re looking for teammates who are driven, eager to learn, agile, positive, and client focused to join and contribute to our team.

At pep We Value Our Team and Offer:

• Generous Time Off
• Robust Health and Wellness Plan
• Family Support
• Mentorship Program
• 401K Match
• Role Autonomy
• Certification Reimbursement and Ongoing Training
• Enrichment Events and Employee Resource Groups

Summary of Position:

The Sourcing Lead position leads the sourcing of marketing goods and services within a spend or multiple spends. Through the development of strategic supplier partners and implementing sourcing strategies, they deliver value and results to both internal and external clients. They can have direct reports and leadership responsibilities within Sourcing Specialist and Sr. Sourcing Specialist levels. They work in partnership with our client services team to be a strategic partner for our clients and are responsible for successfully delivering marketing campaigns and projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Relationship Management: Cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with clients, vendors (including event production and fabrication partners), and internal partners through proactive communication, consistent follow-through, and a commitment to flawless execution.
• Responsible for day-to-day sourcing activities by engaging supplier partners to ensure the best total value is delivered on each marketing campaign.
• Collaboratively work with client services team to identify solutions, problem solve challenges and make impactful decisions to ensure the success of each marketing campaign.
• Participate in client meetings and help in defining program scope, entering program specifications into pep’s project management tool and helping to establishing the execution path and identify suppliers.
• Develop and progress new and existing supplier partner relationships to create a long-term mutually beneficial relationship.
• Operate within system workflows and execute against standard operating procedures to ensure consistency, accuracy and risk mitigation for the business.
• Demonstrate a team first mind set, remain flexible based on business needs and entrepreneurial spirt to help advance the team forward.
• Team Development: Mentor junior team members by providing coaching, guidance, and support to elevate team performance and foster professional growth.
• Knowledge & Expertise Development: Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in consumer activation contributing to ongoing process improvements and organizational knowledge.

Knowledge/Skills Preferred:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. A successful candidate will have the following skills:

• Preferred, but not required; bachelor’s in marketing, supply chain, operations, communication and/or media functions with 10 years of similar experience outlined above.
• Significant experience in supplier and client negotiations.
• Demonstrates expertise in technicality of spends.
• Consistent leadership qualities exist independently, with direct team and with cross functional teams.
• Proactively identify challenges and recommend solutions within spends and the sourcing operation.
• Proficient with intermediate level math- discounts, interest, commissions, proportions and percentages.
• Exceptional client communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to lead conversations, uncover business needs, and influence decision-making across multiple client teams and stakeholders.
• Leadership and collaboration skills, including mentoring junior team members, partnering with specialized internal teams, and contributing to continuous process improvement.
• Demonstrate desire for continuous learning, improvement and growing your business.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (pep) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.