VP, Front Room Merchandising

Advance-Auto-Parts; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 250,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Advance Auto Parts seeks a Vice President of Front Room Merchandising to oversee enterprise category strategy, portfolio performance, and merchandising execution across DIY, Professional, and eCommerce channels.

This senior leader aligns category plans with company strategy, drives sales and profitability, and partners across Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, Inventory, Store Operations, and eCommerce.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in category management, merchandising, or related commercial discipline.
• 7-10+ years of significant people leadership experience.
• Delivery of measurable outcomes across sales, margin, inventory, and cash flow.
• Proven experience shaping enterprise strategy and influencing executives.
• Extensive experience leading complex supplier relationships and negotiations.
• Strong financial acumen and strategic, executive communication.
• Undergraduate degree in Business Administration; advanced degree a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise category strategy and portfolio leadership across multiple channels.
• Own portfolio performance including sales, gross margin, inventory productivity, and working capital.
• Define supplier strategy and negotiate high-value contracts.
• Translate corporate vision into merchandising priorities and action plans.
• Build and grow a high-performing organization of category leaders.

Skills

Category management

Merchandising leadership

Supplier management

Strategic thinking

Executive presence

Education

Bachelor's in Business Administration

MBA preferred

Job description

Job Description The Vice President, Front Room Merchandising provides enterprise leadership for category strategy, portfolio performance, and merchandising execution across assigned businesses. This leader translates the company strategy into an integrated category agenda that strengthens customer relevance, supplier value, and profitable growth across DIY, Professional, and eCommerce channels. The role owns the performance of a broad category portfolio and establishes the operating mechanisms, talent, and cross-functional alignment required to deliver sales, gross margin, inventory productivity, working capital, cash flow, and return on invested capital objectives. As a senior merchandising executive, the Vice President leads a team of category leaders, serves as a key advisor to executive leadership, and builds strategic partnerships across Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, Inventory, Store Operations, eCommerce, and the supplier community. The role sets clear priorities, makes enterprise tradeoffs, and ensures category plans translate into consistent execution and measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Category Strategy and Portfolio Leadership

Establishes the vision, strategic direction, and multi-year roadmap for a broad portfolio of categories, aligned with the company strategy and customer value proposition. Identifies emerging categories, portfolio opportunities, and category role shifts based on industry, competitor, customer, and consumer trends. Integrates category strategies across assortment, branding, innovation, pricing, promotion, space, marketing, digital, and supply chain to maximize enterprise value. Allocates resources and investment across categories based on strategic importance, growth potential, customer needs, and financial return. Creates operating rhythms that improve category planning, decision quality, accountability, and execution across the organization and supplier community.

Financial and Commercial Leadership

Owns portfolio-level business performance, including sales, gross margin, gross margin rate, inventory productivity, working capital, cash flow, and return on invested capital. Provides executive leadership in the development of strategic financial plans, annual operating plans, budgets, forecasts, and performance commitments. Establishes portfolio-level financial guardrails, risk tolerance, and investment criteria for pricing, promotion, assortment, inventory, and vendor programs. Uses customer, market, competitive, and financial insights to identify performance gaps, prioritize value-creation opportunities, and accelerate corrective action. Leads complex business decisions and enterprise tradeoffs that balance near-term performance with sustainable long-term growth.

Supplier Strategy and Negotiation

Defines supplier strategy across the portfolio, including segmentation, joint business planning, innovation, sourcing, performance expectations, and risk management. Serves as executive sponsor for strategic supplier relationships and creates partnerships that improve customer value, differentiation, profitability, and supply continuity. Establishes negotiation strategies and enterprise positions for high-value, complex, or top-tier supplier negotiations. Aligns sourcing objectives and supplier investments to category strategy, company priorities, and available resources. Monitors macroeconomic conditions, cost drivers, regulatory changes, and supply-base dynamics to anticipate risk and protect business performance.

Enterprise Leadership and Execution

Translates corporate vision into clear merchandising and category priorities, operating plans, and measurable outcomes. Leads enterprise-wide initiatives requiring alignment across Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, Inventory, Store Operations, and eCommerce. Influences executive and senior leaders to resolve competing priorities, remove barriers, and accelerate execution. Creates clear governance, decision rights, and accountability for strategic category initiatives and cross-functional work. Communicates the strategy and business rationale with clarity to internal and external audiences, ensuring consistent understanding and execution.

Talent and Organizational Leadership

Builds and leads a high-performing organization of category leaders and teams, with clear expectations for strategy, commercial judgment, collaboration, and results. Develops succession plans and a strong leadership pipeline through coaching, differentiated development, talent movement, and meaningful career opportunities. Sets the standard for inclusive leadership, constructive challenge, disciplined decision-making, and enterprise collaboration. Designs organizational capabilities, roles, processes, and ways of working needed to deliver the category strategy. Creates an environment where teams use data, customer insight, and financial acumen to make timely, high-quality decisions.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in category management, merchandising, strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier management, or a related commercial discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7-10+ years of significant people leadership experience, including leading leaders and building high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated ownership of a large, complex category portfolio and delivery of measurable outcomes across sales, margin, inventory, working capital, cash flow, and/or return on invested capital.
• Proven success shaping enterprise strategy, leading transformation, and influencing executive stakeholders across multiple functions.
• Extensive experience leading complex supplier relationships and high-value negotiations.
• Exceptional financial acumen, analytical judgment, strategic thinking, communication, and executive presence.
• Undergraduate degree in Business Administration or a related field preferred; advanced degree is a plus.

Leadership Expectations

Thinks enterprise-first and makes decisions that optimize total company value. Sets a compelling direction and converts strategy into disciplined execution. Builds trust, aligns stakeholders, and communicates with clarity and consistency. Develops leaders, strengthens organizational capability, and holds teams accountable for results. Balances customer needs, commercial outcomes, operational realities, and long-term growth.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers. As of October 5, 2024, Advance operated 4,781 stores primarily within the United States, with additional locations in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company also served 1,125 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and various Caribbean islands. Additional information about Advance, including employment opportunities, customer services and online shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.