Principal, Vendor Manager - Books Team, Germany
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Books Organization
We believe reading is essential for a healthy society; our mission is to inspire readers by making it easy to read more and get more out of reading. This spans all formats. We work every day on behalf of customers and readers to solve complex technical and business problems with ingenuity, simplicity and the spirit of innovation that is part of our DNA - and we want you to help in our continuing mission to reinvent reading.
The Books team in Germany is looking for a smart, team-oriented, highly analytical Principal Vendor Manager to join our passionate and fast-paced team and help us scale our business while cultivating and develop our best talent.
In the role you will coordinate with a team of high-performing vendor managers, will work with the EU and Seattle demand and leadership teams, will develop CEO level business relationships and manage high impact projects. We offer a creative, fast paced, entrepreneurial work environment where you’ll be contributing to driving the Books business forward.
The successful candidate will have experience working with external vendors in the areas of strategic planning, operations and contract negotiations and must have the leadership presence and excellent verbal and written communication skills to represent the category across departments.
Key job responsibilities
• Manage complex vendor relationships with major publishers across Print and Digital Formats.
• Own and optimize Retail P&L for multiple sub-categories across print and digital formats.
• Lead annual negotiations and strategic discussions.
• Proactively manage vendor relationships to ensure mutual success.
• Drive continuous improvement of shared and internal workflows
• Advance strategic initiatives like Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Print on Demand.
• Lead key projects with cross-category or cross-marketplace impact.
• Serve as subject matter expert for specific areas within the category on EU/ ww level
• Conduct deep dive analysis to derive actionable business insights.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to drive strategic initiatives.
• Mentor and develop team members.
• Represent the category in high-level meetings and to senior leadership.
- Bachelor's degree, or equivalent practical experience
- Minimum 8 years of professional experience in business-to-business relationships, preferably in e-commerce, publishing, or related industries
- Fluency in German and English, both verbal and written
- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and Business Intelligence systems
- Proven track record of successful project management and strategic planning
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, both internally and externally
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced environment
- Strong problem-solving skills with a customer-centric mindset
- Past experience with digital technologies, e-commerce, supply chain and/ or content management
- Excellent business judgment
- Advanced degree (Master's, MBA or Ph.D.) in Business Management, Finance, or related field
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