Director, Negotiation, (Building Materials)

At RONA, our employees let their passion blossom every day. Our teams are driven by the desire to help people bring their projects to life and are committed to making a difference in the communities we serve.

We operate or service corporate and affiliated dealer stores. With a distinctive product and service offering and complementary store formats ranging from neighbourhood hardware stores to big box stores, our RONA+, RONA and Dick’s Lumber banners are well equipped to help meet the needs of all DIYers and contractors.

You’ve got the talent? We’ve got the tools! Here, your work and ideas will contribute to building a flourishing organization. Your voice will always be heard and valued. You’ll find career opportunities that live up to your ambitions and be able to further develop your unique set of skills.

So, if you’re looking to do what you love, we could be a perfect match.

The Director of Negotiation plays a pivotal role in shaping RONA’s enterprise-wide cost optimization agenda. This position leads the annual vendor negotiation program across Building Material categories and ensures strategic alignment with merchant leadership and broader business objectives.

In addition to driving advanced analytics, process improvements, and negotiation excellence, the Director integrates a strong procurement discipline into cost management activities. This includes overseeing RFI/RFP processes, evaluating commercial proposals, supporting vendor selection, and reviewing supplier contracts, terms, and pricing structures to safeguard financial outcomes and compliance. By leveraging data-driven methodologies and procurement best practices, the Director strengthens RONA’s negotiation posture and ensures consistency, transparency, and rigor across all supplier engagements.

The role extends beyond COGS optimization to uncover savings across cost-to-sell, supply chain, and working capital levers, thereby delivering wider financial impact for the organization. Serving as a trusted thought partner, the Director works closely with merchandising leaders to guide negotiation strategies, supplier performance discussions, and long-term vendor relationship management.

Leading a team of negotiation managers, this leader fosters collaboration, capability-building, and cross-functional alignment. By combining deep merchandising knowledge with procurement expertise and advanced analytical tools, the Director ensures that negotiations fuel category growth, support vendor innovation, and align with RONA’s strategic merchandising priorities and KPIs.

Your Role :

• Lead the Building Material procurement strategy, including vendor selection and creation, contract negotiation, purchase cost and volume rebates.

• Manage Building Material procurement according to the financial goals and objectives set by senior management

• Monitor each product group on a regular basis to ensure sales and profit opportunities are maximized

• Deliver annual sales and margin budgets by department which is the cumulative budget of all business units

• Lead procurement governance activities, including supporting RFI/RFP development, coordinating cross-functional evaluation of vendor proposals, and ensuring a fact based and strategic vendor selection process.

• Review and assess vendor contracts, commercial terms and cost models, partnering with Legal and Finance to ensure alignment to RONA’s financial objectives, risk standards, and negotiation strategy.

• Direct and manage the annual vendor negotiation program for Building Materials Department, ensuring alignment with senior merchant leadership and business objectives while driving execution and tracking results to deliver cost reductions.

• Lead the ongoing cost management program, ensuring merchants have timely, accurate insights to challenge cost increases and capitalize on cost reduction opportunities, while managing beyond COGS to identify savings in cost-to-sell and working capital.

• Implement procurement best practices-including contract lifecycle management, supplier performance tracking, and consistent documentation standards-to reinforce rigor, transparency, and repeatability across the vendor negotiation process.

• Establish and lead supplier engagement processes, including cadence planning, content development for communications, and managing ad hoc supplier interactions.

• Drive process improvements and oversee implementation of new methodologies to strengthen the annual and ongoing cost analytics program and enhance operational efficiency.

• Set team priorities for category selection and negotiation focus, delivering training, guiding category managers, and fostering collaboration to achieve cost optimization goals.

• Support the BM team by tracking commodity trends and monitoring cost-saving initiatives, providing actionable insights to inform negotiations and category strategies.

• Develop and standardize supplier communications in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, ensuring proper approval processes are followed.

The Qualifications we're looking for :

• Post-secondary degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field; MBA or equivalent experience preferred.

• 12+ years of progressive experience responsibility in merchandising, negotiation, procurement, cost analytics, or related functions, with proven success in leading large-scale programs and cross-functional teams.

• Deep knowledge of merchandising strategies, vendor negotiations, and commodity management, with the ability to connect insights to business objectives.

• Experience establishing and maintaining relationships with individuals at all levels of the organization, including the executive level.

• Experience analyzing and reporting data in order to identify issues, trends, or exceptions to drive improvement of results and find solutions.

• Exceptional ability to communicate a compelling vision, influence senior stakeholders, and drive alignment across multiple business units.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a methodical approach to developing frameworks and innovative solutions.

• Passion for leveraging data and advanced analytics to inform decisions and optimize business processes; experience with technology-driven solutions is an asset.

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams in an agile environment, prioritize effectively, and deliver outcomes under tight timelines.

• Resourceful, proactive, and committed to continuous learning and tackling new challenges.

By joining the RONA family, you’ll enjoy many benefits, such as:

• A childcare centre that can accommodate up to 78 children

• A cafeteria with a delicious menu prepared by a dedicated chef, healthy options, as well as FARO Roasting Houses and Tim Hortons coffee stations

• Electric car charging stations

• A fitness centre, sports activities, and showers

• Exclusive employee discounts, plus a 10% discount on store merchandise (at all RONA locations)

• Benefits: retirement savings plan, annual bonuses, student incentive program, etc.

• Career growth opportunities within the company

• An inclusive and safe working environment

• Promotion of work-life balance

• An employer that’s involved in the community

• And much more!

If selected for an interview, please advise our Human Resources team if you require accommodation during the interview and assessment process and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

RONA is committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, age, disability, or any other protected status.