Vice President of Global Sourcing; Leather and Textiles

Vice President of Global Sourcing - Leather & Textiles

Location: Multiple Ashley Locations (Domestic & International Travel Required)

Employment Type: Full-Time, Executive

Reports To: Vice President of Global Design & Merchandising

Ashley Furniture Industries is one of the world's largest furniture manufacturers and retailers, dedicated to delivering quality home furnishings at affordable prices. We're committed to innovation, sustainability, and creating beautiful living spaces for families worldwide.

We're seeking an experienced global sourcing executive to lead our worldwide vendor strategy for leather, textiles, polyurethane, and upholstery materials. This executive role will shape our global supplier network, drive quality improvements, negotiate competitive pricing, and ensure our products meet the highest standards while supporting our design vision and profitability goals.

As Vice President of Global Sourcing - Leather & Textiles
, you'll lead an overseas sourcing team, develop strategic vendor partnerships across the globe, and ensure we deliver exceptional value to our customers through smart procurement strategies and rigorous quality standards.

• Build and optimize global vendor base to align with design direction, quality standards, and cost objectives
• Evaluate and qualify suppliers worldwide for leather, textiles, polyurethane, and upholstery materials
• Ensure vendors meet company objectives for lead time, quality, payment terms, and service levels
• Address vendor performance issues and drive continuous improvement
• Monitor commodity, raw material, and product pricing trends globally
• Lead high-level negotiations to secure competitive pricing and favorable terms
• Balance cost optimization with quality requirements and speed-to-market goals
• Drive profitability through strategic sourcing decisions
• Partner with Marketing, Merchandising, R&D, and Design teams to expand product lines
• Source products from qualified global suppliers that meet design specifications
• Conduct market training for sales teams to ensure product knowledge and understanding
• Work with IT to implement efficient product monitoring and data management systems

✅ Quality Assurance & Standards

• Establish and maintain quality standards for all purchased products
• Address manufacturing and quality concerns proactively
• Ensure master standards are in place quickly after market introductions
• Drive speed-to-market while maintaining quality excellence
• Lead and develop overseas sourcing team (7-9 direct reports)
• Make hiring, promotion, performance management, and compensation decisions
• Coach and mentor team members to optimize performance
• Conduct regular audits to ensure adherence to standard operating procedures
• Facilitate team growth through meetings, training, and development opportunities
• Oversee data entry accuracy and system setup for product tracking
• Ensure sourcing-to-sales teams have information needed for success
• Manage all documentation and paperwork for sourced products
• Work with IT to eliminate data duplication and improve monitoring systems
• Optimize equipment, facilities, methods, and materials

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field (or equivalent work experience)
• 10+ years of furniture manufacturing and sourcing experience
• Proven executive leadership in global sourcing operations
• Deep knowledge of furniture design and construction
• Expertise in raw material commodities and pricing
• Understanding of manufacturing techniques and factory operations

• Furniture design and construction knowledge
• Raw material commodity items and price points
• Manufacturing techniques and factory layout
• Quality expectations and standards

• Strong negotiation skills with international vendors
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship‑building abilities
• Strategic thinking with tactical execution capabilities
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Document management systems
• Analytical and problem‑solving skills
  
  Data analysis and reporting
• Project management across multiple initiatives

• Strong…