ZBK International is one of the fastest-growing used book processing and e-commerce companies in the United States. We purchase and process books at scale and distribute them through major online marketplaces, direct-to-consumer channels, wholesale partners, and international buyers.
As we continue to expand, we are looking for an experienced Director of Procurement to take ownership of our book sourcing strategy and significantly expand our supply network.
The Role
The Director of Procurement will be responsible for one of the most important parts of our business: building and maintaining the supply of books flowing into our processing facilities.
This is a senior, highly entrepreneurial role. We are looking for someone who understands that procurement in the used-book industry is not traditional purchasing. Success means identifying new sources of inventory, developing long-term supplier relationships, negotiating programs, analyzing the economics of each source, and continuously finding new ways to increase profitable book volume.
You will own our procurement strategy from supplier identification through negotiation, onboarding, performance analysis, and long-term relationship management.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute ZBK's overall book procurement and sourcing strategy.
- Identify and pursue new high-volume sources of used books across the United States.
- Build relationships with thrift organizations, donation centers, recyclers, libraries, universities, book distributors, charities, liquidators, retailers, and other organizations generating significant book volume.
- Negotiate purchasing agreements, revenue-share programs, recycling programs, donation partnerships, and other creative sourcing arrangements.
- Develop long-term strategic partnerships capable of generating consistent truckload and recurring book volume.
- Manage and expand relationships with existing suppliers.
- Evaluate suppliers based on volume, book quality, product mix, logistics costs, sell-through, recovery value, and overall profitability.
- Work closely with Operations and Logistics to determine the most efficient methods for collecting and transporting inventory.
- Analyze procurement data to identify underperforming sources and opportunities for expansion.
- Develop sourcing strategies for new geographic markets as ZBK expands.
- Build forecasting and reporting around incoming volume, supplier performance, acquisition costs, and procurement pipeline.
- Establish KPIs and accountability for the procurement department.
- Recruit, manage, and develop procurement and sourcing team members as the department grows.
- Represent ZBK in major supplier negotiations and strategic partnerships.
- Continuously study the used-book, thrift, recycling, and secondary-goods industries to identify new sources of inventory before competitors do.
What We're Looking For
We are looking for a builder and dealmaker, not simply someone who manages purchase orders.
The ideal candidate has:
- 5+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, supply chain, business development, recycling, reverse logistics, secondary goods, or a related field.
- Significant experience developing and negotiating supplier relationships.
- A proven track record of increasing supply or procurement volume.
- Strong negotiation and relationship-management skills.
- Experience working with high-volume, low-cost inventory is strongly preferred.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to evaluate procurement opportunities based on actual unit economics.
- Experience negotiating complex or multi-location supplier agreements.
- The ability to identify opportunities, make contact, negotiate terms, and bring partnerships across the finish line.
- Strong understanding of freight and logistics economics.
- Experience managing and developing a team.
- Willingness to travel regularly to meet suppliers and develop new markets.
- A highly entrepreneurial and competitive mindset.
Used books, thrift, recycling, reverse logistics, recommerce, liquidation, or secondary-market experience is a major advantage.
What Success Looks Like
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Growth in total book volume acquired
- Number and quality of new supply partnerships
- Procurement cost per unit
- Supplier retention and expansion
- Profitability and quality of acquired inventory
- Geographic diversification of ZBK's supply network
- Development of predictable, recurring sources of inventory
Pay: From $65,000.00 per year
Work Location: Remote
