VP Transformation & Ops - SPP

The VP, Transformation & Operations, SPP owns the end-to-end transformation roadmap and core operations for the SPP promotional products business. The role is accountable for converting identified growth, productivity, and margin opportunities into realized business results while ensuring strong day-to-day execution across program and special order operations, global sourcing, supplier coordination, order management, fulfillment, service delivery, and operational issue resolution. This role brings forward prioritization, sequencing, governance, and trade-off recommendations for the SVP’s final decision making, then drives execution discipline, benefit realization, and accountability to ensure approved strategic priorities and ongoing operations deliver measurable sales, EBITDA, customer, margin, and operational outcomes.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Own and execute the transformation roadmap, converting growth, productivity, customer, and margin opportunities into measurable sales, EBITDA, enterprise value, and operational outcomes.

• Lead complex cross-functional initiatives across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Technology, Staples Business, Staples Retail, and external/internal partners to improve revenue growth, go-to-market effectiveness, customer experience, scalability, operating efficiency, and day-to-day execution discipline.

• Drive prioritization, sequencing, resource allocation, and trade-off recommendations across transformation initiatives to maximize business value, speed of execution, and leadership alignment.

• Own core operations for the promotional products business, ensuring effective execution of program and special order workflows, global sourcing, supplier coordination, order management, fulfillment, service delivery, and operational issue resolution.

• Oversee program operations onboarding, implementation, assortment setup, pricing and margin processes, inventory agreements, reporting, billing integrations, service levels, and ongoing program governance.

• Own special order operations by enhancing quote-to-order speed, project visibility, brand compliance, vendor coordination, order accuracy, delivery execution, customer communication, and margin performance.

• Partner across sourcing, merchandising, logistics, compliance, and global network partners to advance global sourcing capabilities, optimize supplier selection, improve cost competitiveness, support speed to market, and manage supply chain risk.

• Establish and lead the transformation operating system, including initiative ownership, governance, milestones, success measures, value tracking, benefit realization, P&L impact reporting, risks, dependencies, and decision paths.

• Informs and influence SVP, Head of SPP and leadership team with clear visibility into progress, performance, risks, resource needs, and decisions required to keep priorities moving forward.

• Use commercial, financial, operational, and customer analytics to challenge assumptions, identify performance gaps and profitability opportunities, optimize customer/product/channel economics, and recommend action.

• Advance AI, digital, automation, process-improvement, and organizational-effectiveness initiatives that strengthen scalability and long-term capability.

• Build organizational capability for continuous improvement, optimization, and transformation execution while fostering accountability, urgency, collaboration, and reduced dependence on external resources.

• Lead a small transformation and analytics team responsible for opportunity assessment, business case development, performance tracking, and initiative reporting.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in transformation, strategy, operations, consulting, commercial leadership, or general management.

• Proven record leading complex, cross-functional initiatives that delivered measurable revenue growth, profitability improvement, customer impact, or operating-model change.

• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience assessing business cases, investment decisions, and P&L impact.

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, drive alignment, and lead through ambiguity without direct authority.

• Experience with digital transformation, AI, automation, process redesign, organizational effectiveness, or go-to-market transformation preferred.

• Experience in promotional products, branded merchandise, distribution, manufacturing, retail, or B2B services preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.