Director Category Operations

Our world class sales and sales support teams work directly with businesses of all sizes to offer products and services to meet our customers' unique needs. We are committed to understanding our customers and use best-in-class sales tools and technology to find the best solutions. We're constantly discovering new ways to reach our goals, taking time to develop our skills and investing in our career growth, so we can enjoy lucrative opportunities and grow our careers both within and beyond sales.

The Director Category Operations is responsible for leading and transforming Staples' post-sale operations for the Breakroom and Facilities businesses-driving service excellence, cost efficiency, and scalable growth. This role leads a team of operations managers and serves as a key cross-functional partner to Sales, Merchandising, and third-party service providers to ensure successful implementation and execution of customer programs. The Director will play a critical role in shaping the operating model across both categories-aligning structure, processes, and capabilities to support customer growth, improve the customer experience, and optimize cost-to-serve.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead post-sale operations across Breakroom and Facilities, with end-to-end accountability for implementation, execution, and ongoing customer support.

• Partner with Sales to enable successful customer implementations, drive adoption and growth, and ensure alignment to customer and revenue priorities.

• Partner with Merchandising to oversee third-party service provider strategy and performance, ensuring delivery against SLAs, quality standards, and cost-to-serve targets.

• Drive operational efficiency and margin improvement through cost-to-serve optimization, process simplification, and standardization of best practices across categories.

• Champion a consistent, high-quality customer experience across all post-sale touchpoints.

• Lead transformation initiatives and operating model enhancements that improve service levels, productivity, and scalability.

• Oversee the operations technology roadmap, ensuring systems, tools, and processes support efficient execution and future growth.

• Leverage data and performance insights to identify gaps, inform decisions, and drive continuous improvement.

What you bring to the table:

• Strong understanding of sales processes, market dynamics, and customer relationship management.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Experience with data visualization tools and the ability to translate insights into actionable business decisions.
• Experience with CRM platforms, operations technologies, and system implementations (proprietary and third-party).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at multiple levels.

What's needed- Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in operations, sales or a related field, with demonstrated leadership experience.

• Bachelor''s degree in Business Administration, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, or a related field.

• Proven experience in leading operations, developing strategies, and driving continuous improvements.

What's needed- Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Business Administration or a related field.
• Experience in a similar industry or market segment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and transformation initiatives.
• Experience with logistics, customer service/order management systems, and productivity frameworks.
• Experience translating business requirements into system enhancements and working with Product/Technology teams.
• Familiarity with Staples'' category product offerings, the B2B sales process, and go-to-market strategy.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate''s experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.

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.