Heather Schmidt Email & Phone Number

Lansdale, Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania, United States

Herman Miller, Inc. merged with Knoll in 2021• Oversaw all aspects of performance for retail division team of 20, including Procurement/Sourcing, Quality, and Supplier Management of +$200M spend. • Transformed retail operation through the development of SOP’s, KPI’s and RACI framework while creating cross-functional accountability with key stakeholders. • Engineered and initiated cost negotiation strategies to leverage the synergy objectives of the Herman Miller and Knoll merger, yielding $800K in savings.• Exercised proactive risk mitigation across numerous suppliers, averting potential inventory liabilities, and orchestrating $7M in cost avoidance.• Restructured vendor communications by centralizing PO portals, driving supplier adherence and funding of portal costs, which resulted in annual savings of +$300K.• Developed a returns and quality inspection process to identify trends, drive cost recovery and address quality issues, aiming to improve customer experience. • Developed comprehensive SOPs to foster collaboration with distribution center team, customer response team, and suppliers to minimize discrepancies on incoming PO’s

Pennsylvania, United States

• Promoted to lead the Knoll Studio finished goods team and integrate with the Knoll Office business unit.• Mentored Procurement team of 11 managing finished goods suppliers with $139M supplier spend while supporting strategic insourcing/outsourcing activities.• Evaluated supplier spend and developed strategic plans to shorten supply chain, holding suppliers accountable to order components for finished goods.

Pennsylvania, United States

• Directed Procurement team of 5 managing finished goods suppliers with $97M supplier spend while supporting strategic insourcing/outsourcing activities.• Facilitated Operations sponsored transformation project designed to integrate the order fulfillment process and streamline the supply chain for multiple brands.• Led 90-day critical business initiative to launch “Work from Home” products on Knoll.com to ship to customers in 1-3 days which increased ecommerce sales by $4M in revenue.• Supervised multi-shift Operations team of +100 individuals, ensuring the continuous operation of seating production line amid consolidation of multiple manufacturing sites.• Designed and spearheaded the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process which included a comprehensive analysis of quality, delivery, and cost for finished goods.• Established robust procedure for claim recovery fostering collaborative partnerships with internal and external stakeholders leading to 45% (~$500K) cost recovery annually.

East Greenville Pa

• Drove continuous improvement initiatives including supplier capacity alignment, supplier scorecards, and contract negotiations.• Evaluated potential cost savings and drove working capital improvements through inventory management and focus of material days on hand metrics.• Developed commodity strategies and supplier segmentation plans to ensure supplier partnerships aligned with business goals and initiatives.

Pennsylvania, United States

• Managed $17M cost of goods across multiple brands in the Dinnerware category, accounting for 29% of the total sourced business.• Successfully launched approximately 1200+ new items per year to meet business goals of cost, quality, delivery, and inventory levels.• Resourced two top grossing patterns to save $250K increasing average gross margin by 35%.