US Distributor Sourcing Lead - TikTok Shop

Description

About the Team
You've seen the virality and impact of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. Join the team that is redefining how people discover, engage with, and shop through content and creators. At TikTok Shop, we're building the future of commerce by bringing together entertainment, community, and shopping into one seamless experience.

Responsibilities
Our team partners closely with merchants, creators, brands, and cross-functional teams to build high-growth business categories and create long-term value for both sellers and consumers. We are an entrepreneurial, fast-paced organization where innovation, ownership, and execution are highly valued.

- Research the U.S. distributor landscape for branded products, including authorized distributors, regional distributors, wholesalers, and direct brand sourcing. Map supply routes and partnership requirements across relevant categories.
- Identify branded product opportunities that may be suitable for first-party sourcing on an e-commerce platform, with a focus on well-known, price-sensitive items that users can easily compare against other major retailers.
- Connect with, or help identify, US-based brands, distributors, and wholesale partners. Gather key commercial terms such as purchase price, payment terms, Minimum order Quantities, inventory requirements, and supply reliability.
- Analyze pricing mechanisms in the U.S. retail and e-commerce markets, including brand price controls, MAP policies, cross-territory restrictions, channel conflict, and promotional flexibility. Work with the business team on procurement feasibility models.
- Compare marketplace seller onboarding with first-party procurement as two possible paths. Assess whether distributor-operated stores can deliver the required price competitiveness, and identify conditions under which direct procurement may be needed.

Requirements

Minimum Qualification(s):
- Experience in U.S. branded product sourcing, distributor purchasing, retail buying, or e-commerce platform procurement. Strong understanding of the supply chain and channel structure in at least one major consumer category.
- Familiarity with the U.S. distributor ecosystem, including how brands, authorized distributors, wholesalers, and retailers work together and where commercial constraints typically arise.
- Understanding of U.S. retail and e-commerce pricing practices, including MAP, MSRP, promotional discounts, channel price gaps, price protection, and brand pricing policies.
- Strong research and structured judgment skills. Able to turn fragmented market information into clear sourcing opportunities, risk areas, and assumptions for business modeling.

Preferred Qualification(s):
- Experience with Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, Newegg or other major U.S. retail or e-commerce channels is preferred.