Overview

About the Role

We are looking for a Principal Supply Chain Partner Manager to join the Instacart Business & Supply Chain team. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who operates at the intersection of strategy, enterprise partnership, and cross-functional leadership. You will own Instacart's most complex and highest-impact supply chain relationships, setting the strategic direction for how we engage with and grow our largest distributors and network partners.

Beyond managing a portfolio of partners, you will shape how the broader team operates — establishing playbooks, influencing product direction, and serving as a thought leader internally and externally. You will be a trusted advisor to C-suite stakeholders on the partner side and a key voice in executive conversations internally. This role requires someone who can navigate deep ambiguity, build consensus across competing priorities, and drive outcomes that are felt at the company level.

About the Team

The Instacart Business & Supply Chain team is a pivotal group within Instacart focused on serving the entire supply chain ecosystem with our technology solutions. This team's innovative strategies and dynamic industry relationships directly contribute to shaping our market presence and commercial success.

About the Job

• Own the strategic relationship for Instacart's largest and most complex supply chain partners, including distributors, operating as their primary executive point of contact.
• Define and drive long-term partnership strategies that align partner goals with Instacart's commercial and product priorities, unlocking growth at scale.
• Lead and influence major cross-functional initiatives spanning Product, Finance, Marketing, Legal, Operations, and Partnerships — setting direction, resolving ambiguity, and holding teams accountable to outcomes without formal authority.
• Shape the strategic framework for how Instacart approaches distributor and supply chain partnerships broadly, including developing scalable playbooks, partnership models, and go-to-market strategies adopted across the team.
• Identify and develop net-new business opportunities — including new partner segments, product integrations, and commercial structures — that expand Instacart's footprint in the supply chain ecosystem.
• Serve as an internal subject matter expert on supply chain dynamics, competitive landscape, and partner needs, regularly informing executive and product strategy.
• Analyze complex, multi-variable datasets to surface insights that drive both individual partner growth and team-wide strategic decisions.
• Represent Instacart in high-stakes external settings including executive negotiations, industry forums, and partner QBRs at the C-suite level.
• Mentor and informally coach other partner managers, elevating the overall capability and strategic thinking of the team.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic account management, management consulting, business development, or a related field, with a track record of owning complex, senior-level partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategies that drive measurable, company-level impact.
• Experience influencing executive stakeholders — both internal and external — without formal authority.
• Exceptional analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize ambiguous data into clear strategic recommendations.
• Outstanding communication and executive presence, including the ability to lead C-suite conversations and represent the company externally.
• Proven ability to lead large, complex cross-functional initiatives from initiation through to results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise in supply chain, distribution, or retail ecosystems, with an established network of senior industry relationships.
• Experience structuring and negotiating sophisticated, multi-year partnership agreements with significant revenue or operational implications.
• Track record of building team-level frameworks, processes, or playbooks that scaled beyond individual impact.
• Experience in a high-growth technology company navigating rapid change and undefined problem spaces.
• History of influencing product roadmaps or company strategy based on partner or market insights.
• Comfort operating in environments where the path forward is not prescribed — and a bias toward creating clarity for others.

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