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Welcome to Tomorrow

We believe that effective leaders don't simply seek "jobs"; they seek organizations with a compelling story, exceptional colleagues, and room for continued growth. As you scroll through this page, you will gain a better understanding of Journey Group's narrative, where the company has been, and where it is going.

Chief Operations Officer

Journey Group

Journey Group is...

A Foundation you can build on

Getting a sense of the foundation that has been built prior to your arrival offers a lens through which you can see where your career may go.

Journey Group's Market Position

Graco is a publicly traded global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of premium fluid-handling systems and components used in contractor, industrial finishing, process, and lubrication applications worldwide. Graco has built an unmatched reputation for engineering excellence, durability, and innovation that professionals trust on job sites and production lines across countless countries. With more than 4,000 employees and manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia, Graco remains the preferred partner for customers who demand precision, performance, and reliability in fluid management.

Journey Group's History

Founded in 1926 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a small auto repair shop called Gray Company, Inc., Graco entered the fluid-handling space in the 1930s by inventing the industry’s first portable, air-powered grease gun. This entrepreneurial spark ignited nearly a century of focused innovation from the groundbreaking 1958 airless paint sprayer that revolutionized the contractor industry, to a steady stream of acquisitions and product expansions in finishing, process, and lubrication technologies. After decades of private ownership and disciplined reinvestment, Graco went public in 1969, unlocking capital to accelerate global expansion and cement its position as the enduring leader in premium fluid-handling systems worldwide.

Journey's Industry Fit

Over the past nine decades, Graco has earned an unmatched reputation as the professional’s brand of choice across contractor, industrial finishing, and process applications worldwide. From electric airless sprayers trusted on the largest construction projects to precision metering pumps and plural-component systems that define quality in automotive and composite manufacturing, Graco delivers rugged, innovative fluid-handling equipment that maximizes quality and efficiency for the most demanding customers in the industry.

Journey's Scale

Graco is a $2.2 billion pure-play leader in fluid-handling equipment, operating 19 manufacturing facilities and multiple distribution centers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, with products sold in over 100 countries. The company employs more than 4,000 people globally, supports three core segments (Contractor, Industrial, and Process), and maintains an extensive direct sales and distributor network that reaches professional end-users in construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, agriculture, and countless specialty applications. With a market cap typically exceeding $12 billion and a consistent track record of high-single-digit growth, strong free cash flow, and disciplined capital allocation, Graco stands as one of the most respected, financially robust names in the global industrial equipment landscape.

Our Take On Journey's Values

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Customer Centricity

Graco's leadership takes an offensive mindset in the marketplace focusing efforts and product innovation entirely around the customer.  The company seeks seasoned leaders who are willing to fully integrate with distribution customers, ensuring a deep understanding of their needs, wants, and their challenges.

Gritty

The team at Graco recognizes that alongside excellence in quality, speed and agility are critical to staying ahead of the competition.

All in on Team

Graco has built a culture where people recognize that the team is stronger than the individual - we win together, we lose together, and we work together through collaboration and respect

What You Will Be A Part Of

As an executive at Journey Group, you will position the organization for its future, which requires an understanding of those around you, what they collectively stand for, and how they positively impact the world.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS AS A PUBLIC COMPANY

Check out this promotional video celebrating 50 years as a Public Company and hear directly from one of Graco's longest serving active employees at that time.

MOVING MATERIALS THAT MATTER
Take a look at this brand video to get a glimpse into the Graco team's mission, values, and priorities as they "move materials that matter"
HEAR FROM GRACO'S OWN
Graco's success starts with its people. Hear directly from Graco team members as they share what they enjoy most about working there – from the supportive environment to career growth.
STATE OF THE ART DISTRIBUTION FACILITY TOUR
Take a virtual tour of the new Worldwide Distribution Center! The Graco team takes pride in showcasing their state-of-the-art facilities, where precision and innovation come together.
WORKING AT GRACO
While this video is a bit dated, much of what you'll hear directly from employees around the culture of working at Graco still rings true. Plus you'll get a glimpse of Angie Wordell in a previous role with the company and hear from her directly. 
ANGIE WORDELL SPEAKER SERIES
Take a listen to this speaker series delivered by Angie Wordell for Dunwoody College on "Driving Engagement, Recruiting, and Growth for Careers in Manufacturing".

The Company You’ll Keep

Who you’ll work with is often more important than the work itself. Get to know the Journey Group leadership team you will be engaging with in this role.

Angie Wordell

Executive Vice President and Chief Operations & Supply Chain Office (Hiring Manager)

Angela (Angie) F. Wordell is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations and Supply Chain Officer at Graco Inc., a position she assumed in January 2025 after joining the company in 1993 as an engineer. Her extensive career at Graco spans over three decades, including roles such as Executive Vice President of Operations (2018–2024), President of the Worldwide Oil & Natural Gas Division (2020–2022), Purchasing Director (2017–2018), and Operations Director for the IPD Division and China Factory (2010–2017), alongside earlier manufacturing and engineering positions focused on process optimization and global supply chain management. A Stanford Online certified alumna in AI for Industrial Technology (May 2025), Wordell is also a prominent volunteer leader, having served on boards for the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership (2014–2017), Graco Foundation (2006–2009), Minnesota Private College Council (2017–2023), and currently the University of Minnesota's Mechanical Engineering Advisory Council (since 2023).

Mark Sheahan

President and Chief Executive Officer

Michele Durkin

Director Talent and Recruitment

A Day in the Life

The VP of Global Sourcing at Graco operates as a strategic architect—shaping how the company will source, compete, and grow over the next decade. This leader sets the vision for a globally integrated sourcing organization, ensuring that supply base decisions, regional footprint strategy, and risk diversification all align with Graco’s enterprise ambitions. They influence how and where Graco builds long-term supplier partnerships, how cost and resilience are balanced, and how the organization leverages global capabilities to unlock growth and operational excellence.
In this role, the VP is a thought partner to the COO and a key voice in enterprise planning, guiding decisions around regional manufacturing, new product development, operational strategy, and M&A integration. They elevate the procurement function—moving it from transactional execution to strategic enablement—by installing the right structure, talent, governance, and digital tools required for a world-class organization. At the same time, they develop leaders, strengthen cross-functional alignment, and drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The position offers the ability to shape Graco’s global footprint, influence major capital and supplier decisions, and leave a lasting organizational legacy that materially advances the company’s competitiveness and long-term performance.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Develop and implement the organization’s global sourcing strategies to support corporate and divisional objectives, providing Graco a competitive advantage in the areas of materials, supplies and services.
  • Identify and pursue opportunities to optimize total cost of ownership, improve supply chain efficiency, and strengthen supplier relationships.
  • Support strategy development and negotiations for all major global business agreement

Operational Excellence

  • Partner with internal stakeholders (Manufacturing, Design Engineering, Quality, Logistics, etc.) to align sourcing strategies with organizational needs. (e.g. make v. buy, TCO).
  • Establish and lead with select KPIs for the function and establish a cadence with business stakeholders, with a sustained focus on execution of the procurement deliverables for Graco.

Supplier Relationship Management

  • Demonstrate expertise in supplier negotiations, with a solid background in pricing strategy, "should-cost / tear-down" modeling, contract management, supplier risk management, and service-level requirements.
  • Develop a consolidated supplier base to support 80/20 simplification and continuous improvement in quality, cost, and delivery objectives.

Cost Management

  • Understand, track and forecast the key cost drivers, market factors and leading economic indicators that may affect the Company’s ability to meet its objectives and develop contingency options.
  • Deliver upon annual savings targets and value capture via strategic category deployment, relationship management, organizational leadership, and driving continuous improvement.

Sourcing Enablement

  • Drive continuous improvement and shift the function from transactional execution to strategic enablement – supported by Graco’s tech roadmap and overarching strategic ambition.
  • Implement best-in-class sourcing processes, tools and analytics to enhance decision-making, efficiency and visibility across the supply base.

Team Leadership and Financial Management 

  • Lead, mentor, manage, and staff a team of Sourcing leaders, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and promoting a culture of leadership excellence. 
  • Develop and implement strategies for talent acquisition and management, succession planning, and leadership development to build a pipeline of future leaders. 

Show More

Strategic Leadership

  • Proactively work with divisions and full Operations team to define the supplier driven value proposition and sustain excellent service performance.
  • Influence and enable the internal stakeholders to diversify supplier sources and reduce sole sourced proportion of the portfolio.
  • Ensure sourcing activities adhere to corporate policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements. Proactively manage supplier risk and supply chain continuity.

Operational Excellence

  • Ensure continuity of supply and proactively manage global risks, including geopolitical, financial, and operational challenges.
  • Monitor and report on sourcing performance, cost savings, and risk metrics to senior leadership and the board.

Supplier Relationship Management

  • Implement strategies to monitor supplier performance, identifying and resolving customer issues, and proactive supplier development.
  • Drive change management as it relates to supplier development strategies supporting mid and long-term business needs.

Cost Management

  • Continuously drive down the Cost of Goods Sold through step change and continuous improvement of procurement strategies, manufacturing efficiencies and overall system/process effectiveness.
  • Regularly report supply market intelligence to Graco leadership through opportunity identification and validation, market trends and forecasts.

Sourcing Enablement

  • Leverage AI and other digitization technologies to optimize the performance, impact, capability and capacity of the Sourcing organization.
  • Improve the skills & capabilities of the Sourcing organization through focused development, mentoring and high-performing team management efforts. 

Team Leadership and Financial Management 

  • Drive team performance by setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback, and facilitating professional growth opportunities. 
  • Establish, manage, and be accountable for the annual Sourcing budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and alignment with organizational strategic objectives. 

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business Supply Chain or Materials Management (Master’s degree preferred).
  • 15+ years global procurement, sourcing, supplier management, with strong cross-commodity experience with progressive leadership responsibilities.
  • Proven track record of successfully implementing procurement strategies that drive cost savings and operational movements.
  • Strong analytical capability to collect, analyze, interpret, and model compensation data to support decision-making.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration proficiency to ensure seamless compensation processes and employee experience.
  • Ability to influence decision making through explanation of facts, policies and practices.
  • Project management competency with a commitment to timelines, accuracy and detail.
  • Strong people management capabilities within a global, matrix environment. 

Accelerators 

  • Relevant certifications (e.g. Certified Purchasing Manager – CPM) 
LINK TO FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

What You Bring to the Table

Cultural Alignment

This leader will not only need to align with Graco's collaborative, high-performance culture but actively elevate it—bringing the humility, poise, and executive presence needed to build trust across every level of the organization. This individual must be adept at engaging seamlessly with frontline teams and senior executives alike, fostering alignment, clarity, and momentum that strengthens the enterprise and drives shared success.

Strategic while Executing with Rigor

A leader who has the ability to think strategically, set long term goals for the organization, while being detail oriented in executing said plans and addressing challenges real-time for the business and its stakeholders. A leader who effectively bridges the gap between strategic vision and day-to-day operations.

Hungry for Continuous Improvement

Despite its market-leading position, Graco seeks a seasoned leader who never rests on their laurels and is hungry for continuous improvement—someone who leverages technology, innovation, and operational rigor to keep the business on the cutting edge. This individual must pair sharp financial and strategic acumen with an unrelenting drive to assess the current state, identify opportunities, and elevate performance in ways that deliver meaningful value to customers and the business.

We believe this opportunity has the potential to be your next best thing. What do you think?