Director, Strategic Sourcing

About the role

The Director of Strategic Sourcing is a pivotal leadership role responsible for building and sustaining long-term, value-driven relationships with key suppliers and strategic partners. This leader serves as the connective tissue between product development teams, executive management, and the external supplier ecosystem — translating business needs into sourcing strategies that accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and deliver sustained competitive advantage.

This role requires a commercially astute executive who can influence at the C-suite level, partner deeply with engineering and development teams, and build a world-class supplier relationship management (SRM) capability. The ideal candidate balances strategic vision with operational rigor, and is equally comfortable in a boardroom negotiation as in a cross-functional product planning session.

Responsibilities

• Own and cultivate executive-level relationships with Tier 1 and strategic Tier 2 suppliers, acting as the primary ambassador for the company's sourcing interests.
• Develop and execute a Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) framework that drives supplier performance, innovation partnership, and mutual value creation.
• Lead quarterly and annual business reviews with key suppliers, driving accountability against KPIs, SLAs, and joint roadmaps.
• Proactively identify and mitigate supplier risks including capacity constraints, geopolitical exposure, financial instability, and single-source dependencies.
• Champion preferred supplier programs, fostering a tiered supplier ecosystem aligned to strategic importance and performance.
• Embed sourcing strategy within the product development lifecycle — partnering with R&D, engineering, and product management from concept through commercialization.
• Facilitate early supplier involvement (ESI) initiatives to drive design-for-manufacturability, cost optimization, and supply continuity.
• Translate technology roadmaps and product requirements into actionable sourcing strategies that anticipate capacity and capability needs.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to development teams on supplier selection, make-vs-buy decisions, and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis.
• Collaborate with technical teams to evaluate supplier capabilities, conduct supplier assessments, and qualify new sources of supply.
• Partner with executive leadership to align sourcing strategy with corporate objectives, growth initiatives, and financial targets.
• Present strategic sourcing plans, supplier performance insights, and risk mitigation strategies to the Board and executive leadership team.
• Influence enterprise-level decisions related to supply chain investment, M&A diligence, and geographic expansion by providing sourcing intelligence.
• Drive cross-functional alignment on sourcing priorities through executive steering committees and governance forums.
• Define and communicate a multi-year strategic sourcing vision that positions the company for scalable, resilient growth.
• Lead the development and execution of category strategies across direct spend, focusing on strategic, high-impact categories.
• Drive measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, and working capital improvements in alignment with annual financial targets.
• Negotiate complex, multi-year agreements with strategic partners including pricing structures, volume commitments, IP protections, and service levels.
• Leverage market intelligence, spend analytics, and supplier benchmarking to continuously optimize the supply base.
• Build and manage a pipeline of sourcing initiatives with clearly defined value metrics and executive visibility.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing strategic sourcing team, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Define team structure, roles, and capability roadmaps to support evolving business needs and organizational scale.
• Drive adoption of sourcing technologies, digital tools, and data analytics to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management; 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated track record of building and managing strategic supplier relationships at an executive level.
• Deep experience collaborating with product development, engineering, or R&D organizations in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
• Proven ability to influence and partner with C-suite and executive stakeholders on strategic sourcing matters.
• Strong commercial acumen including contract negotiation, financial analysis, and total cost modeling.
• Experience developing and operationalizing SRM frameworks, category strategies, and governance structures.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.

Work location

This position requires on-site presence in Costa Mesa, CA following a hybrid work model.

Travel

1-20%

Pay & benefits

• The range for this position is $142,400.00 to $256,200.00. Placement within this range may vary, depending on the applicant's experience and geographic location.
• Acuity offers generous benefits including health care, dental coverage, vision plans, 401K benefits, and commissions/incentive compensation depending on role.