Global Aluminum Sourcing Director
About the role
The Director of Global Aluminum Sourcing is responsible for leading the global sourcing strategy, supplier network development, strategic supplier and commercial management, and category performance for aluminum and related engineered components across CST's global manufacturing footprint.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute global sourcing strategies for aluminum extrusions, aluminum sheet, aluminum coil, fabricated components, and future assigned commodities.
- Establish multi-year category roadmaps aligned with CST growth objectives.
- Monitor commodity markets, supplier trends, geopolitical risks, and supply chain disruptions.
- Develop category risk mitigation plans and supply continuity strategies.
- Lead supplier rationalization and supplier segmentation initiatives.
- Identify, qualify, and develop best landed cost global suppliers.
- Expand supplier networks throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Lead supplier audits, assessments, and qualification activities.
- Build strategic supplier partnerships supporting long-term growth.
- Develop multi-sourcing strategies to reduce risk and improve resiliency.
- Support Vietnam sourcing expansion and APAC supplier development.
- Lead RFQ processes and sourcing events.
- Negotiate commercial agreements, pricing structures, rebates, and long-term contracts.
- Drive annual cost reduction initiatives.
- Conduct total cost of ownership analyses.
- Develop should-cost models and market benchmarks.
- Support budgeting and forecasting activities related to assigned categories.
- Establish a supplier scalability assessment process.
- Evaluate supplier capacity, expansion capability, labor availability, and investment plans.
- Assess suppliers' ability to support CST's growth objectives.
- Identify future capacity constraints and develop mitigation plans.
- Conduct systematic reviews of long lead-time materials.
- Partner with Engineering to evaluate alternative specifications and sourcing opportunities.
- Partner with Operations and Planning to identify internal process delays.
- Lead initiatives to reduce supplier and internal lead times.
- Improve responsiveness and overall supply chain agility.
- Serve as a strategic business partner to Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, Project Management, Logistics, and SIOP.
- Support new product introductions and engineering change initiatives.
- Participate in executive reviews, sourcing councils, and business planning activities.
- Build alignment across functions regarding sourcing strategies and supplier decisions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations, Finance, related field.
- 10+ years of progressive sourcing, procurement, supply chain, operations, or manufacturing leadership experience.
- Experience sourcing aluminum products, hardware, fasteners, fabricated components, or engineered products.
- International sourcing experience.
- APAC and Vietnam sourcing experience.
- Supplier development and supplier audit experience.
- Advanced skills in Excel (pivot tables, V-Lookups, data extraction and analysis), ERP functionality, and business influence and presentation to team/peers/leadership
- Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations.
- Experience developing suppliers and managing supplier performance, including negotiating strategic supplier agreements
- Experience leading teams and cross-functional initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience within water/wastewater, oil & gas, industrial structures, heavy fabrication, storage tanks, piping systems, aluminum structures, or related industries.
- Project management or operations experience.
- Experience supporting rapid-growth organizations.
- Experience supporting M&A activities.
Skills
- Strong commercial acumen and understanding of business impacts associated with sourcing decisions.
- Ability to establish credibility and influence across Engineering, Finance, Operations, Manufacturing, and Executive Leadership.
- Ability to create accountability, structure, urgency, and execution discipline.
- Ability to lead through influence, collaboration, and data-driven decision making.
- Ability to challenge existing assumptions and drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Expectations
Operate as a strategic business leader rather than solely a procurement professional. Demonstrate strong commercial acumen and understanding of business impacts associated with sourcing decisions. Establish credibility and influence across Engineering, Finance, Operations, Manufacturing, and Executive Leadership. Create accountability, structure, urgency, and execution discipline including close partnership with U.S. Purchasing leadership to hand off Commodity Strategy to ensure successful execution
Key Performance Indicators
- Annual cost savings and cost avoidance.
- Supplier on-time delivery performance.
- Strategic supplier development milestones.
- Supplier scalability assessment completion.
- Supply quality, continuity, and risk mitigation effectiveness.
- Successful support of Vietnam expansion initiatives.
- Support of acquisition integration and global growth objectives.