Global Commodity Leader (Indirect & MRO)
About the role
Barry-Wehmiller is recruiting for our Indirect & MRO Commodity Leader. This role is part of our transformational Supply Chain journey, establishing a global, centralized supply chain that supports the entire Barry-Wehmiller Enterprise.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions)
Own savings generation and execution for the category. Build the annual savings pipeline, commit to gross and net savings targets, and deliver them.
Surface risks early, rebuild pipeline as needed to close gaps, and report progress to leadership on a regular cadence.
Apply disciplined savings governance: every initiative has a documented baseline, calculation, and finance validation before it counts.
Use the enterprise methodology and tools (Sievo) to keep pipeline, commit, and actuals accurate and auditable.
Develop and implement the enterprise procurement strategy for Indirect, MRO, expensed items, and tail spend across BWG, identifying and driving cost reductions, supplier consolidation, and synergies across business units.
Lead the MRO Excellence program across BWG sites, standardizing inventory, replenishment, stocking, and tool-crib practices to reduce working capital and unplanned downtime.
Drive distributor and integrated-supplier consolidation in partnership with the Distribution Commodity Leader to bring tail spend under preferred and contracted suppliers.
Own strategic supplier relationships and long-term agreements for the category. Negotiate, implement, and monitor contracts; partner with legal on contract language; hold suppliers accountable for cost, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement.
Partner with the Supplier Quality & Development (SQD) function on scorecards, audits, and supplier development plans; lead resolution of escalated supplier issues.
Own commodity financials: cost baselines, inflation forecasts, pricing, discounts, and rebate capture. Provide analysis of cost changes and pricing implications. Rationalize the supply base, balancing cost and risk. Leverage global volume on families of like items to consolidate spend; implement pull systems, VMI, and integrated supplier programs where they reduce TCO.
Set the menu of preferred suppliers for BWG site projects, plant expansions, and engineering change management; partner with site leaders, facilities, and EHS to drive adoption.
Drive ERP and spend-analytics enablement (Sievo, Jaggaer, ePro) for the indirect category; improve visibility, contract compliance, and supplier-level performance reporting.
Collaborate with global BWG Supply Chain Leadership and the BWG platform supply chain teams (Packaging, Paper, Converting, Affinitas, and others) to identify regional, LCC, and BCC sourcing opportunities.
Analyze specifications, quality, quantity, and delivery requirements for assigned indirect categories; determine best supply source; survey markets for new sources; recommend substitutes when needed.
Develop and execute sourcing strategies; prepare, analyze, and issue quotations; negotiate and create supplier contracts; complete purchase transactions ensuring deliverables are met locally and divisionally.
Support site inventory levels for MRO and indirect items; track stock-outs, obsolescence, and chargebacks; partner with sites on stocking and replenishment programs.
Evaluate suppliers against quarterly scorecards in partnership with SQD; perform site visits; require compliance with all performance parameters.
Monitor commodity market and economic conditions; anticipate risk and recommend mitigation plans; consult with senior leadership on decisions.
Lead and participate in cross-functional initiatives including MRO Excellence, distributor consolidation, tail-spend rationalization, and ePro deployment.
Lead, coach, and guide less experienced team members; prepare and teach standard work procedures.
Required Skills, Education and Experience
8+ years sourcing/purchasing experience in a manufacturing environment, with strong working knowledge of domestic and international supply chain principles, MRP, inventory replenishment, financial analysis, and effective business processes.
Hands-on experience in Indirect, MRO, and expensed-items categories (facility services, packaging consumables, safety, lubricants, tooling, fasteners, electrical consumables, office/IT supplies, freight/logistics).
Ability to influence facility and product standards and drive quality systems.
Demonstrated experience with integrated supplier programs, distributor consolidation, VMI, and tail-spend rationalization at scale.
Familiarity with spend-analytics, contract-management, and ePro platforms (Sievo, Jaggaer, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
Leverage global volume on families of like items to consolidate spend; implement pull systems, VMI, and integrated supplier programs where they reduce TCO.
Set the menu of preferred suppliers for BWG site projects, plant expansions, and engineering change management; partner with site leaders, facilities, and EHS to drive adoption.
Collaborate with global BWG Supply Chain Leadership and the BWG platform supply chain teams (Packaging, Paper, Converting, Affinitas, and others) to identify regional, LCC, and BCC sourcing opportunities.
Experience in a global, matrixed manufacturing organization; comfortable working across business units and partnering with facilities, EHS, and operations.
Strong project management, communication, negotiating, and analytical skills.
Demonstrated ability to influence at all levels of leadership and drive collaborative decisions.
Demonstrated track record of building and delivering committed annual savings pipelines on a TCO basis, with disciplined, auditable tracking.
High ethical standards.
Ability to read technical drawings and facility schematics.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.