Global Procurement Director, Direct Materials

About the role

Your Job As the Global Director, Direct Materials, you will lead the global sourcing strategy for critical direct material categories supporting Molex’s Transportation Solutions Business Unit, driving supply continuity, cost competitiveness, supplier innovation, and successful product launches worldwide. Working closely with business, engineering, operations, quality, finance, and procurement leaders, you will develop and execute strategies that strengthen the supply base, create value, and support the business’s growth and technology objectives. This role serves as a key strategic partner to TSBU leadership, influencing decisions that impact performance across the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global direct materials procurement strategy for TSBU, focused on connector-industry materials such as copper alloy strip, resins, and seals.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global team responsible for sourcing strategy, supplier development, commercial execution, and new product launch support.
• Partner with TSBU leadership to align sourcing strategies with business growth, innovation roadmaps, customer requirements, and financial objectives.
• Develop and execute category and supply base strategies that improve cost competitiveness, supply continuity, quality, working capital, supplier innovation, and regional execution.
• Serve as the primary liaison between TSBU leadership and global Category Managers, translating business priorities into aligned sourcing strategies and actionable procurement plans.
• Lead supplier negotiations, commercial agreements, cost modeling, escalation management, and long-term supplier relationship development.
• Drive value creation through fact-based negotiations, should-cost analysis, total cost of ownership, VA/VE initiatives, payment term improvements, and waste elimination.
• Lead procurement involvement in new product development and launch programs, ensuring supplier engagement, material readiness, cost alignment, and flawless execution.
• Strengthen supply resiliency through supplier risk management, dual sourcing, capacity planning, inventory optimization, and market intelligence.
• Collaborate with engineering, quality, supply chain, operations, finance, and plant teams to deliver measurable business outcomes while resolving supplier-related quality, delivery, commercial, and technical issues.
• Establish performance metrics and governance for direct materials procurement, ensuring compliance, ethical sourcing, strong business controls, and continuous process improvement.
• Represent procurement in executive reviews, supplier business reviews, strategic planning, and customer-related discussions while promoting Molex’s Principle Based Management culture and leadership principles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations, or a related field.
• Significant progressive leadership experience in global procurement, direct materials sourcing, supply chain, or category management; or equivalent demonstrated experience in a relevant leadership role.
• A successful candidate will bring executive presence, global business acumen, strong commercial capability, and the ability to lead through influence across a complex matrix organization.

Skills

• Executive presence, global business acumen, strong commercial capability, and the ability to lead through influence across a complex matrix organization.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance.

Pay

Compensation details are confidential and not disclosed publicly.

Schedule

Work schedule details are confidential and not disclosed publicly.