Regional Director, Purchasing - US/Canada
About the role
Job Summary: The US/Canada Regional Director, Purchasing provides strategic leadership for purchasing activities across the United States and Canada. The role translates global purchasing priorities into regional sourcing, supplier, cost, cash, quality, delivery, and risk-management plans that support business and operational objectives. The Director leads the regional purchasing function and partners with Global Purchasing, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Logistics, Legal, Product Management, and business leadership. The position establishes regional objectives and governance, develops organizational capability, and drives disciplined execution through the regional team and cross-functional stakeholders.
Scope and Decision Authority: Provides strategic leadership for the US/Canada regional purchasing function and contributes to regional and global purchasing direction and objectives. Establishes regional operating objectives and work plans and delegates work to assigned leaders, employees, and functional resources. Makes sourcing, supplier, prioritization, and resource decisions within approved budgets, policies, and delegated authority. Recommends supplier awards, commercial actions, organization priorities, and risk responses; seeks approval for higher-level, nonstandard, or unplanned commitments. Accountable for regional purchasing performance and for escalating material supply, supplier, commercial, compliance, or execution risks to the appropriate leader.
Physical Demands: Primarily office-based work requiring regular use of a computer, phone, and standard office equipment. The role may include visits to manufacturing, warehouse, supplier, or plant environments requiring adherence to site safety requirements.
Work Environment: Works in a professional, matrixed, regional environment with regular collaboration across the United States, Canada, Global Purchasing, business functions, sites, and suppliers. Site location, work arrangement, schedule, and domestic or international travel expectations are to be confirmed before posting.
Responsibilities
- Regional Purchasing Strategy and Leadership: Develop and execute the US/Canada purchasing strategy in alignment with global purchasing priorities and regional business plans. Establish regional objectives, operating plans, governance, performance measures, and review routines for cost, quality, delivery, cash, innovation, and supply continuity. Lead, coach, and develop regional purchasing employees and functional resources; clarify priorities, accountability, succession needs, and capability-building plans. Represent Purchasing in regional leadership forums and communicate priorities, risks, tradeoffs, and results to senior stakeholders.
- Strategic Sourcing and Commercial Management: Lead regional sourcing strategies, competitive events, supplier selection, sourcing recommendations, negotiations, contracting, implementation, and performance follow-up. Drive total-cost improvement through productivity, value analysis/value engineering, localization, resourcing, supplier consolidation, demand management, and working-capital initiatives. Ensure sourcing decisions balance commercial value with quality, delivery, capacity, launch readiness, operational requirements, and risk. Oversee savings plans, forecasts, budgets, business cases, sourcing approvals, and performance reporting in accordance with company controls.
- Supplier Performance and Supply Risk: Establish supplier performance expectations and lead reviews covering quality, delivery, cost, capacity, responsiveness, innovation, compliance, and corrective-action closure. Identify and mitigate supplier financial, operational, geographic, capacity, logistics, tariff, and continuity risks through appropriate sourcing and escalation plans. Serve as the regional escalation point for material supplier, commercial, shortage, quality, and delivery issues affecting operations or customers. Advance responsible sourcing, supplier diversity, sustainability, ethical conduct, and compliance with applicable purchasing requirements.
- Cross-Functional Execution and Transformation: Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Logistics, Legal, Product Management, and Commercial teams to align requirements and decisions. Support new product introduction, supplier transitions, plant and product initiatives, and business growth through supplier readiness and milestone execution. Drive consistent use of purchasing processes, systems, analytics, standards, and governance across the region. Lead continuous-improvement and transformation initiatives that strengthen regional purchasing capability, speed, transparency, and stakeholder experience.
Requirements
- Required Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, Business, Engineering, Finance, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Required Experience: 10 or more years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, commodity management, supplier management, or a related supply-chain discipline. Demonstrated experience leading purchasing or sourcing teams in a complex manufacturing, automotive, aftermarket, industrial, or similarly matrixed environment. Experience leading complex sourcing initiatives, commercial negotiations, supplier performance, cost improvement, and