Sr. Field Sourcing Specialist
About the role
Airgas is Hiring for a Field Sourcing Specialist in Long Beach, CA. As a Sr. Field Sourcing Specialist, you will deliver dedicated, professional sourcing services to your assigned business unit or operating zone, driving bottom-line value through safety, operational efficiency, compliance, and cost savings. In this high-ownership role, you will lead the full end-to-end procurement process—from managing bidder relationships, conducting job walks, and negotiating commercial terms to authoring contracts and executing regional frame agreements. Operating as a critical link between supply chain strategy and plant operations, you will proactively manage risk and vendor performance, lead sourcing for high-stakes plant turnarounds (TAR), facilitate asset sales, and provide responsive, hands-on support—including after-hours emergency coverage—to meet core business needs.
Responsibilities
- Provide dedicated sourcing and value-creation services to assigned operating zones, directly supporting organizational safety, efficiency, compliance, and savings goals.
- Primary responsibilities span competitive bidding, proposal evaluation, price and terms negotiation, vendor management, and asset sales.
- Lead bidding and sourcing activities for all purchases by assigned zone or business unit (BU).
- Manage all contact between Air Liquide and bidders.
- Assist in developing technical specifications and/or scopes of work with internal customers.
- Investigate, qualify and recommend bidders.
- Develop and issue formal requests for quotes (RFQ's).
- Lead job walks and bid clarification meetings with internal customers.
- Issue clarifications or amendments to the specification or work scope to all bidders.
- Complete commercial bid tabulations.
- Complete technical bid tabulations including analysis with internal customers.
- Negotiate final price and commercial terms.
- Make sourcing recommendations to internal customers.
- Author and execute materials and services contracts as required.
- Identify and address business risks during the bidding and sourcing process.
- Verify that all contractors are appropriately pre-screened for safety, and initiate the contractor pre-screening process for new contractors as required.
- Verify that hold harmless and indemnification documentation is in place as well as a current certificate of insurance is on file with all contractors.
- Initiate and negotiate hold harmless and indemnification documentation for new contractors as required.
- Verify that critical suppliers are on the approved supplier list, and initiate the critical supplier qualification process for new suppliers as required.
- Attend and actively participate in budget planning meetings for assigned BU or zone.
- Actively participate in TAR planning meetings.
- Lead TAR procurement planning process and pre-TAR supplier site visits.
- Maintain TAR activity tracking sheet for each major TAR.
- Maintain current listing of active and upcoming tactical (capital and expense) sourcing initiatives.
- Develop business plan strategies / opportunities for BU or zone spend in unmanaged categories.
- Document and report all cost savings associated with sourcing activities.
- Provide supporting documentation on sourcing activities as backup to purchase orders.
- Maintain current listing of contractors utilized in assigned BU or zone.
- Provide competency and leadership in contract and terms negotiations (including commercial terms, hold harmless terms and certificates of insurance).
- Understanding of the details of operation and maintenance of equipment utilized in the Zone or Business Unit to which the Field Sourcing Specialist is assigned.
- Training and mentoring new Field Sourcing Specialists.
- Provide reports and execute special initiatives as instructed by a Field Sourcing Specialist Manager.
- Participate in Category Management strategic sourcing initiatives.
- Champion use of managed suppliers (frame agreements).
- Report events of non-compliance (leakage) of frame agreements to appropriate category manager.
- Identify opportunities for creation of frame agreements.
- Participate in relevant supplier relationship management meetings.
- Provide other related value creation services to internal customers.
- Manage and resolve quality or performance issues with non-managed suppliers.
- Provide on-site sourcing support during major plant turn arounds (TARS).
- Facilitate the sale of surplus assets.
- Provide support and best purchasing practices to field buyers within assigned BU or zone.
Requirements
- College degree with 2 years purchasing experience supporting operations or manufacturing, or 2 years operations with strong commercial skill sets.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in Supply Chain Management organizations.
- Office environment primarily, plant environment occasionally.
Pay
$95,000-$115,000/year
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
- 14-week paid child birth benefit
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match
- Tuition Assistance
- Paid Holidays, Vacation, and Sick time
- Benefits start after just 30 days of employment
- Short-term and long-term disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Pre-tax commuter transportation benefit
- Parental leave
- Floating holidays
- Jury duty and funeral/bereavement leave
- Discounted college tuition for eligible employees' dependents
- Airgas Scholarship Program for dependent children