Sr Technical Sourcing Specialist

Job Summary

The Sr Technical Sourcing Specialist is responsible for qualifying, developing, and selecting suppliers and contract manufacturers with a strong emphasis on raw materials, fabricated components, machined parts, and vertically integrated manufacturing environments. This role requires the ability to interpret technical drawings, material specifications, bills of material, manufacturing processes, and quality requirements to align supplier capabilities with engineering and operational needs.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of sourcing strategies for raw materials, fabricated components, machined parts, and other technical commodities.
• Partner with stakeholders to define commodity/category strategies based on drawings, specifications, bills of material, approved manufacturers, manufacturing requirements, demand profiles, and delivery expectations.
• Lead supplier qualification and development programs that support fabrication and manufacturing processes while collaborating closely with engineering, quality, operations, and manufacturing leaders to align sourcing decisions with product requirements, business priorities, and evolving market conditions to align supplier strategy.
• Ensure sourcing activities are conducted in the fairest, most transparent way for potential suppliers to be given every opportunity to present their strengths and capabilities.
• Lead commercial negotiations by establishing Master Supply Agreements to achieve the lowest total cost for each commodity/category while balancing technical requirements, quality expectations, manufacturing feasibility, inventory strategy, continuity of supply, and schedule commitments.
• Travel to and assess supplier sites to support audits, process reviews, and capability assessments, including evaluation of fabrication, machining, welding, finishing, assembly, capacity planning, and quality control practices.
• Implement purchase contracts that comply with company and government regulations.
• Aid Schedulers, Master Schedulers, and others regarding pricing, vendor performance, and delivery options.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, and change requirements with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure suppliers can meet technical, quality, and delivery expectations.
• Lead collaboration for material cost-out initiatives tied to material selection, fabrication, machining, and process optimization within a vertically integrated manufacturing environment.
• Establish and monitor metrics/KPIs and report to leadership on inventory dollars on hand versus on order, incoming PO status, PPV, meet-comp wins/losses, supplier on-time delivery, quality performance, inbound freight analysis, and cost out results.
• Develop, implement, and continuously refine supplier risk mitigation strategies, including alternate sourcing, capacity contingency planning, lead-time risk assessment, and supply continuity actions for critical commodities.
• Partner closely with Project and Business Development teams to forecast new business demand, develop cost projections, assess sourcing feasibility, and define supply strategies that support growth, margin objectives, and execution readiness.
• Prepare and issue RFQs/RFPs to suppliers, receive and normalize quotations, and perform price, scope, and technical comparison analyses to support sourcing recommendations and negotiation strategy.
• Manage value and mitigate risk for commodities (i.e. copper, gold, oil and off-the-shelf stock items) while running an effective sourcing campaign. Use a systematic and analytical approach to measure the usage cycle for any specific group of items (EAU).
• Support supplier issue resolution related to quality, delivery, and technical nonconformance by enforcing corrective actions, driving closure, and monitoring effectiveness of improvement actions.

Working Conditions

• This position is hybrid.
• Frequent travel may be required for training or meetings.
• Must be able to work flexible hours to accommodate different time zones (Central/Eastern/Mountain/Pacific), based on supplier locations.
• Be flexible for after-hours tasks, as needed.