Strategic Sourcing Specialist
Growth-Aligned Sourcing Strategy
Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned to corporate growth objectives, ensuring capacity, lead-time, and cost structures can scale to support significant increase in demand. Partner with Operations, Planning, and Product teams to forecast strategic materials for new product introductions (NPIs) and market expansions.
Supplier Development & Global Expansion
Identify, qualify, and onboard diversified global suppliers to increase capacity, reduce risk, and capture competitive advantages in cost, quality, and technology. Lead supplier innovation programs (design-for-cost, value engineering, and co-development) to accelerate speed-to-market.
Advanced Analytics & Digital Enablement
Use data-driven tools (e.g., spend analytics, price indexing, scenario modeling) to guide sourcing decisions, anticipate market shifts, and validate savings. Build supplier KPI dashboards (OTD, quality, lead-time, TCO, capacity, sustainability) linked to the five-year growth plan.
RFX Excellence & TCO Optimization
Own end-to-end RFQ/RFI/RFP processes, bid list creation, clean-sheet costing, and should-cost analysis. Drive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) improvements across PPV, logistics, inventory, warranties, lifecycle costs, and energy/material efficiency.
Operational Flow & Inventory Programs
Implement and maintain JIT/VMI/Kanban/consignment programs to compress lead times, reduce inventory, and support high-mix, high-volume growth. Collaborate with Production Planning to align replenishment strategies with demand surges and seasonality.
Risk Management & Resilience
Proactively assess and mitigate supply risks (geopolitical, single-source, capacity, compliance, ESG) with multi-sourcing, buffer strategies, and continuity plans. Maintain Supplier Risk Heatmaps and execute corrective action plans with cross-functional stakeholders.
Contracting & Negotiations
Lead strategic negotiations; renegotiate, renew, and discontinue supplier agreements to capture savings, capacity commitments, and service-level improvements. Establish long-term agreements with cost-indexing, capacity reservations, and performance clauses.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Facilitate cross-functional sourcing reviews; lead meetings across Engineering, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Logistics to align decisions with growth targets. Advise design teams on manufacturability, material alternatives, and cost implications; read and interpret CAD drawings and specifications.
Quality, Compliance & Sustainability
Ensure supplier adherence to quality standards, regulatory requirements, and ESG expectations (e.g., responsible sourcing, waste reduction, energy efficiency). Integrate sustainability criteria into sourcing evaluations and TCO models.
Systems & Process Excellence
Utilize SAP and digital procurement platforms for accurate master data, contracts, and order execution. Standardize category playbooks and SOPs to drive repeatable, scalable results across geographies.
Market Intelligence
Continuously analyze industry trends, commodities, and evolving technologies to identify opportunities and preempt supply base issues.
Relationship Management
Foster strategic relationships with existing and prospective suppliers to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and performance.