Strategic Sourcing Specialist Supervisor

About the role

Lead the development and execution of sourcing strategies for assigned categories in alignment with direction from the Purchasing Manager. Analyze spend, supplier base, purchase history, market trends, and business requirements to identify sourcing opportunities. Lead end-to-end RFQ, RFP, bid solicitation, quote comparison, supplier evaluation, negotiation, and award recommendation activities. Recommend sourcing decisions based on total cost, quality, delivery, service, risk, safety, and business requirements. Lead supplier consolidation, standardization, cost reduction, and supplier rationalization initiatives for assigned categories. Develop and maintain category plans for MRO, indirect materials, plant services, consumables, outside processing, logistics-related purchases, and other assigned spend areas. Support direct material sourcing activities as assigned by the Purchasing Manager.

Purchasing Execution

• Create, manage, update, expedite, and close purchase orders in SAP or other Company procurement systems.
• Convert approved purchase requisitions into purchase orders in accordance with Company procurement policies and approval requirements.
• Follow up with suppliers to confirm pricing, delivery dates, order acknowledgements, shipment status, and purchase order fulfillment.
• Coordinate urgent purchasing needs supporting maintenance, production, quality, safety, scheduled outages, breakdowns, and operational continuity.
• Verify purchase order accuracy including item description, quantity, unit of measure, pricing, delivery terms, tax treatment, cost center, project coding, and supplier information.
• Resolve purchase order discrepancies, delivery issues, supplier questions, and invoice matching issues in partnership with Accounts Payable and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain purchasing records and supporting documentation in accordance with Company requirements.

Supplier Management & Performance

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with approved suppliers, contractors, service providers, and internal customers.
• Support supplier qualification, onboarding, compliance review, and supplier master data processes.
• Monitor supplier performance related to quality, delivery, cost, responsiveness, safety, service, and documentation compliance.
• Coordinate corrective action follow-up for supplier performance issues, late deliveries, quality concerns, service failures, or documentation gaps.
• Lead supplier scorecards, business reviews, and performance improvement initiatives for assigned suppliers and categories.
• Maintain supplier communications that promote clear expectations, professional conduct, ethical sourcing, and compliance with Company policies.

Contracts, Agreements & Commercial Support

• Lead or coordinate the preparation, routing, tracking, and maintenance of procurement-related agreements and contract documentation.
• Lead commercial terms review including pricing, payment terms, lead times, freight terms, delivery expectations, warranty language, service requirements, and documentation obligations.
• Develop negotiation strategies by analyzing supplier history, spend data, market information, benchmark pricing, and business requirements, and lead negotiations within delegated authority.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Operations, HSE, Quality, and other stakeholders as needed for supplier agreements, contractor requirements, insurance documentation, safety requirements, and compliance items.
• Maintain contract, quote, pricing, and supplier documentation in appropriate repositories.

MRO, Services & Operational Support

• Lead sourcing and procurement of assigned MRO materials, spare parts, consumables, tools, equipment, repair services, and plant services.
• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, and Warehouse teams to support material availability and minimize downtime risk.
• Lead sourcing support for maintenance planning, shutdown, outage, project, and emergency procurement activities as required.
• Coordinate with internal requestors to clarify specifications, preferred suppliers, lead times, substitutions, and delivery expectations.
• Lead contractor and service provider sourcing and purchasing activities consistent with safety, HSE, and Company requirements.
• Provide sourcing input to min/max, reorder point, and stocking discussions using supplier lead-time, cost, and availability information.

Direct Materials, Raw Materials & Production Support

• Lead or support sourcing and purchasing activities for direct materials, raw materials, packaging materials, production consumables, and other materials as assigned.
• Coordinate with Production Planning, Operations, Quality, Warehouse, and Finance to support material availability and production schedules.
• Assist with supplier documentation, material certifications, test certificates, bills of lading, customs documents, and other required procurement records as applicable.
• Support follow-up on supplier deliveries, inbound shipments, receiving issues, and documentation requirements.
• Lead or support sourcing activities related to new suppliers, new materials, material substitutions, and production support requirements.

Cost Savings, Spend Analysis & Reporting

• Develop, maintain, and analyze procurement data supporting cost savings, cost avoidance, supplier performance, purchasing cycle time, order status, and spend visibility.
• Track sourcing savings, negotiated savings, cost avoidance, supplier consolidation benefits, and other procurement value contributions.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, bid comparisons, and business summaries for the Purchasing Manager and other stakeholders.
• Identify trends in pricing, usage, lead times, supplier performance, and purchasing activity that may require corrective action or escalation.
• Support budget, forecast, and working capital discussions by providing purchasing data and supplier insights.

Compliance, Controls & Documentation

• Ensure purchasing activities comply with Company policies, procurement procedures, approval requirements, ethical sourcing standards, safety requirements, and applicable internal controls.
• Maintain complete purchasing files including quotes, approvals, contracts, purchase orders, acknowledgements, supplier communications, and supporting documentation.
• Lead procurement support for internal audits, external audits, SOX-related controls, procurement reviews, and corrective action activities as required.
• Coordinate with HSE and Quality to help ensure supplier and contractor compliance with Company safety, quality, and documentation requirements.
• Protect confidential commercial, supplier, pricing, and Company information in accordance with applicable policies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a purchasing liaison for assigned internal customers, providing timely support, communication, and issue resolution.
• Communicate proactively with internal stakeholders regarding order status, delivery risks, supplier constraints, cost changes, and sourcing options.
• Partner with Warehouse Operations to support receiving accuracy, delivery coordination, returns, replacements, inventory availability, and material movement requirements.
• Partner with Finance and Accounts Payable to resolve invoice discrepancies, receiving issues, supplier statements, and payment questions.
• Partner with Quality and Operations to resolve nonconforming materials, documentation gaps, supplier corrective actions, and service issues.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency, supplier performance, procurement controls, cost competitiveness, and stakeholder service levels.
• Recommend process improvements supporting SAP purchasing transactions, RFQ processes, supplier documentation, approval workflows, and procurement reporting.
• Lead the standardization of procurement procedures, templates, supplier communication practices, and document repositories.
• Lead or participate in continuous improvement initiatives supporting supply chain performance, inventory accuracy, uptime, working capital, and operational excellence.
• Provide functional guidance and training to purchasing team members and end users on purchasing request requirements, supplier documentation expectations, purchase order information, and procurement process standards as assigned.