Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist

Reporting to the Global Commodity Manager, the Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist supports the development and execution of global commodity strategies for assigned spend categories. This role is responsible for translating commodity plans into sourcing actions, driving measurable savings through purchase price variance (PPV), value analysis/value engineering (VAVE), negotiations, and other productivity initiatives, and supporting supply chain risk mitigation and assurance-of-supply escalations related to price and availability. The position requires a highly analytical, commercially capable, and execution-focused procurement professional who can coordinate cross-functional stakeholders and suppliers to deliver sustainable business results.

Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Support the Global Commodity Manager in developing, maintaining, and executing global commodity strategies aligned with business priorities.
• Translate commodity strategies into actionable sourcing projects, supplier negotiations, implementation plans, milestones, and measurable deliverables.
• Lead or support strategic sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification through request for quotation, analysis, supplier selection, negotiation, implementation, and savings realization.
• Analyze spend, pricing, market conditions, supplier economics, commodity trends, capacity, lead times, and demand to identify savings opportunities and supply risks.
• Build and manage a productivity pipeline that includes PPV, VAVE, negotiations, should-cost analysis, competitive bidding, supplier consolidation, resourcing, and low-cost region sourcing.
• Drive annual PPV and VAVE objectives in partnership with engineering, operations, finance, quality, materials, and key suppliers.
• Prepare sourcing recommendations, commercial analyses, business cases, total-cost models, and executive-ready presentations for review and approval.
• Support supplier negotiations and help establish competitive pricing structures, sourcing commitments, and commercial terms that protect the business.
• Support supply chain risk mitigation through alternate-source development, dual sourcing, capacity reviews, lead-time reduction, inventory alignment, supplier recovery plans, and business continuity actions.
• Coordinate assurance-of-supply escalations involving material availability, allocation, capacity constraints, pricing disputes, lead-time changes, and supplier performance.
• Partner with Buyers/Planners and Materials Management to secure supplier commitments, monitor recovery actions, and communicate risks, decisions, and required actions to stakeholders.
• Support supplier performance management through segmentation, scorecards, business reviews, corrective actions, development plans, and escalation follow-up.
• Project manage cross-functional sourcing, VAVE, resourcing, and supplier improvement initiatives to ensure actions are completed on time and benefits are realized.
• Maintain accurate project trackers, savings forecasts, risk registers, sourcing documentation, and performance dashboards.
• Monitor relevant market intelligence, including commodity movements, tariffs, geopolitical developments, capacity changes, and regional sourcing opportunities, and recommend proactive actions.
• Collaborate with enterprise commodity leaders and regional procurement teams to leverage scale, align sourcing approaches, and share best practices.
• Operate with urgency and high throughput while managing multiple sourcing projects, supplier actions, and supply escalations simultaneously.
• Travel up to 20% to assess, develop, negotiate with, and manage domestic and global sources of supply.

Qualifications, Skills & Work Traits

• Strong commercial judgment with the ability to evaluate financial, operational, and supplier implications of sourcing decisions.
• Proven ability to execute category strategies and sourcing projects in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
• Highly analytical with strong problem-solving skills and experience using structured root cause analysis, corrective actions, and countermeasure development.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound recommendations with incomplete data and dynamic business conditions.
• Strong financial acumen with experience developing savings models, total-cost analyses, business cases, and sourcing recommendations.
• Demonstrated persistence and follow-through driving supplier actions, sourcing transitions, cost productivity, and supply recovery activities.
• Excellent negotiation, project management, stakeholder management, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong command of metrics, dashboards, supplier scorecards, sourcing trackers, and performance data.
• Hands-on, action-oriented, and comfortable working at both strategic and detailed levels.
• Ability to prioritize effectively, manage competing deadlines, and escalate risks with clear recommendations.

Technical Competencies

• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and their use in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with Oracle, JDE, SAP, or similar ERP systems preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Experience with Sequel, Power BI, spend analytics, e-sourcing, or data visualization tools preferred.
• Ability to analyze quotations, cost breakdowns, price variances, spend data, and supplier performance information.

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in procurement, category management, or strategic sourcing within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience executing sourcing strategies across suppliers, regions, and cross-functional teams.
• Experience leading or supporting supplier negotiations, PPV and VAVE initiatives, competitive sourcing events, sourcing transitions, and supplier performance improvement activities.
• Experience supporting supply continuity, supplier recovery, capacity, availability, or commercial escalation activities.
• Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and structured problem-solving methodologies preferred.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, or related field.
• MBA is a plus.
• ISM certification such as CPSM is a plus.

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