Job Description
POSITION AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INTERFACES
• Engineering & R&D: material specifications, second-source validation, qualification plans, formulation governance, and VAVE initiatives.
• Operations & Plant Leadership: production alignment, supply assurance, inventory parameters, and change management.
• Quality / SQD: PPAP compliance, supplier quality gates, audit management, performance escalation, and corrective action plans.
• Finance: TCO modeling, savings validation, index-linkage mechanisms, program budgeting, and variance-to-plan reporting.
• Program Management: sourcing alignment to program timelines, launch support, and customer change management.
• Direct Materials Team: direct leadership of Senior Commodity Manager SMC and the broader team to be recruited and developed under this role.
KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. People Leadership and Team Development
• Build, structure, and lead the Direct Materials procurement team: define roles and headcount requirements, recruit talent, set performance objectives, and develop individual capabilities across the team.
• Lead, mentor, and coach direct reports - including the Senior Commodity Manager SMC - fostering a high-performance, ownership-driven culture with clear accountability for category results, program delivery, and supplier management.
• Establish team operating rhythms, governance cadences, and a shared culture of commercial excellence, cross-functional partnership, and continuous improvement aligned to CSP's values.
B. Category Strategy and Governance
• Own and execute comprehensive category strategies across the full direct materials portfolio: SMC & DLFT raw materials (resins, fiberglass, pigments/thickeners, fillers, SMC chemicals), production parts (stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals/gaskets, latches/hinges), and paint & external paint (primers, paints, external paint services).
• Establish structured sourcing cycles (RFx/e-auctions), index-based pricing, market baskets, and dual-/multi-sourcing roadmaps; implement governance, decision frameworks, and KPIs for cost, quality, delivery, and risk across all categories.
C. Technical Sourcing and Cost Engineering
• Translate formulation, process, and engineering constraints into commercial sourcing strategies; lead value engineering (VAVE) and target costing programs with R&D and Engineering across raw materials and production parts.
• Run sub-category RFPs with aligned scoring, TCO evaluation, and should-cost analysis; build validated supplier panels with award strategies and dual-source readiness across all three category pillars.
D. Production Parts - Strategic Sourcing
• Lead global RFPs for stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals, and latches; benchmark across OEM programs and leverage cross-portfolio opportunities where applicable.
• Drive supplier localization, co-location, and domestic sourcing strategies; identify opportunities to reduce tariff exposure, logistics cost, and lead times in alignment with Operations.
E. Paint and External Paint - Category Ownership
• Own sourcing strategy and supplier governance for paint raw materials (primers, paints) and external paint services (~$70M); drive consolidation, benchmarking, and contract coverage in a category currently managed with limited enterprise leverage.
• Collaborate with Operations and Engineering on specification standardization and demand management; identify opportunities for insourcing, GPO leverage, or supplier rationalization to reduce total cost.
F. Supplier Relations and Performance Management
• Develop executive-level relationships with strategic suppliers across all categories; negotiate MSAs and pricing agreements with escalator/de-escalator mechanisms and SLA-based performance frameworks.
• Ensure full contract coverage across the direct materials portfolio; implement robust performance monitoring (PPM, OTIF, audit scores), corrective action tracking, and SQD coordination for qualification and PPAP readiness.
G. Risk, Resilience, and Compliance
• Build resilience through second sourcing, geographic diversification, and inventory risk buffers; maintain a living risk register across all direct material categories.
• Orchestrate customer approval timelines, PPAP, and lab validation plans; manage change controls, communications to plants and customers, and IATF 16949 / OEM compliance requirements.
KEY OUTCOMES AND METRICS
• People and Team: team structure defined and staffed; individual development plans in place; team performance and engagement metrics; retention.
• Cost and Value Creation:
- Annual savings and TCO reduction across all subcategories; index adherence and variance-to-plan; contract coverage ratio; VAVE contribution.
• Supplier Excellence:
- Quality PPM, OTIF, audit scores, innovation engagement; dual-source readiness per product family.
• Organizational Efficiency:
- RFx cadence adherence; cycle time reduction; sourcing pipeline coverage; team capability development.
• Compliance and Governance:
- PPAP/on-time approvals; change control compliance; IATF 16949 audit conformity; OEM customer requirement adherence.
• Sustainability and ESG:
- VOC reductions via low-bake SMC solutions and paint optimization; supplier ESG audit compliance.
THE PERSON
Core Competencies and Professional Attributes
• People Leadership and Team Building: demonstrated ability to build, structure, and develop a procurement team from the ground up; strong coaching mindset with experience recruiting and developing commercial talent in an automotive environment.
• Direct Materials Category Leadership: proven mastery across production parts, paint/external paint, and/or raw materials in an automotive Tier-1 context, including PPAP, APQP, and OEM customer-specific requirements.
• Advanced Sourcing and Negotiation: contract architecture (MSA, pricing agreements, indexation), e-sourcing/RFx, TCO and should-cost modeling, market intelligence across multiple categories.
• Technical Credibility: strong understanding of metallic components, paint/coatings, and/or composite materials; ability to engage Engineering, R&D, and Operations with credibility.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: disciplined matrix execution with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Program Management; executive presence and clarity of communication.
• Digital Fluency: ERP (QAD preferred), eProcurement, contract lifecycle management, performance dashboards, and master data governance.
Education
• Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; advanced credentials (MBA, M.S. in Engineering or Materials Science) are advantageous.
Industry Experience
• 10+ years in direct materials procurement or category management within automotive Tier-1 or advanced manufacturing, with demonstrated people leadership and team development experience.
• Proven track record of building and leading procurement teams; experience defining team structures, recruiting, and developing category management capability in a multi-site automotive environment.
• Demonstrable success delivering cost savings and supply resilience across production parts, paint/coatings, and/or composite raw materials; experience with dual-sourcing under PPAP qualification constraints.
• Demonstrated success running multi-site RFP/e-auction programs and negotiating MSAs with major direct material suppliers.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS
• Short-Term [0-6 months]:
- Assess team structure and headcount needs; initiate key hires; establish category baselines and contract inventories across production parts, paint, and SMC/DLFT; launch priority RFx waves; lock in pricing agreements for near-term expirations.
• Mid-Term [6-24 months]:
- Build a fully staffed and high-performing Direct Materials team; execute dual-source roadmaps and MSA/indexation frameworks; deliver savings ramp across all three category pillars; standardize TCO models and performance dashboards.
• Long-Term [24+ months]:
- Institutionalize world-class direct materials category management with a sustained savings pipeline, robust supplier panels, qualification discipline, and a capable, autonomous team - aligned to IATF 16949 and OEM standards.
ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK AND RESOURCES
• Direct spend responsibility: ~$465M+ across production parts (~$129M), SMC & DLFT raw materials (~$266M), and paint & external paint (~$70M) across 14 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico.
• Current direct report: Senior Commodity Manager SMC; additional team roles to be defined, recruited, and developed by this position.
• Mobility: frequent presence at SMC plants, production and paint sites, and supplier locations; periodic travel across the North American plant network.
• Location: Auburn Hills, Michigan (CSP HQ) preferred.
• Systems: QAD ERP operational; eProcurement, contract lifecycle management, and master data systems in deployment.
• Ethics: transparency, compliance, IATF 16949 adherence, and sustainability orientation.
If you enjoy innovation, and an opportunity to learn and contribute to a growing organization, CSP is the place for you!
