Job Title: Manager - Resin & Indirect Materials (Greases/Solder Paste/Felts, etc.)
Company: AISIN World Corp. of America
Department: Purchasing, Materials & Machinery
Location: Northville, MI, Seymour, IN, Cibolo, TX, Torrance, CA, Smyrna, TN, or Durham, NC
Position ResponsibilitiesThe incumbent is expected to perform the following functions that the company has determined are essential to this position:
- Commodity Management - Resin & Indirect Materials
- Lead North America purchasing strategy and commercial management for resin raw materials and indirect chemical commodities, including greases, felts, solder paste, glues, etc.
- Serve as the commodity leader for resin and assigned chemical commodities, with a strong working understanding of polymer/material properties, applications, manufacturing processes, suppliers, feedstocks, and market drivers.
- Apply a basic understanding of organic chemistry and material properties to manage technically complex resin, grease, lubricant, and chemical commodities in cooperation with Engineering and Manufacturing.
- Develop and execute short- and long-term commodity strategies covering sourcing, localization, cost reduction, supply continuity, capacity, and supplier development.
- Analyze total North America spend, volumes, forecasts, material-market movements, raw-material indices, feedstock impacts, supplier cost structures, and total landed cost.
- Lead RFQ, sourcing, quotation analysis, negotiations, commercial terms, and supplier selection for assigned commodities.
- Lead annual cost-reduction activities through competitive sourcing, localization, specification review, VA/VE, commercial negotiation, and supply-chain optimization.
- Support Component Purchasing with resin and chemical raw-material cost inputs, benchmarking, and supplier/material cost analysis.
- Manage supply-chain risks including capacity constraints, allocation, supplier operational risk, logistics, tariffs, force majeure, and material discontinuation or transition.
- Lead commercial activities associated with material changes, production change requests, engineering changes, last-time buys, inventory builds, and supplier transitions.
- Maintain sourcing documentation including RFQs, LOIs, ECIs/PCRs, agreements, pricing records, and supplier commercial documentation.
- People & Organizational Management
- Manage, develop, and provide direction to buyers responsible for resin and assigned indirect/MRO chemical commodities.
- Establish priorities, assign responsibilities, review workload, and ensure timely execution of sourcing, cost-reduction, supply-risk, and program activities.
- Develop team members' commodity, technical, analytical, negotiation, and supplier-management capabilities.
- Establish clear objectives and performance expectations and provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance evaluation.
- Coordinate activities across multiple AISIN North America plants and affiliated companies and ensure consistent purchasing direction and communication.
- Escalate significant commercial, supply, quality, or program risks to Purchasing management with clear countermeasures and timing.
- Program Development / Cross-Functional Leadership
- Lead purchasing support for new programs, including supplier identification, material sourcing, localization, prototype/trial materials, cost estimates, and launch readiness.
- Work closely with Design, Materials Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, Component Purchasing, and AISIN plants to evaluate material requirements and commercial impact.
- Support material qualification and validation activities by coordinating suppliers, technical data, samples, commercial conditions, timing, and supply requirements.
- Identify potential suppliers and assess technical capability, manufacturing footprint, capacity, cost competitiveness, supply-chain structure, and commercial risk.
- Manage key supplier relationships and act as the primary commercial escalation point for assigned strategic suppliers.
- Develop and maintain supplier and market intelligence including new materials, technology, capacity, competitor activity, VA/VE, cost improvement, and supply-risk developments.
- Prepare and present weekly/monthly status, commodity strategies, cost-reduction results, sourcing recommendations, supply-risk assessments, and management-level presentations.
- Operate with a cross-functional approach and assume additional responsibilities as required by the business environment.
- Other tasks and duties as assigned.
Required Skills and AbilitiesEssential Skills and Experience:
- At least 7+ years of responsible purchasing, commodity management, supply-chain, or related manufacturing experience.
- Demonstrated experience in resin, polymers, chemicals, lubricants, greases, or related materials used in manufacturing.
- Automotive manufacturing experience with practical understanding of manufacturing processes, material applications, quality requirements, and associated cost drivers.
- Basic working knowledge of organic chemistry, polymer/material properties, and chemical terminology sufficient to manage technically complex resin and indirect chemical commodities.
- Prior experience managing and developing employees in a larger or multi-site organization.
- Demonstrated ability to develop commodity strategies and lead complex commercial negotiations with strategic suppliers.
- Strong analytical capability including spend analysis, market/index analysis, quotation and cost-driver analysis, forecasting, and cost-reduction tracking.
- Ability to manage multiple high-priority activities, supply issues, program requirements, and supplier negotiations simultaneously.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, plant management, suppliers, and senior leadership.
- Strong organization, judgment, fact verification, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and multicultural environment.
Beneficial Skills and Experience- Experience managing resin categories such as PP, engineering plastics, compounds, elastomers, or other automotive polymers.
- Experience purchasing industrial greases, lubricants, process chemicals, or other indirect chemical commodities.
- Experience with material localization, supplier transitions, technical validation, and production change processes.
- Experience in a Japanese-based or other global/multicultural automotive organization.
Education/Training/Certifications- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, or a related field is preferred.
- A business degree may be acceptable with demonstrated technical knowledge and substantial relevant resin/chemical commodity experience.
Travel Requirements- Approximately 10 - 20 % depending on supplier, plant, and program requirements.
- Must be willing and available to travel to such locations and with such frequency as is necessary and desirable to meet business needs.
Work Environment RequirementsWith reasonable accommodation:
- Must be able to operate a personal computer, telephone, and other office equipment.
- Must perform job duties onsite, when necessary, except those duties that are customarily or by their nature performed offsite (for example, offsite customer visits).
- Must be able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Must be able to work on multiple assignments at once, and complete assignments within deadline and budget (if applicable) with satisfactory quality.
- Must be able to operate as an effective team member.
- Must be committed to a high standard of safety and be willing and able to comply with all safety laws and all company safety policies.
Attendance/Work Hour Requirements- Must maintain an acceptable attendance record.
- Must be willing and available to work weekends and holidays as necessary and desirable to meet business needs.
