Job Description

Join CHEP as the Manager, Strategic Sourcing 3rd Party Manufacturing and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of supply chain operations across North America. In this highly visible role, you'll lead strategic sourcing initiatives, negotiate impactful partnerships, drive sustainability and decarbonization goals, and collaborate with senior leaders to deliver innovative solutions that enhance service, quality, operational performance, and long-term business value.

Key Responsibilities May Include:

• Develop and execute sustainable category sourcing strategies for the region/function that align with global and local procurement priorities.
• Act as a champion for strategic sourcing, ensuring that procurement initiatives deliver long-term value and meet organizational needs.
• Lead category management for key spend areas, applying data-driven insights, market intelligence, and advanced procurement techniques to maximize value and minimize risk. Ensure category strategies consider external market factors and emerging trends that could impact business objectives.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with senior business stakeholders, ensuring procurement is involved early in the sourcing process. Leverage procurement9s expertise to align sourcing initiatives with business needs, offering strategic advice that enhances procurement9s role within the organization.
• Lead complex negotiations with suppliers to secure favorable terms and manage pricing strategies. Ensure the implementation of new pricing agreements, manage supplier contracts, and conduct ongoing reviews to ensure compliance with contractual terms.
• Oversee supplier performance management across key categories, ensuring suppliers consistently meet performance, quality, and cost requirements.
• Ensure all procurement activities adhere to regulatory requirements, internal policies, and ethical standards. Develop strategies to minimize supply chain risk, including mitigating supplier risk, financial exposure, and potential disruptions.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for the procurement function, ensuring alignment with annual targets. Provide regular updates on procurement performance, cost savings, supplier performance, and compliance metrics to senior leadership.

Position Purpose

The Strategic Sourcing Manager will lead and execute strategic sourcing initiatives across Third-Party Logistics (3PL), outsourced operational services, and other assigned sourcing categories throughout the Americas region. This role is responsible for developing fact-based sourcing strategies, conducting detailed spend and market analysis, building business cases, negotiating commercial agreements, and managing supplier performance to deliver sustainable customer value.

The position will partner closely with Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Legal, Quality, Sustainability, and Procurement leadership to identify opportunities that improve service, quality, productivity, cost performance, and risk management. The role will also support Brambles9 sustainability, responsible sourcing, and decarbonization objectives through the management of strategic supplier relationships.

What You Will Do

Major/Key Accountabilities:

• Strong focus on Quality, Customer experience, Service, Operational efficiencies, cost initiatives, standardization
• Support the creation of Third-Party Manufacturing strategic sourcing strategies that meet business requirements such as on time and in full service to customers, cost reduction, while maintaining high standards of performance, quality, certified timber, CoC, Decarbonization and sustainability objectives incorporated in SubCo metrics
• Identify and implement industry best practices to support 3PL procurement strategy and organizational direction
• Incorporate and monitor in the contract all Safety standards, Code of conduct defined by Brambles, together with Global SubCo Initiatives
• Demonstrate the ability to mentor and develop sourcing personnel
• Management and measurement of supplier performance, in partnership with Supply Chain Plant Operations
• Approve and communicate 3PL procurement cost changes
• Execute the formal 7-Step strategic sourcing procurement process, including researching to find suppliers, RFP administration, supplier selection, negotiations, contract execution, and supplier performance/relationship management
• Help drive the Brambles responsible sourcing agenda
• Identify strategy sourcing looking at market opportunities, bigger companies, consolidation of volume (in conjunction with operations), geographies, and use of new technologies
• Ensure Sustainability / Decarbonization Initiatives are established and achieved by 3PL vendors to reach 2030 targets
• Align and comply with Global Procurement regarding procurement policies, processes and system
• Collaborate with other departments both internally and externally to drive change and continuous improvement in 3PL performance
• Perform related duties as assigned which may not blister above but which are within the general occupational series and responsibility level associated with the position
• Support Supply Chain Operation9s achievement financials and operational indicators (main KPI9s)
• Hold QBRs and attend monthly meetings with key strategic 3PL suppliers
• Manage 3PL supplier performance via monthly supplier scorecards based on contractual KPIs

What You Will Bring

Qualifications:

• Strategic thinker
• Motivator/keep people engaged
• Strong Communication skills
• Decision maker
• Analytical problem solver
• Good at managing pressure and stress
• Record of successful team development
• Strategic Sourcing Expertise (7-Step Process)
• Procurement/Purchasing Experience
• Labor management contract negotiations
• Business case development
• Customer service minded
• Strong teaming and collaboration skills

Experience:

• Bachelor9s Degree (Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering preferred)
• Operations support experience
• 5+ years of strategic sourcing experience of third-party services, operations or manufacturing with well-defined processes and consistent YoY cost savings
• Supplier segmentation expertise and strong supplier performance and relationship management
• 5+ years of experience managing stakeholders, teams and projects in a multinational company

Skills and Knowledge:

• Expert negotiation and commercial contracting skills specific to 3rd party labor agreements
• Use of computer tools such as Microsoft Excel, SAP, Transport Management Systems, CLMs.
• Knowledge on plant operations preferred
• This role demands continuous interaction with key stakeholders within Brambles Supply Chain and Global Procurement divisions.
• Data Analytics (Advanced Excel to include Pivot tables, formulas, etc.)

What To Expect

Scope:

• North America 6 U.S. & Canada
• Travel Requirement: up to 30% with Atlanta being preferred home-base
• Direct Reports: 0

What We Offer

Employee Package:

• Competitive Pay & Annual Bonus Structure
• Benefits Day 1!
• Paid Time Off plus Holiday Observances
• 401K w/ company match (up to 4%)
• FREE company-paid vision, short-term disability, and life insurance!
• Tuition reimbursement, parental leave, childcare assistance, profit sharing, and more!

Remote Type

Hybrid Remote

Skills to succeed in the role

Adaptability, Category Strategy, Contract Management, Cost Management, Empathy, Experimentation, Market Analysis, Procurement Strategies, Procurement Systems, Responsible Sourcing, Risk Management, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Management, Supplier Performance Management (PM), Taking Ownership, Teamwork, Understand Customers