Job DescriptionJob Summary: The Senior Sourcing Specialist is responsible for leading and executing sourcing strategies for indirect spend categories and steel and fabricated commodities. This role owns assigned sourcing portfolios end-to-end and serves as a strategic partner to engineering, operations, supply chain, and finance to drive measurable cost savings, supplier performance, and supply continuity.
The Senior Sourcing Specialist operates with a high level of autonomy, leads complex sourcing initiatives, supports long-term category strategies, and mentors junior sourcing or procurement team members. The position requires strong commercial judgment, advanced analytical skills, and the ability to influence stakeholders across a fast-paced manufacturing organization.
Key Responsibilities:- Lead the development and execution of category strategies for indirect spend (e.g., MRO, capital equipment, services, logistics, tooling), production steel and fabricated components
- Own and execute complex RFQ/RFP events and negotiations including bid strategy development, supplier evaluation, cost modeling, award recommendations, and contract redlines and finalization
- Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) and should-cost initiatives, including advanced cost breakdowns, benchmarking, and continuous cost improvement plans
- Monitor and interpret market dynamics for steel, fabrication, and related commodities, including raw material trends, capacity constraints, and supplier risk
- Identify, qualify, and onboard strategic suppliers, including assessing technical, commercial, and operational capabilities
- Lead commercial negotiations covering price, lead times, capacity commitments, payment terms, and contractual risk, with minimal oversight
- Manage strategic supplier relationships, including performance reviews, scorecards, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives
- Proactively resolve escalated supplier issues related to cost, delivery, capacity, or quality in collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders
- Serve as a trusted sourcing advisor to engineering, operations, and planning, ensuring sourcing strategies align with technical requirements and production schedules
- Partner with finance to develop budgets, track savings, validate sourcing results, and support forecasting activities
- Track, report, and communicate sourcing KPIs, including cost savings, supplier performance, quality, on-time delivery, and contract compliance
- Lead supply continuity and risk mitigation efforts, including dual-sourcing strategies, capacity assurance, and contingency planning
- Support procure-to-pay execution as needed, including purchase order placement and resolution of pricing, invoice, or payment discrepancies
- Occasional travel of ~ 15%
RequirementsQualifications:- Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field
- Certifications: CPSM, CSCP, APICS, or demonstrated progress toward certification
- Experience: 5-8 years of progressive experience in sourcing, procurement, or supply chain roles, with demonstrated ownership of categories and supplier relationships
- Direct experience sourcing steel products (plate, sheet, tube, structural) and/or fabricated components
- Experience working with domestic and regional steel mills, service centers, and fabricators
- Exposure to capital equipment sourcing or large scale supplier agreements
- Strong working knowledge of steel markets, fabrication processes, and/or manufacturing supply chains
- Proven experience leading negotiations and managing strategic supplier relationships
- Advanced analytical skills with hands-on experience in spend analysis, cost modeling, and data driven decision making
- Proficiency with ERP and sourcing tools (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Coupa or similar systems)
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities- Strong understanding of the full procure-to-pay lifecycle
- Strategic and analytical decision making
- Advanced negotiation and influencing skills
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and collaboration skills
