Sr. Manager, Strategic Sourcing and Vendor ManagementDepartment: Sourcing/Purchasing
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Columbia, PA - Plant
DescriptionThis role serves as the primary liaison between plant leadership and external vendors, ensuring outsourced services, contractors, and suppliers deliver safe, cost-effective, and high-quality support to the foundry.
The position is responsible for identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency through strategic partnerships while maintaining accountability for vendor performance, contract management, cost control, service levels, safety compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives. This individual will work closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Environmental Health & Safety, Quality, and Finance teams to support production objectives and plant performance.
How You Will Help:- Develop and execute the foundry's outsourcing strategy to support operational goals, production requirements, and capacity needs.
- Identify opportunities to leverage external partners for machining, maintenance, tooling, engineering services, temporary labor, environmental services, transportation, and capital projects.
- Evaluate make-versus-buy decisions and provide recommendations based on cost, quality, capacity, and operational risk.
- Lead sourcing initiatives to improve service levels, reduce costs, and increase operational flexibility.
- Develop business cases and ROI analyses for outsourced services and strategic supplier partnerships.
- Benchmark supplier strategies and industry best practices to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Manage relationships with key foundry suppliers, contractors, and outsourced service providers.
- Establish performance expectations, service level agreements (SLAs), and key performance indicators (KPIs) for vendors.
- Conduct regular vendor reviews focused on quality, delivery, responsiveness, safety performance, and cost management.
- Develop vendor scorecards and performance reporting to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
- Partner with suppliers to identify process improvements, cost reduction opportunities, and operational efficiencies.
- Collaborate with plant leadership to ensure vendors support production schedules, maintenance activities, and operational priorities.
- Manage outsourced maintenance, repair, and reliability services to maximize equipment uptime and plant performance.
- Coordinate vendor support for capital projects, facility improvements, equipment installations, and operational expansions.
- Ensure contractor resources are available to support planned shutdowns, preventative maintenance programs, and production demands.
- Partner with Engineering and Operations teams to identify external resources needed to address technical and capacity challenges.
- Lead contract negotiations, renewals, pricing discussions, and service agreements with suppliers and contractors.
- Monitor vendor spend and identify opportunities for cost savings and value creation.
- Ensure contractual compliance and adherence to service expectations.
- Work closely with Procurement, Finance, and Legal teams to manage supplier agreements and mitigate commercial risks.
- Support annual budgeting and forecasting processes related to outsourced services and contractor spend.
- Ensure all vendors and contractors comply with company safety standards, environmental requirements, and operational procedures.
- Partner with EHS leadership to oversee contractor onboarding, training, and safety performance.
- Monitor supplier quality metrics and work with vendors to address performance issues and corrective actions.
- Conduct vendor risk assessments focused on operational continuity, financial stability, safety, and regulatory compliance.
- Support audits and compliance initiatives involving third-party service providers.
What You Will Bring:- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Manufacturing, or a related field required.
- 8+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, strategic sourcing, supplier management, procurement, plant operations, maintenance management, or related disciplines.
- Experience working within a foundry, metals manufacturing, heavy industrial, casting, forging, machining, or industrial production environment strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success managing contractor relationships, outsourced services, and supplier performance.
- Experience negotiating complex service agreements and delivering measurable cost savings.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, maintenance practices, capital projects, and supplier management.
