Senior Procurement Specialist:The Sr. Procurement Specialist is responsible for leading both the strategic and tactical procurement activities required to support the IPS operations and objectives. The role serves as the primary procurement partner to the local manufacturing, planning, R&D, logistics, finance, and commercial teams for ensuring alignment with Global Procurement strategies, policies, and best practices.
Based at the Winston-Salem manufacturing facility, the role combines operational procurement execution with senior-level sourcing responsibilities supporting category strategies covering approximately $40 million in annual spend across direct materials including adhesives, fillers, specialty compounds, films, membranes, siliconized paper, and other related materials.
This role is responsible for supporting multiple manufacturing locations, managing strategic supplier relationships, ensuring uninterrupted supply to operations, and delivering Procurement value through cost competitiveness, working capital improvement, supply continuity, innovation, and risk mitigation.
The position offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced operational procurement professional to expand into strategic category management through close collaboration with Global Procurement leadership, participation in enterprise sourcing initiatives, and ownership of increasingly broader category responsibilities.
What will you do?- Deliver measurable Procurement value through cost optimization, working capital improvement, supplier innovation, and risk mitigation;
- Support achievement of annual Procurement savings and cash flow objectives;
- Utilize digital Procurement tools, market intelligence platforms, ERP systems, and AI-enabled spend analytics to support sourcing decisions and category strategies;
- Build strong partnerships with Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, R&D, Planning, Quality, Finance, and Commercial teams to align Procurement priorities with business objectives;
- Expedite critical materials and resolve supply disruptions, shortages, late deliveries, and service issues;
- Maintain accurate procurement data, supplier records, pricing information, and planning parameters within company systems;
- Support inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining appropriate service levels and risk profiles;
- Participate in S&OP, supply planning, inventory reviews, and operational meetings as required;
- Ensure timely communication with suppliers regarding forecasts, demand changes, production schedules, and operational requirements;
- Manage supplier relationships, performance and corrective action plans when required by acting as the primary commercial interface for assigned categories;
- Support procurement reporting, KPI tracking, spend analysis, and operational reviews;
- Execute sourcing strategies and contribute to strategy development in partnership with Global Procurement;
- Lead supplier negotiations, commercial discussions, and strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize total cost of ownership;
- Support contract negotiations and work with Legal to ensure compliance with commercial, financial, and contractual requirements;
- Support innovation, sustainability, and new product development projects through identification, qualification, and sourcing of new materials and suppliers;
- Conduct market intelligence analysis and monitor commodity trends, supply-demand fundamentals, geopolitical risks, inflationary pressures, tariffs, and other cost drivers;
- Lead or support RFQs, RFPs, supplier benchmarking, should-cost analysis, and supplier evaluations;
- Support development of supplier risk assessments and business continuity plans;
- Identify, evaluate, qualify, and develop alternative suppliers and materials to reduce single-source dependency and support risk mitigation objectives;
- Work with Global Procurement teams to ensure alignment with category strategies, best practices, supplier management programs, and procurement governance;
- Track and report procurement performance metrics, savings initiatives, working capital improvements, and supplier performance;
- Ensure compliance with enterprise policies, category strategies, supplier governance, regulatory, and ethical sourcing standards.
- Perform other duties and special projects as assigned by Procurement Leadership.
What skills do you bring to the role?- Bachelor's Degree in procurement, business administration, engineering, materials management, finance or an accepted discipline.
- Minimum three (3) years of relevant experience in procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, operations, or strategic sourcing within a manufacturing environment.
- Experience supporting direct materials procurement and supplier negotiations is highly preferred.
- Must have the ability to negotiate commercial agreements, pricing mechanisms, and supplier contracts.
- Experience with supplier qualification, material co-qualification, business continuity planning, and risk mitigation practices and with commodity-based raw materials including plastics, polymers, resins, films, packaging, chemicals, adhesives, paper, or similar manufacturing materials.
The base compensation range for this position is $80k-$90k with a target bonus incentive.
