Job DescriptionWe are seeking a Strategic Sr. Supply Chain Manager in our East Granby, CT location to develop and execute supply strategies for critical technologies, components, and manufacturing partners. This role will balance cost, quality, delivery, innovation, and risk across a complex global supply base.
Working closely with Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Operations, the Strategic Supply Chain Manager will influence product architecture, supplier selection, commercial agreements, capacity planning, and product lifecycle decisions. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial judgment with technical curiosity, analytical rigor, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving high-tech environment.
Key Responsibilities- Develop category and supplier strategies aligned with SIOP, product roadmaps, technology requirements, demand forecasts, and business objectives.
- Lead supplier identification, evaluation, selection, negotiation, and ongoing performance management.
- Partner with Engineering and Product teams during new product introduction to influence design-for-supply, component selection, manufacturability, cost, lead time, and scalability.
- Negotiate pricing, capacity commitments, lead times, tooling, intellectual-property provisions, warranties, and other commercial terms.
- Build should-cost models, market analyses, and total-cost-of-ownership assessments to support sourcing and investment decisions.
- Identify supply continuity risks, including sole-source dependencies, constrained technologies, geopolitical exposure, obsolescence, and supplier financial health.
- Develop mitigation plans such as alternate sources, strategic inventory, capacity reservations, redesigns, and regional diversification.
- Translate demand forecasts and product plans into long-range material, capacity, and supplier requirements.
- Lead supplier business reviews and improvement initiatives covering quality, delivery, cost, responsiveness, sustainability, and innovation.
- Resolve complex shortages, capacity constraints, quality issues, and commercial disputes through structured cross-functional action.
- Manage component and supplier transitions throughout the product lifecycle, including qualification, ramp, end-of-life, and last-time-buy planning.
- Establish and track performance indicators such as cost reduction, purchase-price variance, on-time delivery, lead time, forecast coverage, supplier quality, and supply-risk exposure.
- Maintain accurate sourcing, contract, pricing, lead-time, and supplier data in relevant ERP, planning, and analytics systems.
- Ensure sourcing activities comply with company policies, contractual obligations, trade regulations, responsible-sourcing standards, and applicable quality requirements.
- Present recommendations, risks, tradeoffs, and decision proposals clearly to senior leadership.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, Business, Finance, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, supply chain management, supplier management, procurement, or operations.
- Certification APICs
- Demonstrated experience managing technically complex categories or suppliers in a high-tech environment.
- Strong negotiation, contracting, financial-analysis, and supplier-performance-management skills.
- Experience supporting new product introduction and working directly with engineering and manufacturing teams.
- Working knowledge of demand planning, MRP, inventory strategy, capacity planning, and product lifecycle management.
- Ability to analyze large or incomplete data sets and turn them into practical business recommendations.
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and analytical tools such as Oracle, Agile, Excel, Power BI, JMP or equivalent.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leaders.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions in an environment of rapid change and uncertainty.
Safety RequirementsAll employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.
Quality and Environmental ResponsibilitiesDepending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.
