Job Type
Full-time
Description
Location: On-site in Brattleboro, VT
Strategic Sourcing Manager
The Strategic Sourcing Manager provides category management leadership for a multi-plant aerospace and defense manufacturing organization. The role develops and executes sourcing strategies across multiple spend categories, leads critical sourcing initiatives, negotiates long-term supplier agreements, manages supply risk, and drives cost, quality, delivery, and cash performance. The Strategic Sourcing Manager is a technical and commercial mentor to the procurement team, and a trusted partner to Operations, Engineering, Quality, Programs, Sales, and Finance.
Key Responsibilities & Duties
Category and Sourcing Strategy
• Own sourcing and cash management strategies for all assigned categories, including raw metals, castings, forgings, special processes, machining, hardware, or indirect spend.
• Lead sourcing, supplier selection, and negotiations for critical, high-value or high-risk categories.
• Develop and execute annual cost-reduction plans.
• Define which categories and spend levels Procurement Agents source on their own, and set the strategy, pricing targets, and approved supplier base they work within.
• Serve as the escalation point for agent-led sourcing decisions that affect supplier strategy, single-source risk, or long-term commitments.
• Lead total cost of ownership initiatives across the procurement organization.
• Consolidate spend across plants, rationalize the supplier base, and set sole-, single-, and dual-source strategies based on risk.
• Lead RFQs and competitive sourcing events for new programs, re-sourcing, and make-vs-buy decisions.
Negotiations and Contract Management
• Negotiate and draft long-term agreements (LTAs), pricing, raw material surcharge and index mechanisms, capacity reservations, and consignment programs.
• Work with Finance and Suppliers to improve terms and conditions.
• Build should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership models to support negotiations and customer quotes.
Supplier Performance, Risk Management, and Continuity
• Own supplier delivery, quality, and cost performance across all categories, using scorecards covering OTD, quality, responsiveness, and cost.
• Conduct periodic business reviews with strategic suppliers and own improvement plans.
• Lead resolution of major and chronic supplier delivery and quality problems, including root-cause analysis (8D), on-site improvement plans, supplier probation, and resourcing decisions.
• Plan and carry out supplier exits and transitions without disrupting production.
• Partner with Quality and Supplier Quality on source approvals, supplier audits, SCAR closure, and Nadcap/customer approval status.
• Monitor and mitigate mill lead times, allocations, and capacity for long-lead materials such as titanium, nickel alloys, and castings.
• Identify single points of failure, and develop mitigation plans: alternate sources, safety stock, and bridge buys.
• Track commodity markets, tariffs, and geopolitical factors, and brief leadership on cost and availability impacts.
Quality Compliance
• Ensure agreements and purchase orders carry the correct AS9100, DFARS (specialty metals, counterfeit parts), ITAR/EAR, and customer flow-down requirements (DPAS, AOG, etc.).
• Validate supplier compliance with specialty metals melt requirements, and material traceability
• Maintain and own the Approved Supplier Listing aligned with customer-approved source lists, including special processors and Nadcap status.
• Verify that key suppliers flow requirements to their own subtiers and use only approved sources.
• Support customer, registrar, and audits of the purchasing process, flow-downs, and source approvals.
Core Competencies
• Strategic thinking with strong commercial judgment.
• Confident, prepared, and action-oriented negotiator who holds suppliers accountable while protecting relationships.
• Analytical and data-driven on cost and risk.
• Credible influencer with suppliers, business leadership, and executives.
• Detail-oriented on compliance without slowing the business down.
• Strong understanding of contract drafting, negotiations, and technically complex products.
• Strong technical aptitude, with the ability to quickly learn new tools and technology.
Requirements
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of procurement experience in manufacturing.
• Proven track record negotiating long-term supply agreements and delivering cost savings.
• Demonstrated success resolving supplier delivery or quality problems, including resourcing.
• Advanced business tool skills and ability to develop cost models.
• Proficiency with an ERP systems.
Preferred
• 7-10+ years of procurement experience.
• Commodity expertise in aerospace metals (titanium, Inconel/nickel alloys, A-286, PH stainless, aluminum plate) and NADCAP special processes.
• Experience supporting a multi-plant or centralized procurement organization.
• ISM or APICS certification.
• Experience mentoring or leading procurement agents.
We are looking for people who are highly motivated with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Must be a professional with strong work ethic and comfortable working as part of a team that includes all levels of the organization.
Come join our team!
Salary Description
$90,000- $125,000 a year
