Job Description:
Position: US Steel Sourcing Director
Department: Global Supply Chain / Supply Chain Strategy (Steel)
Reports To: VP SC Strategy (Steel)
Location: Nashville, TN
Position Overview / Mission
The US Steel Sourcing Director is responsible for leading the US steel sourcing team and designing Nextpower’s steel sourcing strategy across the United States. This role participates with senior executive leadership in establishing long-term supply chain strategy and translating corporate objectives into actionable US sourcing plans. This role owns total cost of ownership for all parts and raw material related to steel commodity and ensures a competitive, resilient, and technically capable supplier base to support utility-scale solar projects. The Director has final decision authority on US steel sourcing strategy, supplier selection, and commercial frameworks within the category.
Your mission is to ensure Nextpower sets its US supply chain for success, ensuring it establishes partnerships with best-in-class US suppliers, integrates the right skill sets and anticipate business needs, while contributing to enterprise-level supply chain governance and long-range (3–5 year) sourcing roadmaps.
Key Objectives
Lead US Steel Sourcing Strategy:
Set a strategy for US steel sourcing in line with business objectives and internal stakeholders.
Partner with VP and executive leadership to shape multi-year sourcing strategy aligned to growth, risk mitigation, and competitive positioning.
Lead US sourcing team, provide guidance and coordinate efforts.
Promote consistency across the team, sourcing models, and governance.
Contribute to the development of enterprise supply chain policies, governance standards, and sourcing frameworks.
Optimize Total Cost of Ownership:
Drive cost optimization across US supply chain while maintaining supply continuity and technical compliance.
Own US steel spend performance and cost targets, ensuring alignment with corporate financial objectives and annual operating plans.
Support sales success for locally sourced material
Coordinate with non-US sourcing team to define best onshore/offshore supply strategy.
Ensure sourcing decisions support EBITDA, margin, and long-term financial performance.
Strengthen Supplier Base & Performance:
Build and maintain a resilient US supplier base capable of supporting volume growth, technical requirements, and project timelines.
Core Responsibilities
Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead and develop a high-performing US steel sourcing team.
- Direct activities of the US steel sourcing function through managers and senior individual contributors, ensuring execution of strategy and development of future leaders.
- Coordinate closely with global sourcing counterparts to ensure alignment and knowledge sharing.
- Reconcile multiple stakeholder perspectives (Sales, Engineering, Finance, Operations) to drive optimal business outcomes.
- Act as the senior sourcing representative with internal stakeholders and external partners.
- Interact regularly with senior management and executives to align sourcing strategy with enterprise priorities and resolve complex trade-offs across functions.
Strategic Sourcing & Category Leadership
- Develop and deploy US steel sourcing strategies by product, category and supplier
- Translate business segment strategy into functional sourcing plans and execution roadmaps.
- Lead sourcing decisions across mills, processors, and service centers to balance cost, risk, and supply continuity.
- Ensure capacity, cost competitiveness and risk mitigation to meet business needs on a forward basis
- Develop and standardize sourcing methodologies, supplier evaluation frameworks, and risk assessment models used across the organization.
Supplier Management & Negotiation
- Negotiate, execute, and manage long-term Master Supply Agreements and commercial frameworks.
- Establish and maintain executive-level relationships with key US steel suppliers and market stakeholders.
- Qualify and onboard new suppliers including capacity, quality, and risk assessments.
- Drive supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery, and responsiveness.
Demand Alignment & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Partner with Sales, Planning, and Operations to understand demand trends and project pipelines.
- Allocate demand across suppliers to optimize cost, capacity, lead time, and geographic risk.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and engineering changes with early sourcing engagement.
Market Intelligence & Risk Management
- Track US steel market trends, raw material indices, trade actions, and capacity developments.
- Identify and mitigate supply, pricing, and geopolitical risks through diversified sourcing strategies.
- Provide executive-level reporting on market conditions, sourcing strategy, and performance.
Qualifications
- 15+ years of experience in sourcing, or strategic category management. Steel/metal experience preferred but not mandatory.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
- Advanced negotiation skills and strong understanding of US commercial contracts.
- Manufacturing and logistics background required.
- Ability to communicate and present sourcing strategies at executive level.
- Ability to lead multi-cultural teams and thrive in an international environment
Preferred:
- Experience in contract manufacturing.
- Experience in renewable energy, solar, or industrial equipment manufacturing.
- Exposure to US and international steel trade
- Availability to travel approximately 30%.
Skills & Competencies
Technical & Analytical
- Strong strategic mindset
- Proficiency in total cost of ownership modeling, should-cost analysis, and supplier performance analytics.
- High attention to detail in contracts, specifications, and commercial terms; disciplined approach to risk and compliance.
Collaboration & Communication
- Excellent communication skills to translate sourcing strategy and market dynamics to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, supply chain, logistics, finance, and commercial teams.
- Executive presence and strong relationship-building skills with senior supplier stakeholders.
- Ability to communicate steel sourcing strategy to senior executives of the company and represent it.
Execution & Project Management
- Strong organizational skills; ability to prioritize and manage multiple negotiations, initiatives, and time-sensitive project needs.
- Ability to operate under pressure and ambiguity while maintaining rigor, speed, and accountability.
- Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement and deliver measurable results across cost, quality, and delivery.
