Director, Strategic Sourcing

Job Summary

The Director of Strategic Sourcing is a pivotal leadership role responsible for building and sustaining long-term, value-driven relationships with key suppliers and strategic partners. This leader serves as the connective tissue between product development teams, executive management, and the external supplier ecosystem — translating business needs into sourcing strategies that accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and deliver sustained competitive advantage.

This role requires a commercially astute executive who can influence at the C-suite level, partner deeply with engineering and development teams, and build a world-class supplier relationship management (SRM) capability. The ideal candidate balances strategic vision with operational rigor, and is equally comfortable in a boardroom negotiation as in a cross-functional product planning session.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Strategic Relationship Management
•    Own and cultivate executive-level relationships with Tier 1 and strategic Tier 2 suppliers, acting as the primary ambassador for the company's sourcing interests.
•    Develop and execute a Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) framework that drives supplier performance, innovation partnership, and mutual value creation.
•    Lead quarterly and annual business reviews with key suppliers, driving accountability against KPIs, SLAs, and joint roadmaps.
•    Proactively identify and mitigate supplier risks including capacity constraints, geopolitical exposure, financial instability, and single-source dependencies.
•    Champion preferred supplier programs, fostering a tiered supplier ecosystem aligned to strategic importance and performance.

Partnership with Development & Product Teams
•    Embed sourcing strategy within the product development lifecycle — partnering with R&D, engineering, and product management from concept through commercialization.
•    Facilitate early supplier involvement (ESI) initiatives to drive design-for-manufacturability, cost optimization, and supply continuity.
•    Translate technology roadmaps and product requirements into actionable sourcing strategies that anticipate capacity and capability needs.
•    Serve as a trusted advisor to development teams on supplier selection, make-vs-buy decisions, and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis.
•    Collaborate with technical teams to evaluate supplier capabilities, conduct supplier assessments, and qualify new sources of supply.

Executive Engagement & Business Alignment
•    Partner with executive leadership to align sourcing strategy with corporate objectives, growth initiatives, and financial targets.
•    Present strategic sourcing plans, supplier performance insights, and risk mitigation strategies to the Board and executive leadership team.
•    Influence enterprise-level decisions related to supply chain investment, M&A diligence, and geographic expansion by providing sourcing intelligence.
•    Drive cross-functional alignment on sourcing priorities through executive steering committees and governance forums.
•    Define and communicate a multi-year strategic sourcing vision that positions the company for scalable, resilient growth.

Sourcing Strategy & Value Delivery
•    Lead the development and execution of category strategies across direct spend, focusing on strategic, high-impact categories.
•    Drive measurable cost savings, cost avoidance, and working capital improvements in alignment with annual financial targets.
•    Negotiate complex, multi-year agreements with strategic partners including pricing structures, volume commitments, IP protections, and service levels.
•    Leverage market intelligence, spend analytics, and supplier benchmarking to continuously optimize the supply base.
•    Build and manage a pipeline of sourcing initiatives with clearly defined value metrics and executive visibility.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development
•    Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing strategic sourcing team, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
•    Define team structure, roles, and capability roadmaps to support evolving business needs and organizational scale.
•    Drive adoption of sourcing technologies, digital tools, and data analytics to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

•    10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management; 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
•    Demonstrated track record of building and managing strategic supplier relationships at an executive level.
•    Deep experience collaborating with product development, engineering, or R&D organizations in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
•    Proven ability to influence and partner with C-suite and executive stakeholders on strategic sourcing matters.
•    Strong commercial acumen including contract negotiation, financial analysis, and total cost modeling.
•    Experience developing and operationalizing SRM frameworks, category strategies, and governance structures.
•    Exceptional communication, executive presence, and cross-functional leadership skills.
•    Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.

Travel Requirements