Innovative chemical company is looking for Director of Strategic Sourcing to oversee their purchasing and negotiations of additives used in a variety of industrial applications; including, but not limited to water treatment, oil and gas exploration and refining and CASE production. The Director of Strategic Sourcing brings immediate value and expertise to the team with their experience in driving negotiations to achieve best outcomes, sourcing in a variety of chemical markets, managing internal and external relationships, and developing effective supply chain strategies. The Director of Strategic Sourcing’s duty is to discover the best ways to substantially reduce raw material spend so that the company can invest in growth and people. The Director of Strategic Sourcing must also have excellent interpersonal and business skills as direct contact and negotiation with internal and external customers and suppliers is required. Success in this position will be measured by savings achieved in raw materials pricing.

Duties and responsibilities

Cultivate and manage effective communications and working relationships with specialty contract manufacturing customers, suppliers, Procurement, Operations, Logistics, Customer Care, Technical, Engineering, and leadership.
Work with Technical team to keep abreast of upcoming new product introductions and take appropriate proactive sourcing actions.
Collaborate with key persons to ensure clarity of the specifications and expectations of the company.
Control spend and build a culture of long-term saving on procurement costs.
Help minimize the cost of acquiring and carrying inventories, help ensure optimization of purchasing-inventory-plant utilization, and avoid duplicate purchases.
Encourage creation and bring new and best-in-class approaches to the table for developing and continuously improving processes.

Utilize knowledge of a variety of chemistries, markets, and suppliers to develop workflows and establish networks for company procurement to go to market for new raw material introductions.

Develop a framework by chemical class that provides guidance about who to source what from.

Map out strategy to introduce new raw materials at the most competitive prices with short turnaround times.

Develop plan to manage ongoing supplier relationships with continuous downward pricing pressure including utilization of economic and market data to obtain cost reductions.

Confer and advise on the strategic direction of supply chain with the Director of Supply Chain.
Support Procurement team with collection of information from vendors including such things such as supplier surveys, country of origin details, etc.
Work with Procurement Team to lead RFPs.
Back up for PO expediting, tracking, and management.
Work with Receiving Teams to develop and document best practices and processes.
Maintain purchasing procedures and supplier records as per ISO guidelines.
Represent Procurement function in ISO audits.
Ensure work instructions are complete and current.
Coordinate with Operations and suppliers to ensure the delivery of materials meets the production schedule and minimum stock levels to safeguard operational and production continuity and to meet customers’ requested ship dates on finished products.
Develop and implement permanent solutions to chronic supplier delivery issues.
Conduct suppler reviews.

Drive significant cost savings and improved terms while strengthening supplier relationships.

Resolve raw material quality control issues with suppliers, which may include communication with Quality Control/ Quality Assurance Department.
Perform vendor visits as needed.
Develop expertise in Chempax C/S ERP, and identify ways to utilize more system functionality.
Ensure current supplier contact information, product details, and costs are maintained in Chempax.
Ensure raw material lead times, MOQs, unloading requirements, palletizing requirements, labeling requirements, etc., in Chempax are updated and maintained.
Develop ways to utilize Chempax for KPI tracking and maintaining delivery details/calendar.

Once material planning in Chempax is set up, utilize MRP reports to drive raw material calculations and PO requisitions.

Coordinate with the business on pricing changes and anticipated price changes.

Work with EHS&S and vendors to obtain sustainability data from vendors, organize, and disseminate it as needed.

Work with Accounting and suppliers to resolve billing discrepancies.

Qualifications

The minimum qualifications required to successfully perform this job include:

15+ years of experience sourcing domestically-produced and imported chemicals in a wide variety of markets (preferably including energy, surfactants, paints and coatings, and water treatment).
Understanding of a variety of chemical markets (preferably including energy, surfactants, paints and coatings, and water treatment) and how manufacturers, distributors, and competitors relate to each other within those markets.
Excellent communication skills - in person, over the phone, and via email.

Talent in negotiations and networking. Experience working for a chemical manufacturer.

Detail orientated with superior, analytical, organization, prioritization, and multitasking abilities.
Sense of urgency and accountability.
Experience with developing and improving processes and efficiencies.
Proficient in Microsoft applications – especially Excel.
Extensive knowledge of purchasing procedures, common industrial terminology, and systems software.
Extensive experience in supply chain planning.
Experience working with Chempax ERP highly desirable, but not necessary.

Ideal location for this role is in the Chattanooga , TN area, but company will consider remote location for qualified candidates.

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