Director of Sourcing

Buckman is seeking a Global Category Manager to join our growing business.  This is a key leadership position within the Procurement team that will focus on developing and implementing effective sourcing strategies that maximize business performance across our global footprint.    

The role is responsible for Buckman’s global chemical raw material spend and will lead the organization in setting global category strategies.  This requires understanding of and aligning global supply markets and Buckman’s strategic business objectives. The successful candidate must be able to collaborate cross-functionally to develop the strategies, clearly articulate them to senior business leaders and cascade them throughout the organization.  The key focus will be on leveraging spend, utilizing strategic sourcing, category management and supplier performance management processes and tools to deliver maximum value while managing risk.

Key Outcomes / Responsibilities

• Leads development & execution of sourcing strategies for major chemical raw material categories
• Aligns with Buckman leadership to understand and analyze business plans and requirements in order to develop category strategies that maintain and improve competitive business positions
• Communicates and coordinates with Buckman’s regional business units in development and execution of category strategies
• Develops risk management plans for key categories
• Negotiates procurement agreements that are consistent with the category strategy and best practices
• Manages key relationships with Buckman suppliers as part of an integrated and collaborative multifunctional team
• Utilizes market, spend, demand, cost and other quantitative analysis
• Provides market intelligence updates to business teams to inform business plans and ensure the strategy is meeting business objectives.
• Conducts global RF(X)s
• Leads new supplier qualification and substitution initiatives
• Develops, mentors, and empowers less experienced team members in effective category management and procurement best practices

•  Skills and Job Competencies

Skills:

• Strong communication skills and ability to build consensus and gain alignment within Buckman and outside organizations
• Collaborates with global business teams, supply chain, and operations sites, with ability to have courageous conversations across all levels of an organization
• Assesses market dynamics and competitive costs to develop/implement strategy
• Demonstrates business acumen in creating, positioning, and negotiating commercial arrangements delivering competitive advantage
• Demonstrated team leadership skills, including excellent communications and relationship building across different global regions
• Strong skills and experience with diagnosing and resolving complex issues and opportunities within business sourcing models
• Able to make decisions with limited, but pertinent information to keep performance on track
• Demonstrated ability to create and lead a case for change including the ability to drive team engagement and deliver step change performance
• Exceptional analytical decision-making skills.
• Proven negotiating and project management skills

Job Competencies

Results Leadership:

Ensures Accountability - Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.

Aligns Execution - Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.

People Leadership:

Drives Vision and Purpose

Builds Effective Teams - Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. Models teamwork by working effectively with other leaders throughout the organization.

Develops Talent - Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.

Thought Leadership:

Strategic Mindset - Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.

Possibility Thinking - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

Financial Acumen - Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.

Technical Acumen – Strong understanding of market segment production processes and the critical product properties important in developing and selling value propositions for Buckman.

Business Insight - Understands key business or functional concepts, practices and areas of knowledge and applies them in business situations. Keeps up with current and possible future policies, practices, and trends in the industry and organization.

Global Perspective - Taking a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens.

Decision Quality - Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.

Manages Ambiguity - Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.

Nimble Learning – Continual Self-Improvement, Lifelong Learner

Courage - Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.

Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent in supply chain, business, finance, mathematics, engineering or other quantitative discipline.

--Minimum ten (10) years work experience in procurement, commercial and/or supply chain - a related advanced degree may offset the related experience requirements

Must Have Successful Experiences

• Proven track-record of strong performance, operating with a strategic mindset, and delivering business results
• Demonstrated experience creating, documenting and executing global category strategies
• Strong understanding of commercial contract negotiations and terminology
• Proven negotiating skills and contracting experience with major corporations
• Exceptional analytical decision-making skills
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills

Highly Desirable Experiences

• MBA
• At least 5 years of experience managing global chemical categories
• SAP and e-procurement software experience

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