Commodities Specialist

Kennametal, Inc. • Pittsburgh, PA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Commodities Specialist implements strategic sourcing strategies defined by the global category leader and optimizes procurement processes in North America for one or more assigned spend categories. The position supports development, implementation, and governance of commodity sourcing strategies, including supplier selection and relationship development, supplier performance optimization, pricing and contract negotiations, use of sourcing tools to secure value, and supply-chain risk mitigation. It communicates and ensures governance of corporate-wide sourcing strategy.

The role develops knowledge of cost drivers and manufacturing or service processes for assigned categories to optimize value for Kennametal. It works with internal stakeholders to understand requirements and inform sourcing recommendations. Key outcomes include cost reduction, days payable outstanding (DPO), supplier on-time delivery and quality, supplier lead-time reduction, and supplier-count reduction.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or Engineering.
• At least 1 year of strategic sourcing experience.
• Maintain high standards of integrity and ethics, commitment to safety, and compliance with Kennametal’s code of conduct; model these behaviors for suppliers.
• Experience leading and developing sourcing capabilities within a team; ability to lead through influence and communicate effectively.
• Understand internal customer groups, key users, and customer characteristics; identify customer requirements and use them in sourcing decisions; develop mutually beneficial customer relationships.
• Analytical skills, including the ability to use ERP software and raw data to organize and prioritize information for decisions.
• Understand financial concepts and processes, including invoicing and accounts payable.

Nice To Haves

• MBA.
• Three years of manufacturing experience.
• Proficiency with SAP.
• Proficiency with MS Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, implementation, and governance of sourcing strategies for assigned commodity categories.
• Contribute to supplier selection, supplier relationship development, supplier performance optimization, pricing and contract negotiations, and sourcing-tool use to secure optimum value.
• Understand and mitigate supply-chain risk.
• Communicate and ensure proper governance of the corporate-wide sourcing strategy.
• Develop knowledge of cost drivers and manufacturing or service processes related to assigned categories and use it to optimize value.
• Understand internal stakeholder requirements and use them to assist in sourcing recommendations.
• Support project management in designing, planning, and managing projects that deliver value-added solutions within defined time and cost parameters.
• Use analytics, ERP software, and raw data to organize and prioritize information for decision-making.
• Interpret financial data, analyze cost structures, and determine the financial impact of decisions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time