Director, Global Strategic Sourcing (Durham, NC)

Fortrea•Durham, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Job Overview: The Director, Global Strategic Sourcing, is responsible for leading the strategy, design and development of a world-class strategic sourcing and category management function for one or more categories or segments within Fortrea’s global sourcing scope. This leader must have the interest and ability to work cross functionally with stakeholders across the entire enterprise to ensure that business objectives and strategies are achieved. Summary of Responsibilities: Leadership & People Management Build, lead, and develop a global team of category and sourcing managers, establishing clear role clarity, performance expectations, and decision rights aligned to Fortrea’s strategic priorities. Create a high‑performance culture by coaching leaders, providing regular performance feedback, and holding managers accountable for results, behaviors, and talent development outcomes. Own talent strategy for assigned categories, including workforce planning, capability development, succession planning, and identification of future leaders within Global Procurement Services. Set and cascade measurable objectives across the team (savings, service levels, stakeholder satisfaction, compliance), ensuring alignment between enterprise priorities and individual goals. Foster an inclusive, growth‑oriented environment that encourages continuous improvement, innovation, and cross‑functional collaboration. Strategic Leadership Own the strategy, governance, and performance outcomes for assigned sourcing categories, ensuring category strategies are developed and executed effectively. Hold team leaders accountable for execution quality, including sourcing rigor, supplier performance management, contract compliance, and stakeholder engagement. Serve as an executive escalation point, removing barriers, resolving priority conflicts, and enabling teams to deliver value at scale rather than directly managing routine sourcing activities. Translate enterprise strategy into category‑level priorities, ensuring consistent application of sourcing methodologies, tools, and governance across the team. Stakeholder & Organizational Leadership Act as a senior strategic advisor to enterprise leaders, shaping demand, influencing sourcing decisions, and aligning stakeholders to long-term value creation rather than transactional outcomes. Model and enforce disciplined decision‑making, ensuring teams balance speed, risk, compliance, and value in alignment with Fortrea policies and regulatory requirements. Execution Lead and project manage multi-functional stakeholder teams on specific strategic sourcing initiatives or projects, including RFX’s, to ensure benefit realization and drive value through supplier relationship management within the assigned categories. Conduct regular contract review meetings with suppliers and key stakeholders to ensure supplier performance is meeting expectations, contractual commitments, and service levels and that any concerns are communicated in a timely manner ensuring the avoidance of service disruption and stakeholder dissatisfaction. Provide advice on all procurement related issues and discuss detailed contractual issues on a wide and varied portfolio with stakeholders to ensure that (i) contractual terms and obligations are fully understood, (ii) both financial, operational, and supply risks are minimized, and (iii) stakeholders fully understand and remain in compliance with finance, legal and procurement procedures. Verify the relevance of the sourcing strategy by consulting with leaders, understanding external market trends, monitoring business conditions and priorities, being attentive to business objectives and continually validating, evolving, and adjusting the suitability of the functions' strategic objectives to ensure alignment. Results & Accountability Own delivery of savings and value targets through the performance of the team, including P&L impact, cost avoidance, working capital improvements, and supplier innovation. Establish and review team‑level performance dashboards, using metrics and analytics to guide coaching, prioritization, and continuous improvement. Design and continuously evolve the operating model for category management and strategic sourcing, including governance forums, escalation paths, and cross‑functional engagement models. Partner with the Executive Director to shape functional strategy, transformation roadmaps, and multi‑year capability investments for Global Procurement Services.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
A deep knowledge of sourcing processes, market trends, benchmarks, and best practices across categories under management
In-depth knowledge of category strategy, management and sourcing, methodologies, and best practices
Proven analytical skills, and demonstrated ability to solve complex problems to drive value
Deep business and financial acumen and strong strategic and conceptual skills
Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills
Demonstrated organizational, time management, and multi-tasking skills
Working knowledge of data analysis and forecasting tools and ability to develop actionable insights from data
Interpersonal skills and ability to build, develop and maintain trusted relationships both internally and externally
Attention to detail and analysis accuracy
Ability to make decisions and commit to completion dates
Ability to troubleshoot issues of high complexity
Microsoft Office365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint)
Demonstrated team leadership experience
Experience working in a matrixed business environment, leading multiple commitments and collaborators while prioritizing conflicting demands, maintaining focus on the objective, and providing high quality service to both internal and external partners
Specific experience in leading large, complex sourcing projects and supporting Senior Leadership on development of the sourcing strategy, management of risks and issues and the execution of the project to deliver the greatest value for money for the organization
Developing and executing clear category management, strategic sourcing, procurement, and cost reduction strategies

Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management Build, lead, and develop a global team of category and sourcing managers, establishing clear role clarity, performance expectations, and decision rights aligned to Fortrea’s strategic priorities.
Create a high‑performance culture by coaching leaders, providing regular performance feedback, and holding managers accountable for results, behaviors, and talent development outcomes.
Own talent strategy for assigned categories, including workforce planning, capability development, succession planning, and identification of future leaders within Global Procurement Services.
Set and cascade measurable objectives across the team (savings, service levels, stakeholder satisfaction, compliance), ensuring alignment between enterprise priorities and individual goals.
Foster an inclusive, growth‑oriented environment that encourages continuous improvement, innovation, and cross‑functional collaboration.
Strategic Leadership Own the strategy, governance, and performance outcomes for assigned sourcing categories, ensuring category strategies are developed and executed effectively.
Hold team leaders accountable for execution quality, including sourcing rigor, supplier performance management, contract compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
Serve as an executive escalation point, removing barriers, resolving priority conflicts, and enabling teams to deliver value at scale rather than directly managing routine sourcing activities.
Translate enterprise strategy into category‑level priorities, ensuring consistent application of sourcing methodologies, tools, and governance across the team.
Stakeholder & Organizational Leadership Act as a senior strategic advisor to enterprise leaders, shaping demand, influencing sourcing decisions, and aligning stakeholders to long-term value creation rather than transactional outcomes.
Model and enforce disciplined decision‑making, ensuring teams balance speed, risk, compliance, and value in alignment with Fortrea policies and regulatory requirements.
Execution Lead and project manage multi-functional stakeholder teams on specific strategic sourcing initiatives or projects, including RFX’s, to ensure benefit realization and drive value through supplier relationship management within the assigned categories.
Conduct regular contract review meetings with suppliers and key stakeholders to ensure supplier performance is meeting expectations, contractual commitments, and service levels and that any concerns are communicated in a timely manner ensuring the avoidance of service disruption and stakeholder dissatisfaction.
Provide advice on all procurement related issues and discuss detailed contractual issues on a wide and varied portfolio with stakeholders to ensure that (i) contractual terms and obligations are fully understood, (ii) both financial, operational, and supply risks are minimized, and (iii) stakeholders fully understand and remain in compliance with finance, legal and procurement procedures.
Verify the relevance of the sourcing strategy by consulting with leaders, understanding external market trends, monitoring business conditions and priorities, being attentive to business objectives and continually validating, evolving, and adjusting the suitability of the functions' strategic objectives to ensure alignment.
Results & Accountability Own delivery of savings and value targets through the performance of the team, including P&L impact, cost avoidance, working capital improvements, and supplier innovation.
Establish and review team‑level performance dashboards, using metrics and analytics to guide coaching, prioritization, and continuous improvement.
Design and continuously evolve the operating model for category management and strategic sourcing, including governance forums, escalation paths, and cross‑functional engagement models.
Partner with the Executive Director to shape functional strategy, transformation roadmaps, and multi‑year capability investments for Global Procurement Services.