Director of Procurement – Chemical & Raw Materials

Quanex•Cambridge, OH

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Quanex is looking for a Director of Procurement – Chemical & Raw Materials to join their team. This role provides leadership and direction for a large procurement category, developing and implementing strategic sourcing strategies and continuous improvement initiatives to build a robust and resilient supply chain aligned with business growth and profitability goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, chemical engineer, business or related field.
Ten+ years of progressive experience in procurement within a manufacturing environment and a minimum of five years in a leadership role.
Proven track record of delivering significant cost savings and process improvements.
Extensive contract negotiation experience, commercial acumen, and legal understanding.
Experience in working within a fast paced, complex, dynamic business environment.
Exceptional leadership and team management experience.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills are critical. Skilled at communicating at all levels within the organization as well as with customers and vendors.
Experience maintaining positive relationships with internal and external customers and suppliers.
Strong skills in using MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
Adaptive to AI procurement technologies and implementation.
Strong data analytic capabilities.

Nice To Haves

CSCP, CPSM certification, or MBA preferred.
Experience with PVC and Rubber compounding sourcing is a plus.
ERP experience with SAP or Oracle preferred.
Use of procurement tools such as eRFX, supplier portals, contract management, spend cubes, should cost modeling, and artificial intelligence preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted business partner to senior and executive leadership by regularly communicating sourcing strategies, progress, outcomes, and critical issues, effectively influencing decisions across multiple levels of the organization.
Take ownership of assigned spend categories & create supply strategies and cost saving initiatives.
Manage vendor relationships, suppliers’ performance, negotiate contracts, identify and implement improvement opportunities.
Implement and maintain procurement best practices, policies, and procedures across the organization.
Serve as the thought leader for procurement aspects of risk mitigation, sustainability, EHS, technology, automation and data analytics.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for supplier performance and sourcing effectiveness. Develops and delivers reporting on vendor performance and initiates improvements as necessary.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams including product development, operations, finance, and legal to ensure alignment of sourcing activities with business needs.
Analyze market trends, commodity prices, and geopolitical factors to anticipate and mitigate supply chain risks.
Stay informed about global trade regulations, tariffs, and compliance requirements, ensuring adherence across all sourcing activities.
Provide inspiring, hands‑on leadership that motivates, coaches, and develops the procurement team to consistently perform at their best, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Set clear strategic direction and performance expectations, ensuring alignment with business objectives while providing regular, constructive feedback and individualized coaching to support both results delivery and long‑term professional growth.
Champion talent development and succession planning, identifying development opportunities, building capabilities, and preparing the procurement organization with the skills, mindset, and leadership strength required to support future business needs.
Address performance and/or behavior issues with documentation, coaching, corrective actions and discipline as needed.