Director of Strategic Sourcing NPI

Gradian Thermal Solutions•Maple Grove, MN

2d•$180,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of NPI Sourcing will establish and lead Gradian's NPI sourcing function during a period of rapid growth in the data center industry. This role will serve as the primary supply chain partner for new product development, driving sourcing strategy, cost optimization, and supply chain readiness.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree (Preferably in Supply Chain/Operations/Engineering)
10+ years of progressive sourcing, supply chain, or procurement leadership experience, including significant ownership of New Product Introduction (NPI) programs.
Proven people leader with experience building organizations from the ground up, including hiring, mentoring, and developing top talent to support business growth and strategic objectives.
Proven ability to develop and implement scalable sourcing processes, governance frameworks, and KPIs that drive execution excellence and support successful product launch.
Track record of recruiting, developing, and leading high-performing sourcing teams in a fast-growing or highly dynamic manufacturing environment.
Deep experience partnering with Engineering, Product Management, Operations, and Quality teams to successfully launch complex engineered products from concept through production.
Strong business acumen with the ability to influence executive stakeholders, drive cross-functional alignment, and lead through ambiguity.
Inspirational and hands-on leader capable of building organizational capability, aligning teams around a common vision, and driving execution in a fast-paced environment.
Strong program leadership and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple product development and launch initiatives simultaneously.
Exceptional ability to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders across Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Product Management.
Self-driven, entrepreneurial leader who thrives in ambiguity and can independently drive organizational change and results.
Data-driven decision maker with strong business acumen.

Nice To Haves

Certs: CPSM / APICS / CSCP / Lean Six Sigma
Masters Degree (Operations/Supply Chain)

Responsibilities

Establish and lead Gradian's NPI Sourcing organization, creating a best-in-class function that enables rapid growth and supports the development of next-generation cooling solutions for hyperscale data centers.
Define the vision, strategy, and operating model for NPI sourcing, building the processes, governance, tools, and supplier engagement framework necessary to scale with the business.
Partner with Engineering, Product Management, Operations, and executive leadership to influence product strategy, technology roadmaps, and sourcing decisions from concept through production.
Build and develop a high-performing NPI sourcing team, attracting top talent and fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and execution excellence.
Develop metrics and performance systems that provide visibility into launch readiness, supplier performance, risk, and cost, ensuring predictable execution and continuous improvement.