Director of Supply Chain

Air Lift Company•Lansing, MI

About The Position

Air Lift, a third-generation family-owned company, was founded in 1949 in Lansing, Michigan. Air Lift supplies the automotive aftermarket with load assist products and performance suspensions for show and track. Our goal is to consistently provide products and services that meet and exceed customer’s requirements and expectations. We do this by recruiting top talent and retaining them through our commitment to professional development and preservation of our culture. The Supply Chain Director is a senior leadership role responsible for setting and executing the overall supply chain strategy across Purchasing and Materials Management, with risk management as a core contributor to business performance and continuity. This position provides strategic direction, governance, and leadership to ensure the organization achieves cost competitiveness, supply continuity, inventory optimization, risk mitigation, and operational excellence. The role directly manages the Purchasing Manager and Materials Manager and serves as a key business partner to executive leadership, operations, engineering, and finance. This role requires deep, hands-on experience across both strategic sourcing / purchasing and materials management / planning, with the ability to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risk while balancing long-term strategy and near-term execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
10+ years of experience in supply chain, logistics, procurement, or operations
5+ years in senior leadership or management roles
Experience managing end-to-end supply chain functions
Deep knowledge of Supply Chain Planning, Inventory Optimization, and Demand Forecasting
Cross-functional collaboration
Risk management and supply chain resilience
Experience with supply chain planning systems and enterprise resource planning platforms.
Demonstrated ability to manage large budgets and drive cost reductions.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications such as: APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement
Experience managing purchasing and strategic sourcing for manufacturing operations, including direct materials, components, and production supplies.
Experience negotiating long-term supplier agreements, volume contracts, and cost reduction initiatives for production materials.
Experience collaborating with engineering, production, and quality teams on supplier selection, qualification, and product lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the end-to-end supply chain strategy, aligning purchasing and materials functions with overall business objectives
Establish clear priorities, performance expectations, governance, and risk management frameworks across sourcing, procurement, planning, and inventory management
Own the identification, assessment, and mitigation of supply chain risks, including supplier, capacity, geopolitical, financial, and inventory risks
Serve as the senior escalation point for complex or high-impact supply, supplier, or inventory disruptions
Drive alignment between supply chain strategy, enterprise risk posture, and company growth, product, and operational plans
Provide strategic leadership to the Purchasing Manager, ensuring sourcing activities focus on total cost of ownership, supplier capability, resilience, and risk management
Oversee supplier strategy, including supplier segmentation, development, dual-sourcing, and long-term partnerships
Guide major negotiations, sourcing decisions, and contract strategies for high-impact or high-risk categories
Ensure cost savings initiatives, value engineering efforts, and commercial improvements are identified, tracked, and realized
Ensure contracts and sourcing decisions appropriately address commercial, continuity, and risk exposure
Provide leadership to the Materials Manager to ensure inventory optimization, production support, and delivery performance
Oversee planning, scheduling, and inventory strategies to balance service levels, working capital, operational efficiency, and supply risk
Ensure strong systems discipline (ERP/MRP accuracy, master data, planning parameters)
Drive continuous improvement in materials flow, inventory accuracy, and on-time delivery
Ensure inventory strategies support risk mitigation for critical parts, suppliers, and programs
Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to support new product launches, program transitions, and operational improvements
Provide executive leadership with supply chain risk assessments, mitigation plans, and scenario analysis
Align supply chain capabilities with manufacturing capacity, engineering changes, and business priorities
Coach, develop, and support the Purchasing Manager and Materials Manager to strengthen leadership capability, decision-making, and succession readiness
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, risk awareness, and continuous improvement
Ensure clear role clarity and effective workload balance between purchasing and materials teams
Ensure compliance with company policies, contractual standards, and regulatory requirements
Champion continuous improvement initiatives across sourcing, planning, inventory, and risk management processes
Other Related duties as assigned.