Director, Procurement

Ingevity•North Charleston, SC

About The Position

The Director, Procurement leads the development and execution of Ingevity's procurement strategy while maintaining direct involvement in critical sourcing initiatives, supplier management, commercial negotiations, and procurement operations. Serving as both a strategic leader and hands-on contributor, this role is responsible for driving value creation through strategic sourcing, contract governance, supplier relationship management, risk mitigation, procurement excellence, and continuous improvement. The Director, Procurement ensures reliable supply, optimizes total cost of ownership, and delivers measurable business results while leading and developing a high-performing procurement organization. Working closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, Engineering, R&D, and Business Leadership, the Director serves as a trusted advisor and strategic business partner, bringing market intelligence, supplier insights, and commercial expertise into key business decisions. This role maintains a seat at the table for enterprise initiatives, helping shape business strategy by highlighting market conditions, supply risks, supplier capabilities, and emerging opportunities that may impact business performance. Success in this position requires the ability to influence and drive alignment across functions without direct authority, balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution to deliver enterprise-wide results.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Engineering, or related discipline.
10+ years of progressive procurement, sourcing, supply chain, or related business experience.
5+ years of leadership experience managing managers, professionals, or cross-functional teams.
Demonstrated success leading both direct and indirect procurement categories.
Proven experience negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing strategic supplier relationships.
Strong financial acumen, including total cost of ownership analysis, ROI evaluation, and value realization.
Experience with SAP, Coupa, procurement analytics, and supplier management processes.
Demonstrated ability to influence business decisions and drive results in a matrixed environment.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.
CPSM, CSCP, or other relevant professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute enterprise procurement and sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives.
Establish long-term category strategies that improve cost competitiveness, supply assurance, sustainability, quality, and supplier performance.
Identify market trends, supply risks, and business opportunities to support informed decision-making.
Drive procurement transformation initiatives that improve organizational capability, operational effectiveness, and business performance.
Partner with senior leadership to support growth initiatives, capital projects, operational excellence programs, and strategic business priorities.
Serve as a strategic business partner by providing insights into market conditions, supplier trends, commercial risks, and supply chain dynamics that influence business decisions.
Represent the procurement function in strategic planning discussions, ensuring external market perspectives and supplier capabilities are incorporated into business decision-making.
Influence adoption of procurement best practices and sourcing strategies across the organization.
Personally lead high-value, high-risk, or strategically important sourcing initiatives and supplier negotiations.
Maintain direct ownership of selected spend categories and key supplier relationships.
Participate directly in supplier selection, contract development, commercial negotiations, and supplier performance reviews.
Support category managers and sourcing professionals in developing and executing sourcing strategies.
Provide leadership during critical supply disruptions, supplier disputes, and commercial escalations.
Collaborate with stakeholders to develop sourcing solutions that balance cost, risk, quality, sustainability, and operational requirements.
Partner with business leaders to execute strategic initiatives by aligning supplier capabilities, market realities, and procurement strategies with enterprise objectives.
Lead strategic supplier relationship management programs across direct and indirect spend categories.
Negotiate complex commercial agreements and multi-year supply contracts.
Drive supplier performance improvements related to quality, delivery, innovation, service, sustainability, and cost.
Partner with Legal and business leaders to mitigate contractual and commercial risk.
Develop collaborative partnerships with suppliers that support business objectives and long-term value creation.
Leverage supplier relationships and market intelligence to identify opportunities for innovation, risk mitigation, and competitive advantage.
Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracting requirements, delegation of authority standards, and internal controls.
Oversee procurement systems and processes, including SAP, Coupa, reporting, and procurement analytics tools.
Drive process standardization, simplification, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Monitor procurement performance metrics and identify opportunities for operational excellence.
Support team members in resolving day-to-day procurement and supplier challenges.
Establish and maintain governance processes that balance business agility with appropriate commercial controls.
Lead initiatives that deliver sustainable cost savings, cost avoidance, and working capital improvements.
Utilize market intelligence, supplier insights, and analytics to support strategic business decisions.
Develop business cases and recommendations for leadership review and approval.
Partner with Finance and Supply Chain leaders to improve overall business performance.
Ensure procurement contributes measurable value to enterprise financial objectives.
Drive total cost of ownership management across key spend categories and supplier relationships.
Lead, coach, and develop procurement managers, category managers, and sourcing professionals.
Build organizational capability in strategic sourcing, negotiation, supplier management, analytics, and business partnership.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Develop succession plans and talent pipelines for critical procurement roles.
Promote cross-functional teamwork and strong business relationships throughout the organization.
Serve as a role model for effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and influencing without authority.