Director, Supply Chain & Planning

Emerson • Rosemont, IL

4d

About The Position

The Director of Supply Chain & Planning leads end-to-end supply chain operations across Appleton Group, including Supplier Performance, Supplier Quality, and Strategic Procurement. This role ensures continuity of supply, optimizes cost, quality, and delivery, and drives supply chain excellence while supporting the company’s strategic objectives. This role also leads the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process in close collaboration with sales and all the sites to share as early as possible the most accurate forecasts with sites and suppliers.
The scope will include direct material, indirect and logistics spend totaling ~$150M annually. The spend is spread across 8 manufacturing plants, 1 global distribution center and 4 mod centers. The position will have 5 direct reports.
In This Role, Your Responsibilities Will Be:
Create and implement a world-class supply chain strategy, focusing on cost optimization, timely delivery, and risk mitigation
Key KPIs include Supplier On-Time Delivery, Supplier Quality PPM, Year-on-Year Supply Chain and Logistics Costs Savings, Material Cost Productivity, and Working Capital Optimization
Lead the supply chain planning process, developing annual and long-term plans that include cost reduction, lead time improvements, and risk mitigation for potential disruptions
Coordinate global supply base guiding site leaders in strategy development, contract negotiations and plan execution to ensure strong, cost-competitive supplier relationships
Drive initiatives to enhance quality, lead time, service levels, and cost efficiency through process optimization, technology, and talent development
Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities across supply chain using global spending, exploring alternative sourcing, and negotiating favorable contracts
Lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process to get as much input as possible from sales to define forecasts for the sites & suppliers and organize the Executive S&OP process.
Define and follow every month inventory targets and update the forecasts every quarter.
Define the best strategy to reduce & avoid supplier quality costs with preventive quality tools to reach the supplier PPM targets
Lead and coordinate supplier escalations across all sites, driving resolution of quality and delivery issues.
Develop and execute disaster recovery and business continuity plans to respond effectively to supply chain disruptions.
Evaluate opportunities to regionalize supply closer to customer markets, enhancing responsiveness and reducing risk exposure.
Provide strong leadership to a multi-site, multi-country team; set performance targets, drive talent development, and foster a high-performance, customer-focused culture.
Champion workforce planning, development, and succession planning to ensure long-term supply chain capability.
Who You Are:
You provide clear strategic direction, motivating others by aligning sourcing objectives with the company’s overarching mission and values. You are a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of achieving financial targets, including savings, cost reductions, and working capital improvements, through effective sourcing strategies. You possess a deep understanding of supply chain dynamics, including market trends and commodity pricing, and leverage this insight to make strategic decisions that enhance business performance. You inspire, lead, and develop high-performing teams fostering an environment of growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement. You build strong, cross-functional relationships with senior leaders, finance, engineering, and manufacturing teams to drive alignment on sourcing priorities and business goals.
For This Role, You Will Need:
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
10+ years of progressive supply chain management leadership experience in a manufacturing environment with accomplishments in cost reduction, supplier partnerships, multi-plant leverage, contract negotiations, logistics, and supplier certifications.
Strong analytical and decision-making skills with the ability to act quickly in high-pressure environments.
Skilled in supplier negotiations, escalations, and conflict resolution.
Certifications in Six Sigma, Lean, or related areas are advantageous.
Proven success in matrix environments and managing remote teams.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence across multiple organizational levels.
Customer-focused mindset with strong organizational and prioritization skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel pivot tables & PowerPoint) and ERP systems (e.g.; Oracle).
Ability to travel up to 30% - 40% of the time, including some international travel.
Familiarity with risk management, business continuity planning, and supply chain resilience practices.
Legal authorization to work in the United States - Sponsorship will not be provided for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive supply chain management leadership experience in a manufacturing environment with accomplishments in cost reduction, supplier partnerships, multi-plant leverage, contract negotiations, logistics, and supplier certifications.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills with the ability to act quickly in high-pressure environments.
• Skilled in supplier negotiations, escalations, and conflict resolution.
• Proven success in matrix environments and managing remote teams.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence across multiple organizational levels.
• Customer-focused mindset with strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel pivot tables & PowerPoint) and ERP systems (e.g.; Oracle).
• Ability to travel up to 30% - 40% of the time, including some international travel.
• Familiarity with risk management, business continuity planning, and supply chain resilience practices.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States - Sponsorship will not be provided for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Engineering degree with a master’s in supply chain or business.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish: Proficient in both written and spoken English and Spanish.
• Experience leading supply chain transformation or large-scale change initiatives.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 standards for supplier management and customer audits.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent program leadership experience.
• Proficiency in business intelligence tools (Tableau, Power BI, Oracle BI, etc.) with strong presentation and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement a world-class supply chain strategy, focusing on cost optimization, timely delivery, and risk mitigation
• Lead the supply chain planning process, developing annual and long-term plans that include cost reduction, lead time improvements, and risk mitigation for potential disruptions
• Coordinate global supply base guiding site leaders in strategy development, contract negotiations and plan execution to ensure strong, cost-competitive supplier relationships
• Drive initiatives to enhance quality, lead time, service levels, and cost efficiency through process optimization, technology, and talent development
• Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities across supply chain using global spending, exploring alternative sourcing, and negotiating favorable contracts
• Lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process to get as much input as possible from sales to define forecasts for the sites & suppliers and organize the Executive S&OP process.
• Define and follow every month inventory targets and update the forecasts every quarter.
• Define the best strategy to reduce & avoid supplier quality costs with preventive quality tools to reach the supplier PPM targets
• Lead and coordinate supplier escalations across all sites, driving resolution of quality and delivery issues.
• Develop and execute disaster recovery and business continuity plans to respond effectively to supply chain disruptions.
• Evaluate opportunities to regionalize supply closer to customer markets, enhancing responsiveness and reducing risk exposure.
• Provide strong leadership to a multi-site, multi-country team; set performance targets, drive talent development, and foster a high-performance, customer-focused culture.
• Champion workforce planning, development, and succession planning to ensure long-term supply chain capability.

Benefits

• We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and vision coverage, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k), tuition reimbursement, employee resource groups, recognition, and much more.
• Our culture offers flexible time off plans, including paid parental leave (maternal and paternal), vacation and holiday leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level