Global Commodity Manager

Hitachi Careers•Michigan City, IN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Global Commodity Manager is a critical role that supports the global, overarching commodity strategies and execution of global spend for direct spend commodities. Candidates will be selected based on their overall functional strategic sourcing competency and experience with commodities. The candidate will work under the direction of the Director of Strategic Sourcing and will engage stakeholders to support various category strategies. They will also work closely with site transactional purchasing personnel to align the strategies with site execution. Furthermore, the candidate will support core supplier relationships with a mandate to meet organizational standards in respect to quality, service, technical support, and best commercial value. The candidate will have proven product and market knowledge relative to one or more commodities and will be well versed in functional strategic sourcing practices and have a deep knowledge of SAP. Being well versed in numerous industrial commodities will be an advantage. The work site location is the Hitachi Global Air Power manufacturing plant in Michigan City, Indiana, and will require travel to other manufacturing site locations, supplier meetings or tradeshows/events, as needed. Up to 35% domestic and international travel is required.

Requirements

BS Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration or other relevant degree program.
Minimum 2-5 years commodity management experience in a global industrial equipment manufacturing environment.
High level knowledge with SAP and in the use of analytical tools.
High level of commercial negotiations and contract management with demonstrated success.
World class project management skills and strategic planning experience.
International business and cultural experience.
Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of an organization (internal/external) and across global nationalities and cultures.
Strong presentation skills.
Ability to self-motivate, multi-task and work independently as part of a geographically dispersed, virtual team.
Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor with energy and a sense of urgency.
Ability to travel on a domestic and international basis.
Candidate must work well in a team environment while being a self-starter.
Strict attention to detail.
Not satisfied with the Status Quo.
Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and thoughtfully on a daily basis.
Must be results-oriented, high energy and a representative of the Hitachi Values.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Being well versed in numerous industrial commodities will be an advantage.

Responsibilities

Develop, align and implement commodity strategies that are innovative, cost-effective, and incorporate the growing complexities and challenges within the industry.
Maintain effective links with global stakeholders within the brand verticals, manufacturing sites and core supplier contacts. This includes the ability to manage and communicate to stakeholders across various levels, functions, countries and cultures.
Establish and manage relationships with key suppliers.
Work with suppliers to improve quality, delivery and cost and implement necessary corrective actions to achieve targets.
Execution to specific cost reduction targets.
Lead commercial and contractual negotiations with suppliers.
Maintain an understanding of the commodity market conditions and trends and develop category strategies with the correct level of analytical rigor.
Understand the impact of the business's strategy on the future requirements of the category areas.
Identify and manage risk within the supply chain.
Address tactical and strategic supply chain issues.
Ensure the strategy delivers ‘best value’ based on a combination of quality, service and cost, and that the strategic sourcing process is applied consistently and appropriately.
Support periodic supplier business reviews that includes criteria to measure supplier performance in terms of cost, risk, stakeholder satisfaction, technical support, supplier delivery/quality performance, investment, and continuous improvement.
Support appropriate relationships with suppliers to maximize value to the business.
Support improvement to existing processes, systems, practices and procedures.
Use consistent strategic sourcing processes and e-procurement tools (such as reverse auctioning) and understand the best applications for the use of specific tools.