Senior Manager, Procurement

Lubrizol Corporation•Wickliffe, OH

48d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Procurement provides strategic leadership for a defined portfolio of spend and suppliers, delivering measurable value through category strategy, sourcing excellence, and supplier partnership. This role is accountable for developing and executing category strategies aligned with business objectives, optimizing total cost of ownership, managing supplier risk, and driving continuous improvement across procurement processes. Reporting to Regional Director, the Senior Manager operates with a high degree of autonomy, serves as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders, and leads complex commercial initiatives across a global, matrixed organization. While this role may include people leadership, success is driven primarily through strategic ownership, cross-functional influence, and enterprise-level execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
8+ years of progressive experience in procurement, sourcing, category management, or commercial roles.
Proven ability to independently lead complex sourcing initiatives and deliver quantifiable business value.
Strong negotiation, analytical, and financial skills, including experience with cost modeling and TCO analysis.
Demonstrated success partnering with senior stakeholders in a matrixed, global environment.
Experience with supplier relationship management, contract negotiation, and procurement governance.
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to present recommendations to leadership.
Proficiency with procurement tools, ERP systems, and sourcing platforms.
High standards of ethics, integrity, and compliance.

Nice To Haves

People leadership experience, including managing, coaching, or mentoring procurement professionals.
MBA or advanced degree.
Experience supporting multiple categories or rotating across diverse spend areas.
Exposure to global procurement operations or multinational supply markets.
Professional certifications (e.g., CPSM, CPM, APICS) or progress toward designation.
Experience contributing to procurement transformation, digital enablement, or operating model changes.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute procurement strategies supporting capital investment projects, plant expansions, reliability initiatives, and manufacturing infrastructure improvements.
Partner with Engineering, Operations, Maintenance, Project Management, and Finance teams to support project planning, budgeting, sourcing, and execution.
Lead sourcing activities for capital equipment, engineered systems, construction services, automation solutions, and engineering service providers.
Negotiate commercial agreements for capital projects, including equipment purchases, construction contracts, engineering services, warranties, and long-term service agreements.
Drive total cost of ownership (TCO), value engineering, and lifecycle cost optimization initiatives across capital investments.
Evaluate supplier capabilities, project risks, schedule impacts, and market conditions to support sound sourcing decisions and project execution.
Establish and manage strategic relationships with OEMs, EPC firms, contractors, construction providers, and technical service suppliers.
Monitor supplier performance across capital projects, ensuring delivery, quality, safety, cost, and schedule commitments are achieved.
Identify and mitigate commercial, operational, contractual, supply continuity, and project execution risks associated with capital investments.
Track and report project savings, cost avoidance, supplier performance, and procurement value delivered through capital programs.
Lead complex negotiations and establish commercial agreements that balance cost, service, risk, and flexibility.
Oversee contract lifecycle management, including approvals, compliance, renewals, and performance obligations.
Partner with Legal and internal risk stakeholders to ensure appropriate terms, conditions, and protections.
Manage ongoing supplier performance through governance routines, scorecards, and continuous improvement actions.
Serve as a strategic procurement partner to internal stakeholders, translating business needs into effective sourcing and supplier solutions.
Advise senior leaders on market trends, commercial strategies, and sourcing trade-offs.
Drive alignment across cross-functional teams to ensure timely execution and business impact.
Lead, coach, and develop procurement professionals when applicable, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment.
Contribute to capability development through mentoring, best-practice sharing, and process improvement initiatives.
Act as a role model for ethical behavior, compliance, and disciplined execution.
Ensure adherence to procurement policies, approval frameworks, and corporate standards.
Utilize procurement systems and analytics tools to drive insight, transparency, and execution rigor.
Support continuous improvement of sourcing, contracting, and supplier management processes.