Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing

CesiumAstro•Austin, TX

About The Position

CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing to lead the strategic sourcing function across development and production programs. The role is responsible for category and commodity strategies, supplier selection, commercial negotiations, and long-term supply agreements. It establishes sourcing priorities, manages resources, develops sourcing professionals, and oversees complex sourcing activities that support cost competitiveness, supplier capacity, supply continuity, and business objectives. The Senior Manager evaluates enterprise demand, supplier capabilities, market conditions, and sourcing risks to develop strategies that strengthen operational performance. This experienced supply chain leader partners with Planning, Procurement, Subcontracts, Supplier Management, Engineering, Program Management, Finance, Supplier Quality, and executive leadership to address sourcing challenges, strengthen supplier relationships, and align strategies with program commitments and organizational priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business administration, engineering, finance, operations management, or a related field with 9–11 years of related experience; master's degree in a related field with 7–9 years; or PhD in a related field with 5–7 years. Related experience should be in strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, commodity management, supplier management, or a related supply chain discipline.
2–5 years of leadership or management experience leading strategic sourcing, procurement, category management, or related supply chain professionals.
Advanced knowledge of strategic sourcing, category management, and procurement, with deep expertise in commodity strategies, supplier negotiations, and commercial sourcing practices.
Comprehensive understanding of supplier economics, cost drivers, market analysis, total cost of ownership, capacity planning, and commercial sourcing requirements.
Applied expertise in competitive sourcing, supplier evaluations, complex negotiations, long-term agreements, and source-selection methodologies.
Extensive experience developing sourcing strategies, evaluating supplier capabilities, and addressing complex supply chain risks across multiple commodities and business functions.
Proficiency in make/buy analysis, dual-source strategies, supplier capacity management, international sourcing, and supply continuity practices.
Sound judgment in evaluating sourcing alternatives, supplier risks, commercial terms, capacity constraints, resource requirements, and competing organizational priorities.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Experience with ERP and MRP applications such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Acumatica, or equivalent platforms.
Experience with strategic sourcing, spend analytics, supplier management, and procurement applications such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, JAGGAER, or equivalent platforms.
Experience with program and project management applications such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent platforms.
Experience with supply chain reporting, business intelligence, and data analysis applications such as Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent platforms.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, or refugee (protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Responsibilities

Lead strategic sourcing teams responsible for category management, commodity strategies, supplier evaluations, and commercial sourcing activities across business areas.
Establish functional priorities, operating plans, resource requirements, and performance expectations.
Develop sourcing professionals through workforce planning, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and professional development.
Develop sourcing strategies for critical commodities, technologies, and supplier categories based on enterprise demand, spend, market conditions, supplier capacity, and business requirements.
Direct competitive sourcing activities, including RFQs/RFPs, supplier evaluations, source-selection recommendations, commercial negotiations, and long-term agreements.
Guide make/buy analyses and sourcing decisions considering internal capabilities, supplier economics, cost, schedule, quality, capital investment, intellectual property, and scalability.
Evaluate supplier capabilities, production capacity, quality performance, market conditions, and supply risks to determine sourcing priorities and mitigation approaches.
Establish long-term sourcing arrangements, volume pricing, capacity reservations, and supply agreements that support demand forecasts, material availability, and business growth.
Develop dual-source, second-source, localization, and alternative sourcing strategies to mitigate supply disruptions and reduce dependence on constrained or high-risk suppliers.
Establish sourcing governance practices, category management standards, performance metrics, and reporting processes.
Partner with Procurement, Subcontracts, Supplier Management, Supplier Quality, and other functions to align sourcing strategies with supplier performance, purchase agreements, and operational requirements.
Advance sourcing capabilities through process standardization, spend analysis, system enhancements, supplier market intelligence, and continuous improvement initiatives.