Senior Sourcing Manager

Rust-Oleum•Vernon Hills, IL

14h

About The Position

The Senior Sourcing Manager at Rust-Oleum provides strategic and operational leadership within a sourcing category, leading a small team and aligning category activity with organizational goals. The role translates business strategy into actionable plans and combines people leadership with day-to-day operational management. It leads a team of 2–3 sourcing professionals or analysts and covers a category with approximately $160 million in spend. The manager leads sourcing projects, supplier relationships, cost-reduction and margin-enhancement efforts, supply-risk mitigation, and supplier capability development. The position partners with internal stakeholders—including Packaging Engineering, Sales, Marketing, R&D, plants, Finance, Legal, EHS, and RPM Center Led Procurement—as well as external suppliers. It also supports product and project cycles, plant supply needs, contract lifecycle management, procurement reporting, regulatory compliance, and accurate maintenance of procurement Source-to-Pay parameters in the ERP system.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 7 years of procurement experience.
Demonstrated experience in a related field, industry, or functional area.
Proven ability to perform the position’s essential duties and responsibilities.
Knowledge of industry practices, processes, and applicable regulations relevant to the role.
Working knowledge of systems, tools, and technologies needed to perform the job.
Understanding of company policies, procedures, and compliance requirements.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Effective problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
Ability to prioritize work, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
Strong organizational and attention-to-detail skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other job-related software applications.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, build positive working relationships, adapt to changing priorities, maintain confidentiality, and exercise sound judgment.
Demonstrated integrity, accountability, customer focus, collaboration, results orientation, adaptability, continuous-improvement orientation, respect and inclusion, leadership, and strategic thinking.

Nice To Haves

Relevant certifications or professional credentials, where applicable.
Prior experience in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
CPMG background.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage day-to-day operations strategy, planning, and execution.
Set team priorities, allocate resources, monitor performance, and ensure goals and objectives are achieved.
Coach, mentor, and develop team members; support employee relations, engagement, performance management, hiring, onboarding, training, and retention.
Analyze data and performance trends, identify improvement opportunities, and implement process improvements.
Collaborate with cross-functional partners to achieve business objectives and support organizational and change initiatives.
Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and applicable regulations.
Manage departmental projects and initiatives and prepare reports, metrics, and presentations for leadership.
Lead sourcing projects within the category and coordinate with Packaging Engineering on component specification management.
Lead cost-reduction efforts and identify margin-enhancement opportunities.
Conduct RFQs/RFPs, evaluate supplier quotations, develop negotiation strategies, and conduct or assist with supplier negotiations.
Collaborate with RPM Center Led Procurement to align overall sourcing and negotiation strategies and their execution.
Support revenue growth, develop supplier capabilities, secure supply, and mitigate supply risks.
Partner with Sales and Marketing to understand and support commercial needs, and build supplier relationships suited to business needs.
Drive supplier performance and reliability; manage supplier pricing, rebates, and contracts; and develop and implement supplier strategies based on business needs and market conditions.
Facilitate escalations when supplier performance affects service levels to customers.
Work with Marketing, R&D, plants, and project teams to support sourcing needs for projects in the pipeline.
Support plant supply needs to minimize operational disruption.
Prepare regular management reports, including E6, PPV, weekly updates, and the critical materials log.
Work with Legal and CLP on contract lifecycle management.
Coordinate with Finance, Legal, EHS, and other departments to resolve issues involving product costs, supplier payment terms, product safety, labeling, and regulatory requirements.
Maintain assigned procurement ERP Source-to-Pay parameters accurately and promptly, including vendor master, Source List, and PIR.
Conduct performance reviews and development discussions, establish expectations, hold employees accountable, and promote teamwork, communication, and engagement.