Senior Sourcing Project Manager

Tennant Company•Eden Prairie, MN

About The Position

With more than $1B in revenue, Tennant Company is a globally recognized leader in the cleaning equipment industry. For the past 150 years, we have been passionate about developing and manufacturing innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers. At Tennant Company, we are committed to stewardship and creating a cleaner, safer and healthier world. With manufacturing, operations and sales, service, and support functions across the globe, your journey at Tennant can take you places you never expected. Tennant Company is seeking an execution-focused Senior Sourcing Project Manager to manage the sourcing and supplier management execution for unique robotics components within our robotics portfolio. This role operates as a dedicated resource to ensure prioritization and focus on this dynamic, highly technical supply landscape. The Senior Sourcing Project Manager is accountable for driving strategic sourcing actions, readiness, and delivery of key components that enable our next-generation robotics systems. This role sits at the intersection of engineering design, supplier engagement, and manufacturing readiness, ensuring that materials, timelines, and technical specifications align through every phase of product development and launch. Key aspects of this role will be creating and maintaining Robotics category sourcing strategies in line with market trends and unique needs of the venture, while maintaining supplier relationship and ensuring supplier performance excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related technical field is required.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in strategic sourcing or procurement, with demonstrated success managing complex, high-technology components (e.g., electronics, electro-mechanical systems).
Strong technical knowledge and ability to interface directly with R&D on component specifications and design alternatives.
Strong project management and organizational skills.
Proven capability to drive results and make sound decisions under pressure.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Strong capability to build partnerships and work collaboratively on cross-functional teams (R&D, Systems, Production).
Ability to travel up to 25%

Nice To Haves

PMP certification.
Experience on complex electro-mechanical or sensor technology is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing Execution: Manage the sourcing lifecycle for unique robotics components. While keeping in mind current and future market conditions and organizational needs, lead supplier qualification, selection, and ongoing performance management. Leverage proven negotiation skills, understanding of complex commercial terms, and legal frameworks to achieve favorable results for the organization and lead team members as necessary through complex negotiations. Draft, negotiate, and deliver multifaceted long-term agreements with suppliers with minimal guidance.
Supplier Relationship Management: Drive accountability and ensure the continuous improvement of the unique robotics components supply base through supplier development activities including regular business reviews. Anticipate and mitigate risk, specifically global supply-related risks, IP related risks and brand reputation related risks, and exercise appropriate judgement when determining the need for internal escalation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the primary dedicated supply chain point of contact for the R&D Robotics team, actively engaging in problem solving and root cause identification related to supplier performance. Liaise with Core Global Supply Chain to represent robotic program needs for all core and common components.
Material Planning & Launch Support: Align material planning needs with build schedules for engineering prototypes, pilot runs, and early production. Drive readiness for build events—ensuring that BOM accuracy, part availability, and supplier delivery commitments are met for robotics category of parts.
Project Reporting & Cross-Functional Communication: Own supply chain project schedules, dashboards, and readiness reports for component-level status. Communicate risks, issues, and mitigation plans to Supply Chain leadership and Program Management. Coordinate with Program Management and Sourcing to track cost targets and support budgeting for robotics platforms.
Process Improvement: Recommend, develop, and implement new processes and refine existing processes across our organization to achieve Robotics Venture objectives and new ways of working.