Senior Specialist, Supply Chain

Elkay Manufacturing • Milwaukee, WI

9d

About The Position

The Senior Supply Chain Specialist reports to the Category Manager and provides global strategic leadership to identify and qualify suppliers for direct materials related to new product development and other sourcing projects. The role leads cross-functional sourcing activities in collaboration with Engineering, Finance, Quality, Procurement, Manufacturing, the China Sourcing Team, and Customer Service, ensuring tasks are completed within project timelines.

The position plans and implements multiple domestic and international sourcing and re-sourcing projects. It also manages supplier relationships, spend and performance analytics, and cost-savings initiatives. The role evaluates supplier capabilities and risks, develops sourcing recommendations, negotiates supply agreements, and supports the timely availability of components, assemblies, and finished goods.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, operations management, engineering, or finance.
• At least 5 years of experience in a sourcing role, including low-cost-country sourcing experience.
• Experience building Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and creating tools to analyze responses.
• Proven success in a change-management and “stretch” environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong problem-solving, strategic-thinking, oral, written, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to understand company goals, focus resources to meet or exceed them, lead change, and drive projects to completion.
• Expert negotiation skills, including the ability to lead contract negotiations and build strong supplier relationships.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• CPSM certification.
• Experience using data visualization software such as Tableau or Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the highest-level code of conduct and ethics.
• Lead sourcing channels and internal cross-functional teams to execute timelines and adhere to action plans.
• Identify sourcing and re-sourcing opportunities and provide justification using total cost of ownership principles.
• Evaluate supplier capabilities and supply chain risks, including capacity, quality, logistics, tariffs, financial stability, and business continuity, and recommend mitigation actions.
• Source assigned commodities and develop global implementation plans to source new items and re-source existing items to optimize total cost.
• Lead sourcing initiatives to ensure on-time delivery of project components, assemblies, and finished goods by troubleshooting outstanding issues.
• Collaborate on new product development projects to ensure on-time product availability.
• Collaborate with global business units to prepare RFPs and RFQs, and lead supplier screening and selection.
• Evaluate bids, analyze alternatives, develop negotiation strategies, and recommend contract awards.
• Negotiate and draft supply agreements with domestic and international suppliers, including terms covering payment, delivery, price, freight, currency exchange, raw-material commodity fluctuations, and inventory levels.
• Manage relationships between internal and external parties to evaluate and execute recommendations for changes in the supply base.
• Analyze market trends, commodity movements, supplier performance, and spend data to support sourcing recommendations and continuous improvement initiatives.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance.
• Matching 401(k) contribution.
• Health Savings Account.
• Up to 3 weeks of starting vacation, which may increase with tenure.
• 12 paid holidays.
• Annual bonus eligibility.
• Educational reimbursement.
• Matching Gift Program.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior