Sourcing Manager

Kimball Electronics•Jasper, IN

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is a critical partner to customers and internal stakeholders, responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies that enable on-time delivery, quality performance, and cost/risk optimization. The Sourcing Manager leads supplier identification, qualification, and commercial negotiations, while providing supplier execution support to ensure supplier readiness and alignment to customer and regulatory requirements. The position requires the ability to work effectively across locations—including manufacturing operations in Thailand and customers in the USA—with flexibility for remote and on-premise support as needed. Opportunities exist for domestic and international travel to collaborate with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities. Success in this role is defined by measurable improvements in supplier performance, cost outcomes, risk management and stakeholder satisfaction in support of Kimball Electronics’ Vision and Guiding Principles and KEI business plans.

Requirements

Experience deploying supply chain processes and improvements
Leading supplier contract negotiations
Strong grasp of data, cost modeling, and supplier evaluation tools
Understanding of manufacturing processes and operations value streams
Project scheduling, prioritization and organization skills to manage tasks across multiple locations (suppliers, plants, and customer sites)
Communication skills to provide clear direction, accurate handoffs, and consistent standards to a diverse, multilingual group with varying English proficiency
Coaching and mentoring supply chain professionals to build organizational capability
Flexibility to support Thailand manufacturing facility hours and USA customer needs; remote and on-premise attendance as necessary.
Domestic and international travel as needed to work with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities.
Technical Material sourcing and qualification, electro-mechanical and/or plastics molding experience preferred
Requirements planning
Performance management
Contracting and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Working knowledge of quality systems within medical device manufacturing or similarly regulated industries
Team-oriented; strong drive for success; customer-centric; integrity; relationship building; positive attitude
Executive presence; proactive leadership style; strong decision making; adaptability and change management; visionary skills
Strong verbal/written communication; ability to communicate at all levels; strong listening and presentation skills; ability to provide candid feedback respectfully
Sound financial competence; prioritization; deadline execution; ability to manage multiple tasks; results focused

Responsibilities

Build strong working relationships and operating cadence with the current supply base, customer contacts and internal partners (Engineering, Quality, Operations, Program Management, Global Supply Chain, Legal, Finance).
Assess and baseline current supplier landscape, risks (single-source, allocation, obsolescence, geopolitical), and performance (OTD, quality/DPPM, responsiveness, lead time).
Execute priority sourcing project actions (identify/shortlist suppliers, initiate qualification plans, and align supplier deliverables to near-term project milestones).
Implement supplier performance governance (regular reviews, variance analysis, corrective action ownership and closure).
Stabilize supply continuity by defining escalation paths, mitigation/recovery plans, and clear handoffs across sites and functions.
Lead initial commercial negotiations (pricing, lead times, key terms) and support contracting activities in partnership with Legal/Finance.
Develop and deploy longer-term category/sourcing strategies that improve total cost of ownership (TCO) while balancing quality, capacity, and risk.
Enhance the supplier selection/qualification process (capability, capacity, quality system maturity, regulatory requirements) in partnership with Supplier Quality.
Advance supplier evaluation and material strategy rigor by applying strong data analysis, cost modeling, and supplier evaluation methods to drive better sourcing and qualification decisions.
Drive sustained improvements in supplier performance (OTD, DPPM, lead time) through structured business reviews and continuous improvement plans.
Advance cost modeling and market intelligence (cost drivers, should-cost, market trends) to identify value opportunities (VA/VE, alternate sourcing, bundling).
Improve cross-functional execution velocity by proactively removing constraints, aligning decision rights, and ensuring supplier readiness for launches and transitions.
Ensure smooth transition from project sourcing to production purchasing and ongoing supply continuity.