Sourcing Specialist II

Caterpillar•San Diego, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do - but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here - we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. Role Definition Support strategic supply related activities for a facility to deliver excellence and integration between procurement and the team supporting facility. Responsibilities • Identifying, defining, and implementing integrated supply chain solutions and performance improvements, including building internal and external alliances to explore opportunities. • Establishing and governing effective linkages, partnerships, and best practices with business partners and internal functions. Responsible for soundness of business proposals and risk assessment. • Investigating and recommending industry benchmarks, metrics and best practices to develop optimal supply chains for suppliers and/or product sets. • Developing and analyzing data and information to identify and prioritize opportunities for improving performance and creating more cost-effective supply chains, inventory utilization, and business partnerships. Skill Descriptors Planning : Tactical, Strategic: Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan. Level Working Knowledge: • Contributes to short-term operational plans. • Anticipates and adapts to plan changes. • Monitors progress of work against plan as required to meet objectives. • Reports variances and makes agreed-upon corrections. • Under guidance, develops tactical plan for own direct responsibility. Decision Making and Critical Thinking : Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment. Level: Basic Understanding • Explains characteristics and steps in an effective decision-making process. • Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made. • Names decision makers in own environment and cites examples of past decisions. • Describes types of decisions incumbent may and may not make in own job or function. Negotiating : Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner. Level: Working Knowledge • Works to achieve win-win in negotiations, rather than taking a win-lose approach. • Focuses on issues rather than personalities. • Uses active listening and probing techniques to surface problems, issues, and interests. • Demonstrates a willingness to examine own position. • Presents own position and listens attentively to position of others. Leadership : Knowledge of leadership practices and processes; ability to use strategies and skills to enlist others in setting, embracing, and achieving objectives while having a long-term perspective of the future state of things and how to get there. Level: Working Knowledge • Utilizes an appropriate style of leadership: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire/free rein, etc. • Utilizes positive reinforcement to motivate & attain desired behaviors; increases productivity. • Demonstrates leadership qualities: intelligence, dominance, persistence, integrity, confidence. • Employs leadership theories, such as contingency and transactional, and associated techniques. • Manages own behaviors during interactions, such as feedback giving, to shape workplace events. Project Management : Knowledge of effective project management strategies and tactics; ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives. Level: Working Knowledge • Provides input for Gantt or PERT charts or their equivalent to track project progress and status. • Under guidance, plans and estimates simple projects. • Assists in detailed project plans including cost, schedule, and resource requirements. • Obtains information from stakeholders during the planning stage of a project. • Produces standard project status reports. Supplier Management - MFG : Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice. Level: Extensive Experience • Facilitates supplier partnering arrangements that share risk and reward. • Monitors supplier performance; works to resolve discrepancies between performance and agreements. • Develops quality standards and controls for suppliers. • Builds and maintains partnerships with multiple and/or large suppliers. • Evaluates issues and terminates supplier relationships as appropriate; works with legal departments. • Ensures the fulfillment of report and record-keeping requirements. Vendor/Supplier Evaluations & Certification : Knowledge of vendor/supplier evaluations and certification; ability to develop and use, strategies, practices and tools for evaluating, selecting and certifying vendors, suppliers and partners. Level: Extensive Experience • Compares alternative methods and tools for evaluating products/services. • Chooses potential vendors/suppliers for a wide variety of products and/or services. • Analyzes and resolves vendor/supplier quality, support or price problems. • Participates in defining criteria for a preferred vendor/supplier list. • Carries out or oversees multiple selection, evaluation and certification initiatives. • Refines processes for evaluating vendor/supplier capabilities. Supply Chain Management : Knowledge of functions, principles and techniques used in supply chain management; ability to develop and implement strategies, practices and tools for controlling the whole processes. Level: Extensive Experience • Quantifies and evaluates benefits and risks of various supply chain strategies and approaches. • Participates in joint planning, process design/redesign with clients and partners. • Monitors the complete supply chain management process. • Manages supply chain finance activities and measurements of effectiveness. • Consults on supply chain network design projects or processes. • Advises others on capacity issues at various points in the supply chain. Desired Qualifications Bachelor's degree with 7+ years or a Master's degree with 5+ years of experience in Supply Chain. Experience creating Sourcing & Commodity Strategies Preferred Qualifications C astings experience, especially in investment castings Degree in Supply Chain 6-sigma Blackbelt This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job. At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization. It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 7+ years or a Master's degree with 5+ years of experience in Supply Chain.
Experience creating Sourcing & Commodity Strategies

Nice To Haves

Castings experience, especially in investment castings
Degree in Supply Chain
6-sigma Blackbelt

Responsibilities

Identifying, defining, and implementing integrated supply chain solutions and performance improvements, including building internal and external alliances to explore opportunities.
Establishing and governing effective linkages, partnerships, and best practices with business partners and internal functions. Responsible for soundness of business proposals and risk assessment.
Investigating and recommending industry benchmarks, metrics and best practices to develop optimal supply chains for suppliers and/or product sets.
Developing and analyzing data and information to identify and prioritize opportunities for improving performance and creating more cost-effective supply chains, inventory utilization, and business partnerships.