Sourcing specialist

Applied Materials•Santa Clara, CA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

As a Category Specialist within the Global Sourcing and Procurement team, you will support sourcing initiatives, contract and supplier management with primary accountability for cost control, technical cost validation, and supplier performance governance across Tool Installation. This role requires regular on-site engagement with stakeholders to understand business needs and priorities. You will apply your expertise to solve complex sourcing challenges and drive measurable value across execution-heavy Tool Installation delivery in Santa Clara, particularly in rate discipline, change order governance, and supplier performance stability. The environment spans continuous RFx cycles, cost and technical validation of change orders, supplier bench health checks, and ongoing re-contracting across a large, capacity-constrained supplier ecosystem.

Requirements

Depth in strategic sourcing for construction and technical services with strong competency in pricing governance and supplier performance management.
Strong understanding of execution realities in highly technical R&D environments with overlapping programs.
Ability to solve first-generation problems without established precedent.
Skill in contract negotiation support and risk mitigation aligned with Finance and Legal governance.
Strong analytical capability across rate structures, benchmarking, and change order substantiation.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills supporting in-person collaboration.
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
Seven or more years of experience in sourcing, procurement, category management, cost or pricing governance, and supplier performance management, preferably in construction or technical services.
Specialization: Tool Installation – cost control and value capture; rate benchmarking, change order validation, supplier performance management; program and process enhancements

Responsibilities

Support execution of Tool Installation strategies with emphasis on cost control, value capture, and supplier performance outcomes.
Maintain strong onsite stakeholder engagement across Engineering, Facilities, Finance, Legal, and BU partners.
Execute rate card benchmarking and pricing analytics to support negotiations and pricing reasonableness.
Lead technical and cost validation of change orders including scope alignment, pricing substantiation, and approval documentation.
Manage supplier performance through scorecards, corrective actions, and continuous improvement across a large supplier base.
Deliver program and process enhancements including standard scopes, unit-price frameworks, and governance controls.
Monitor market trends and cost drivers; translate insights into sourcing and governance actions.
Ensure compliance with company policies, safety standards, confidentiality requirements, and audit-ready documentation.
Document procurement activities and support training and enablement for repeatable execution models.
Maintain working proficiency in RFx leadership and sourcing execution to provide coverage across workstreams.