Sr Strategic Sourcing Manager

Solstice Advanced Materials•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager is responsible for leading the development and execution of sourcing strategies for critical raw materials, intermediates, packaging, and services required for specialty chemical manufacturing. This role owns category strategies, supplier relationships, and contract management to ensure supply continuity, cost competitiveness, risk mitigation, and compliance with quality, regulatory, ESG, and safety requirements. The Senior Manager partners closely with Operations, R&D, Quality, EHS, Legal, and Finance and may lead or mentor sourcing team members.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
7–12 years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing or procurement, preferably within specialty chemicals, materials, or regulated manufacturing.
Demonstrated success in category strategy development, contract negotiation, and supplier management.
Strong financial, analytical, and commercial acumen.
Experience managing supply risk in complex, global supply markets.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience sourcing specialty chemicals, custom/intermediate materials, or toll manufacturing services.
Familiarity with chemical industry quality, regulatory, and EHS requirements.
Experience leading or mentoring procurement professionals.
Professional certifications such as CPSM, CSCP, or CIPS.
Experience with ERP and e-sourcing tools (e.g., SAP, Ariba, Coupa).

Responsibilities

Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned with business objectives, demand forecasts, and market dynamics.
Analyze global supply markets, cost structures, and risk profiles to inform sourcing decisions.
Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements through negotiation, supplier collaboration, value engineering, and demand optimization.
Lead make/buy assessments and sourcing decisions supporting new product development, scale-up, and process changes.
Identify, qualify, and segment suppliers to support supply assurance, innovation, and sustainability objectives.
Lead RFx processes, commercial negotiations, and supplier selection decisions for strategically important categories.
Negotiate and manage contracts, including pricing mechanisms, service levels, allocation terms, and risk-sharing provisions.
Establish and review supplier performance metrics covering cost, quality, delivery, innovation, and EHS compliance.
Drive supplier development and continuous improvement initiatives.
Proactively assess and mitigate supply risks, including capacity constraints, regulatory exposure, geopolitical risk, and single-source dependencies.
Develop and maintain contingency plans, dual-sourcing strategies, and inventory risk mitigation approaches.
Lead sourcing response efforts during supply disruptions and business continuity events.
Serve as a trusted business partner to Operations, Planning, R&D, Quality, EHS, Finance, and Legal.
Provide governance and guidance to Buyers and Strategic Sourcing Specialists on execution against sourcing strategies.
Support organizational change initiatives related to procurement processes, systems, or policies.
Communicate sourcing strategies, risks, and performance to senior stakeholders.
Ensure sourcing activities comply with internal procurement policies, ethical sourcing standards, and applicable regulatory requirements (e.g., REACH, TSCA).
Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance sourcing effectiveness, data quality, and digital procurement adoption.
Support ESG, sustainability, and responsible sourcing initiatives across assigned categories.