Strategic Sourcing Manager

Strategic Sourcing Leader Opportunity in West Michigan

Our client is seeking a seasoned Sourcing Manager to take ownership of sourcing strategy and procurement execution across a complex, high-volume manufacturing environment. This role is ideal for a supply chain professional who thrives in fast-paced, multi-plant settings and is ready to lead change, optimize spend, and forge lasting vendor relationships.

This position requires someone with strong leadership instincts, a data-driven mindset, and the ability to balance long-term strategy with hands-on execution. If you're comfortable building sourcing roadmaps and negotiating complex contracts while driving cross-functional collaboration, this is your opportunity to make a tangible impact.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end strategic sourcing process, including supplier selection, bidding, contract negotiation, and performance monitoring.

Use spend analysis and market intelligence to identify savings opportunities and mitigate risk.

Collaborate closely with engineering, maintenance, and operations teams to align procurement strategies with technical needs

Lead and influence stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with sourcing plans and value creation initiatives.

Conduct ongoing supplier evaluations, develop relationships, and resolve performance issues.

Oversee contract negotiations - pricing, terms, and conditions - to ensure optimal value and risk management.

Monitor market trends, cost drivers, and competitive benchmarks to inform sourcing strategies.

Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes and tools; identify system gaps and lead enhancements.

Serve as a key change agent in advancing procurement maturity from tactical execution to strategic enablement.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the development and execution of strategies through the tactical sourcing process, including the management of bidding processes
• Utilize spend data to identify the greatest opportunities for improvement and establish strategies, sourcing plans, and initiatives to drive incremental value
• Lead the collaboration with stakeholders to propose and execute value creation strategies
• Gather periodic voice of the customer data to incorporate into category plans and contract negotiations
• Ensure timely resolution of supply issues and implement root cause analysis and corrections to avoid future incidents
• Identify, evaluate, and manage supplier relationships
• Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms with vendors
• Conduct market analysis to stay current on industry trends and cost drivers
• Manage risk and develop contingency plans for supply chain disruptions
• Manage end-to-end procurement of material and service categories
• Collaborate with maintenance, engineering, and operations teams to understand technical requirements and forecast demand
• Monitor vendor performance, resolve supply issues, and drive continuous improvement in procurement processes

Background in process improvement and supply chain optimization.

Experience supporting large-scale change management or procurement transformation initiatives.

Strong interpersonal and leadership presence; able to lead through influence and collaboration.

Sharp analytical skills with a practical, solutions-oriented mindset.

Knowledge of direct and indirect sourcing in an industrial or heavy manufacturing environment

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business or engineering required
• Minimum of 8 years Purchasing experience in a large, multi-plant, fast-paced manufacturing environment required
• Experience supporting initiatives and processes targeted at improving operational and supply chain execution, customer service levels, and the optimization of the "total cost of ownership' (TCO)
• Strong knowledge of the strategic sourcing and procurement function and current best practices
• Experience managing buyer(s) and strategic sourcing in a manufacturing company
• Ability to develop negotiation strategies and successfully conduct negotiations for complex agreements
• Comfortable driving change and influencing across departments.
• Demonstrated ability to identify process gaps and build or improve systems.
• Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, etc.), procurement platforms, and data analysis tools (Excel, Power BI).
• Ability to analyze spend and drive decision-making with data.
• Clear track record of advancing from tactical/transactional roles to strategic procurement leadership.
• Strong leadership presence and ownership mentality.
• Comfortable driving change and influencing across departments.

Titles Encouraged to Apply:

Strategic Sourcing Manager

Procurement Manager

Category Manager

Manufacturing Supply Chain Manager

Senior Buyer

Industrial Sourcing Lead Vendor

Relationship Manager