Strategic Sourcing Analyst

Position Overview

This highly specialized individual contributor role is responsible for supporting sourcing and procurement activities through advanced data analysis, supplier performance evaluation, cost modeling, and negotiation support. The position requires deep expertise in sourcing analytics and the ability to develop data-driven insights that support supplier negotiations, cost reduction initiatives, and supplier performance improvements.

This role serves as a professional and technical subject matter expert, providing analytical guidance and direction within a specialized discipline. Success in this position requires strong analytical capabilities, sound evaluative judgment, and the ability to filter, prioritize, analyze, and validate complex and dynamic information.

Key Responsibilities

• Negotiate favorable terms, volume discounts, and long-term contracts with suppliers.
• Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for the procurement of technical equipment, custom-engineered products, systems, software, and components.
• Maintain an understanding of technology trends, market forces, cost trends, and supplier technology roadmaps.
• Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
• Discuss defects and delivery issues with suppliers and negotiate refunds when appropriate.
  
  

Cost Reduction & Supplier Performance Analysis

• Lead data analysis initiatives focused on cost reduction and supplier performance improvements.
• Analyze supplier performance details and trends.
• Analyze internal and external cost data to identify opportunities and build data-driven business cases to support cost negotiations.
• Create cost models for supplier pricing structures.
• Develop models detailing the impact of variables on cost and profit, including volume and spend growth, and material price fluctuations.
• Utilize AI in modeling and analysis.
• Issue RFQs, facilitate and lead auctions, and generate should-cost requests.
• Analyze RFQ, auction, and should-cost results and provide summaries and recommendations to sourcing managers.
• Develop negotiation fact sets and presentations to support supplier negotiations.
  
  

Product Support

• Support sourcing activities across approximately 70% current products and 30% new product introduction (NPI) initiatives.
  
  

Requirements

• Position must be located in San Jose, California.
• Intended as a pipeline role for future Sourcing Manager opportunities; candidates should have the ability and interest to progress into sourcing management roles.
• Experience in supplier selection, supplier performance management, cost modeling, and presentation development.
• Strong data analysis skills and the ability to present results effectively.
• Comfortable working with data ambiguity and developing clarity across disparate systems.
• Experience leveraging AI for sourcing analysis and modeling.
• Ability to manage a high volume of concurrent activities, including multiple RFQs, should-cost analyses, and other sourcing projects simultaneously.
• Effective written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to tell a compelling story through data and communicate insights effectively using visual presentations.
  
  

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a specialized sourcing, procurement, or supply chain discipline.
• Advanced college degree or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated expertise within a specialized field.
• Ability to provide technical guidance and direction within area of specialization.
• Strong analytical and evaluative judgment skills, including the ability to assess factual and qualitative information in complex or novel situations.
• Typically requires a degree or equivalent experience and a minimum of six or more years of relevant experience.