Commodity Manager - Electronics

The Commodity Manager for Electronics and Contract Manufacturing is a senior strategic sourcing professional responsible for owning the global sourcing strategy, supplier development, and category management for CLIENT ISS's electronics commodity portfolio—including PCBAs (printed circuit board assemblies), electronic components (active and passive), cable assemblies, power supplies, sensors, and contract electronics manufacturing (CEM) services. This individual manages complex, technically sophisticated supply chains that are foundational to the performance and delivery of CLIENT's RGA semi-sensor products, mass spectrometers, gas chromatography systems, and thin film measurement instruments. The role demands an individual who can engage at a deep technical level with Engineering and Quality teams on component qualification and supplier capability, while simultaneously executing best-in-class commercial sourcing practices—competitive bidding, TCO-based contract negotiation, and proactive supply risk mitigation. Experience in semiconductor equipment, analytical instrumentation, medical device electronics, or industrial electronics manufacturing is strongly preferred.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Category Strategy & Commodity Management

• Own the global commodity strategy for electronics and contract manufacturing categories—developing and executing a multi-year sourcing roadmap that addresses technology direction, supplier landscape evolution, supply risk mitigation, cost competitiveness, and quality standards.
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of the electronics component market: pricing trends for active components (ICs, microprocessors, FPGAs, ASICs, memory), passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors), connectors, sensors, and specialty electronic modules—including supply/demand dynamics, allocation conditions, and long-lead risk periods.
• Develop and manage the CEM (Contract Electronics Manufacturing) supplier strategy—evaluating make vs. buy decisions, qualifying contract manufacturers, establishing work packages, and managing supplier transitions with full quality validation.
• Build and maintain category-level should-cost models for key electronics assemblies and sourced components, using cost breakdowns to inform negotiation positions, validate supplier pricing, and identify cost reduction opportunities.
• Drive annual cost reduction targets for assigned commodity categories through competitive sourcing events, design-to-cost collaboration with Engineering, bill of materials (BOM) cost reduction initiatives, and supplier-initiated productivity improvements.

Supplier Selection, Qualification & Development

• Lead supplier identification, RFI/RFQ processes, technical and commercial evaluation, and supplier qualification for new electronics and CEM sources—coordinating with Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing to complete PPAP, first article inspection (FAI), and production qualification protocols.
• Manage a portfolio of strategic electronics and CEM suppliers through structured QBR (quarterly business review) programs, tracking OTIF, DPPM, corrective action closure, lead time performance, and commercial commitments—holding suppliers accountable to performance commitments.
• Develop dual-source or multi-source strategies for sole-sourced or single-sourced critical electronics components and assemblies—engaging Engineering for approved vendor list (AVL) expansion and coordinating qualification timelines with program milestones.
• Proactively manage supply continuity risk for long-lead, allocation-prone, and end-of-life (EOL) electronics components—establishing last-time-buy (LTB) plans, approved alternate sourcing, and strategic buffer inventory in coordination with Planning.
• Partner with CLIENT's global procurement teams in Germany and Liechtenstein to align electronics commodity strategies, leverage global volume in negotiations, and develop cross-site preferred supplier programs for common electronics categories.

Contract Negotiation & Commercial Management

• Negotiate and execute supply agreements, long-term agreements (LTAs), pricing schedules, blanket purchase orders, and consignment agreements with electronics and CEM suppliers, securing competitive pricing, favorable payment terms, capacity commitments, and quality provisions.
• Manage supplier contract renewals, price renegotiations, and commercial dispute resolution with a structured, data-driven approach—using market benchmarking, volume leverage, and TCO analysis to achieve favorable outcomes.
• Administer and monitor commercial compliance against executed supply agreements, tracking supplier adherence to price schedules, delivery commitments, minimum order quantities, and quality metrics.

Technical & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the procurement subject matter expert for electronics in New Product Introduction (NPI) programs—engaging at the design stage to ensure component selections are commercially sourceable, support multi-source qualification, meet lead time requirements, and align to commodity strategy.
• Partner with Quality Engineering on supplier audits, corrective action management (8D, SCAR), process capability assessments, and qualification activities for electronics suppliers and CEM partners.
• Collaborate with Engineering on component standardization initiatives, engineering change order (ECO) supply chain impact assessments, and obsolescence mitigation—driving AVL expansion and design-level cost reduction opportunities.

SAP & Systems Management

• Maintain SAP MM procurement master data for electronics commodities: info records, source lists, outline agreements, vendor master data, and purchasing conditions—ensuring accuracy and completeness of procurement data to support operational buyers.
• Generate and analyze procurement reporting from SAP: spend by supplier and commodity, PPV tracking, open order analysis, GR/IR reconciliation, and supplier delivery performance—using data to support strategic decisions and QBR preparation.

REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Bachelor's degree required in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related technical field. Engineering background strongly preferred given the technical depth required to engage with electronic component specifications and CEM process requirements.
• MBA or Master's in Supply Chain preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 6-10 years of commodity management, strategic sourcing, or category management experience with a primary focus on electronics components, PCBAs, or contract electronics manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience managing electronics supply chains in environments with complex, multi-layer BOMs, long-lead active components, and significant allocation risk exposure.
• Industry experience in semiconductor equipment, precision instruments, analytical technology, medical device electronics, defense electronics, or industrial automation strongly preferred.

Technical & Functional Skills

• Electronics Component Knowledge (Required): Deep technical understanding of electronic components—active devices (ICs, microcontrollers, FPGAs, memory, sensors, op-amps), passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers), connectors, cables, and PCBAs. Ability to read component datasheets, interpret approved vendor lists (AVLs), and assess alternate component qualification requirements.
• Contract Electronics Manufacturing: Experience managing CEM/EMS suppliers, including understanding of CEM pricing models (NRE, unit cost, tooling), process capabilities (SMT, PTH, PCBA testing), quality systems (IPC-A-610, IPC-J-STD-001), and production qualification requirements.
• SAP MM (Required): Proficient hands-on experience in SAP MM procurement transactions—RFQ management, PO creation and maintenance, info records, and vendor evaluation.
• Should-Cost Modeling: Ability to build component and assembly cost models from first principles—understanding material cost drivers, process step costing, overhead allocation, and margin structures for electronics and CEM supply chains.