Responsibilities

This is a full-time position based in Kingsport and will report to Sourcing Manager, Corporate Services and IT. The Sourcing conducts category management activities of spend, with the goal of achieving significant initial cost reductions, while maintaining/framework to categories, identifies efficiency and cost reduction opportunities, and facilitates resolution of conflicts with supplier member organizations and in corporate functions to execute effective cost reduction strategies and implementation plans

Job Responsibilities:

Build Information Technology category strategies by leading a cross-functional, category team Create the situation assessment for the category including internal and external assessments, analysis of the business requirements, value chain and capability assessments (SWOT, 5 Forces, SCP, cost curves, etc) Lead option generation that includes commercial, specification and demand levers and choices of what we will do and what we will not do Prioritize the IT category strategy development to align with business, technology and manufacturing requirements Conduct IT category management activities Lead initiatives that deliver the value (cost savings or value to functional area) utilizing project management skills and change management techniques Track the performance of spend to understand price and volume variances; make adjustments to approaches based on results. Develop and lead supplier relationship teams, where applicable, to drive continuous performance improvement (annual target development, quarterly progress, etc. Develop year on year forecast of price impacts for category Develop supplier engagement plans annually for major suppliers. Conduct supplier development activities to identify additional potential suppliers. Lead sourcing events for the IT category Lead and conduct RFI’s and RFP’s utilizing an RFx tool as the preferred method of engagement. Negotiate contracts and amendments as necessary to deliver the category strategy and deliver initial and ongoing cost advantage. Ensure pricing is managed per the contract and approve all price increase requests by suppliers Qualifications

Required Education and Professional experience:
• Bachelors Degree required (business, engineering, science, or supply chain). Masters Degree strongly preferred.
• A minimum of 2 years commercial experience is required.
• Previous exposure to purchasing, sourcing or commercial experience such as contract negotiations, market assessments, strategy frameworks (e.g. Porter analysis, SWOT analysis, etc) is strongly preferred.
• Five years project and/or program management background.

 

Required Skills and Capabilities:
• Experience with Information Technology ERP Software (SAP) or Systems specification, capability, and normal commercial offer terms for large enterprises (>1000 users).
• Experience with problem solving in a structured manner using data and problem-solving frameworks such as Kepner-Tregoe or McKinsey 4-step.
• Demonstrated Capability to learn new techniques and quickly applying them (action orientation).
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in challenging situations and build consensus.
• Strong communication ability to convey information to individuals and groups in a variety of situations.