Strategic Sourcing Lead

Skills required and responsibilities:

• Supporting category managers with category strategy plans, sourcing execution, supporting category planning and strategic sourcing tasks
• Leveraging the GEP network of Category Experts and tools, to deliver insights to any project / client.
• Establishing negotiation strategies, identifying and developing negotiation levers, validating them with stakeholders and leading negotiations to ensure savings, timely supply and other benefits for purchases, business analytics, savings reporting and tracking, stakeholder interaction as part of the S2C program
• Discussing with vendors and evaluating their products and capabilities as suppliers;
• Managing all supplier selection and procurement activities (e.g. RFI, RFP, RFQ, Scorecard and Bid Analysis)
• Providing support with respect to Supplier Management/ Procurement processes and policies.
• Demonstrating continuous effort to improve operations, manage SOP's, decrease turnaround times and streamline work processes.
• Identifying and communicating with a diverse range of stakeholders, such as suppliers, project sponsors, end-users and other supporting functions such as HR, Legal and Finance.
• Recruitment & mentorship of junior colleagues.
• Participation in firm building activities.
• If managing direct materials - Execution of operational activities including Long term capacity planning, escalations in operational service & quality issues, material resilience management, price forecasting and business partnering.
• Accurate master data management to the required quality standards.
• Developing and executing Collaborative Manufacturing (CM) sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives, supply chain requirements, and category strategies.
• Driving CM strategy alignment with our stakeholders, ensuring sourcing decisions support business growth, resilience, cost competitiveness, quality, and sustainability objectives.
• Managing end-to-end collaborative manufacturing sourcing activities, including supplier identification, qualification, commercial evaluation, negotiation, contracting, and ongoing supplier governance.
• Supporting the rollout and implementation of client innovation, renovation, and new product development projects through effective engagement and coordination with CM partners.
• Leading CM contract management activities, including contract negotiations, renewals, amendments, performance obligations, pricing mechanisms, and commercial risk management.
• Supporting new supplier onboarding processes, ensuring compliance with procurement, quality, legal, regulatory, and operational requirements.
• Driving CM performance management through the establishment and monitoring of KPIs, scorecards, supplier reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Working closely with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, Finance, and Procurement teams to ensure delivery of business objectives and successful execution of collaborative manufacturing programs.
• Identifying and mitigating supply, capacity, operational, and commercial risks associated with collaborative manufacturing partners while developing appropriate resilience and contingency plans.
• Supporting network optimization, localization, and capacity expansion initiatives to enhance service levels, operational efficiency, and value delivery.
• Leading commercial negotiations with CM partners to deliver productivity, savings, service improvements, risk mitigation, and long-term strategic partnerships.
• Ensuring compliance with contractual, quality, safety, regulatory, and sustainability requirements across the collaborative manufacturing portfolio.
• Supporting business reviews and governance forums with CM suppliers, driving accountability, performance improvement, and strategic partnership development.

Sourcing Lead with ownership of Collaborative Manufacturing strategy, contract management, supplier onboarding, innovation delivery, and supplier performance management while maintaining the broader Knowledge Services sourcing responsibilities.