Raw Material Sourcing Manager

Location: Ellabell

Job Description

Summary:

The Raw Material Sourcing Manager is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and purchasing raw materials used in cosmetics and personal care manufacturing. This role focuses on securing high-quality cosmetic ingredients, active and functional chemicals, specialty chemicals, fragrances, surfactants, oils, extracts, polymers, preservatives, and other formulation-related materials. The position also supports purchasing of packaging components and secondary materials when business needs require.

Depending on organizational structure, this position may operate as a manager-level role or as an assistant manager reporting to a Raw Material Sourcing Manager, Procurement Manager, or Supply Chain Manager. The role partners closely with R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Production, Planning, and Supply Chain teams to ensure cost competitiveness, supplier reliability, technical suitability, regulatory compliance, and supply continuity.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities
· Lead end-to-end sourcing and purchasing activities for cosmetic and personal care raw materials used in manufacturing.
· Identify, qualify, and manage suppliers for active ingredients, functional chemicals, specialty chemicals, surfactants, emollients, oils, extracts, preservatives, fragrances, and other formulation materials.
· Evaluate supplier capability, pricing, quality, lead time, regulatory documentation, technical fit, and long-term supply stability.
· Negotiate pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities, lead times, supply agreements, and service levels.
· Partner with R&D and Product Development teams to source new ingredients for innovation projects, reformulations, cost savings, and customer requests.
· Coordinate with Quality and Regulatory teams to obtain required documentation such as COA, SDS, allergen statements, composition data, country of origin, compliance declarations, and supplier questionnaires.
· Support alternative sourcing and dual-sourcing strategies to reduce supply risk and improve cost competitiveness.
· Monitor raw material market trends, supplier capacity, pricing movements, and potential supply disruptions.
· Manage purchase orders, delivery schedules, supplier follow-up, and issue resolution for assigned raw material categories.
· Support purchasing of packaging components, secondary materials, and other indirect production-related materials as needed.
· Prepare spend analysis, sourcing reports, supplier performance reviews, and cost-saving updates for management.

Required Qualifications
· Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
· 5+ years of experience in raw material sourcing, chemical procurement, ingredient sourcing, or strategic purchasing, preferably in cosmetics, personal care, chemical, pharmaceutical, or consumer goods manufacturing.
· Experience sourcing cosmetic ingredients, active and functional chemicals, specialty chemicals, fragrances, surfactants, oils, extracts, or other formulation-related materials.
· Knowledge of supplier qualification, technical documentation, regulatory requirements, and procurement systems such as Workday, SAP, Oracle, or similar ERP platforms.
· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
· Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and procurement reporting tools.

Preferred Qualifications
· Professional certification such as CPSM, CIPS, CPM, or equivalent.
· Experience working directly with ingredient manufacturers, distributors, fragrance houses, specialty chemical suppliers, and packaging suppliers.
· Knowledge of import/export, logistics, MOQ management, lead-time planning, and global raw material supply risk.

Competencies
· Raw Material Sourcing Strategy
· Cosmetic Ingredient Knowledge
· Specialty Chemical Category Management
· Supplier Relationship Management
· Negotiation and Cost Optimization
· Technical Documentation Review
· Supply Risk Management
· Cross-Functional Collaboration with R&D, Quality, Regulatory, and Production
· Data Analysis and Spend Management
· Attention to Detail Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
· Raw material cost savings achieved
·…