NPI - Strategic Sourcing Lead

About our environment

• GMI Solutions is a well-established contract manufacturer established in 1983
• Team and family-oriented philosophy throughout
• Plenty of on-site amenities and special events

The NPI - Strategic Sourcing Lead is a pivotal role that involves developing and managing the supply chain for all new and, when needed, existing run‑rate programs with heavy emphasis on strategic supplier selection, supplier contract negotiation, and managing supplier relationships to support successful project launches.

By collaborating closely with our Business Development Managers, Project Management, Launch Engineers, and NPI - Quality, this position will be instrumental in driving the organization's growth through data‑driven supplier assessment for best‑fit partners, coupled with risk management.

Reporting directly to the NPI Manager, you will leverage your supply‑chain expertise and supplier management skills to ensure seamless coordination and execution of quoting activities and new suppliers into the GMI Solutions business model. This role demands a proactive and strategic mindset, solid business acumen, and excellent communication skills to effectively communicate the needs of our end customers to potential new suppliers to drive projects from initiation to quick and successful implementation.

The ideal candidate for this position should possess a strong background in supplier management and supplier risk mitigation, as well as a track record of successfully selecting, quoting, and onboarding new suppliers that meet the needs of new programs and commercial needs for the business. The NPI – Strategic Sourcing Lead must demonstrate the ability to identify potential supplier risks and develop mitigation plans to ensure smooth and efficient program execution.

Overall, this challenging yet rewarding role offers a unique opportunity for an experienced professional to make a significant impact on the organization's growth and success, while fostering collaboration and innovation across various departments.

This role bridges the gap between engineering, quality, and operations by ensuring suppliers are identified, evaluated, and qualified early in the NPI lifecycle to ensure individual project success, with extensive external and internal communication throughout entire project implementation, with continued, indirect support of run‑rate production.

As the responsible individual, you will be tasked with understanding the current GMI supply‑chain gaps for new programs, developing a plan for investigation, quoting, and review of onboarding new suppliers. You will lead this effort, collaborating with key engineering and quality partners to ensure suppliers meet all customer requirements. You will also lead quoting and risk mitigation of the supply chain and ensure commercial agreements are in place for GMI Solutions.

Collaboration with the Business Development Managers, Project Management, Launch Engineers, and NPI – Quality will be a key aspect of your role, as you will be required to collaborate and share supply‑chain strategy, onboarding timeline, and expectations of new suppliers to those cross‑functional teams. Travel will be required for supplier onsite assessments.

This role relies heavily on strong leadership and interpersonal skills, ability to problem‑solve and make decisions quickly and accurately, clear communication to all parties, and effective time management.

• Identifying and selecting suppliers based on customer programs, technical capabilities, cost, quality, and capacity.
• Negotiating contracts with suppliers for development and/or purchase agreements, utilizing GMI’s Statement of Work (SOW) procedure.
• Ensuring supplier costing meets needs of overall Customer Program, and identifying future cost‑reduction opportunities.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with strategic suppliers to ensure quality, timely delivery, and optimal performance.
• Identifying and mitigating risks associated with supplier capabilities, capacity, and potential disruptions.
• Supporting quoting and project management activities, including tracking…