Strategic Sourcing Product Development Specialist

Strategic Sourcing Analyst Lead Commodity Strategy | New Product Development | Supplier Selection Greater Milwaukee Area, Wisconsin | Onsite

This isn't a role where you'll inherit a mature commodity strategy and simply maintain it.

Our client is seeking a sourcing professional who wants to make an impact.

The person hired into this role will help shape the future direction of several critical commodity categories, influence supplier selection decisions, support new product launches, and drive meaningful improvements in cost, supplier performance, and supply chain execution.

You’ll work at the intersection of sourcing, engineering, manufacturing, and supplier management while helping guide sourcing decisions representing tens of millions of dollars in annual spend.

If you enjoy understanding how products are made, evaluating supplier capabilities, influencing business decisions, and building strategies rather than simply executing them, this is the type of opportunity that doesn't come along often.

The sourcing team is in the process of strengthening and refining commodity strategies across several key spend categories.

The opportunity is not simply to manage suppliers that already exist. The opportunity is to evaluate them, challenge assumptions, identify better solutions, and help determine what the future supply base should look like.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Influence supplier selection and supplier consolidation decisions
• Support major new product development initiatives
• Develop and execute commodity strategies
• Improve sourcing processes and supplier evaluation methods
• Partner directly with engineering, quality, operations, and leadership teams
• Drive measurable cost savings and performance improvements
• Build supplier relationships that support long‑term business growth

This is a highly visible role where your decisions will directly impact future product launches, supplier performance, and overall sourcing success.

Within your first year, you’ll be expected to:

• Strengthen commodity strategies within assigned categories
• Improve supplier performance and supplier alignment
• Support successful product launches and development programs
• Drive measurable cost reduction initiatives
• Identify and mitigate supplier risks before they become production issues
• Improve sourcing decision quality through stronger supplier evaluation and cost analysis
• Help build a more efficient and effective supply base

Most importantly, you’ll help ensure the organization is working with the right suppliers, making informed sourcing decisions, and positioning itself for long‑term success.

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for assigned commodity categories
• Evaluate supplier capabilities, capacity, risk, and competitiveness
• Identify supplier consolidation opportunities
• Build and optimize supply base strategies
• Support supplier onboarding and supplier transitions
• Partner with global sourcing teams where applicable

• Lead supplier negotiations
• Analyze supplier quotations and cost structures
• Support should‑cost and total cost of ownership evaluations
• Drive cost reduction and value engineering initiatives
• Manage commercial agreements and supplier contracts
• Support sourcing optimization initiatives

• Source components and tooling for new product launches
• Support supplier selection activities for development programs
• Manage supplier timelines and launch readiness
• Partner closely with engineering teams during product development
• Support supplier qualification and PPAP activities
• Identify and mitigate sourcing risks before they impact project schedules

• Serve as the primary commercial contact for assigned suppliers
• Support engineering changes and product transitions
• Resolve supplier‑related issues impacting production
• Ensure continuity of supply for critical components
• Build long‑term supplier partnerships

The people who are most successful in this environment tend to be:

• Naturally curious
• Strong problem solvers
• Comfortable operating without a detailed playbook
• Re…