Procurement Leader

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow. Our business sectors, Materials, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.

Asahi Kasei is a long-trusted supplier of lithium-ion battery separators – polymer-based microporous membranes that are a key component of the lithium batteries used to power electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and more. We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada, where we are in the process of constructing a new lithium battery separator manufacturing facility to support increasing North American demand.

Company:

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation

Job Description:

About The Role

We are seeking a Procurement Leader to be a part of the Integrated Supply Chain team. This position is based in Port Colborne, ON and is responsible for managing site spend categories to ensure best total cost for goods and services procured for the Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada plant.

Reporting Relationships

This position directly reports to the Director of Procurement and does not supervise others at this time.

Asahi Kasei Values

• Sincerity – Being sincere with everyone
• Challenge – Bolding taking challenges, continually seeking change
• Creativity – Creating new value through unity and synergy
  
  

Key Accountabilities

• Define strategy for managing spend categories to ensure best total cost.
• Identify critical suppliers to ensure best cost and quality in support of the Canadian operation.
• Identify and execute cost reduction projects to reduce the cost of goods and services needed by the plant.
• Execute global or regional sourcing strategy for assigned globally or regionally managed raw materials, MRO, and equipment.
• Manage vendors in all aspects, including relationship development, vendor qualification and audit, price and contract negotiation, etc.
• Develop reports necessary to monitor spend trends to identify future cost reduction opportunities including opportunities for supplier consolidation, increased purchasing leverage, and synergies.
• Establish Purchasing Budget and analyzes Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and established plans to achieve budget.
• Develop and implement procurement policies and procedures including articulating clear workflows.
• Support procurement efforts of project team for local items.
• As this is a new facility build and startup, the incumbent will also be expected to support the procurement of goods and services for the office and manufacturing set up as needed, and emergency requests from time to time.
• Lead procurement efforts relating to CAPEX projects including supplier identification, quotation submission and analysis process, and working with cross functional team on execution of project for improvement projects after the facility is commissioned.
• Focus on developing suppliers in cost reduction programs, working capital reduction, quality improvement, delivery performance, and joint innovation projects.
• Focus on reducing risk and dependency exposure by developing alternative suppliers and wherever possible establishing dual sourcing.
• Support cross functional team for alternate raw material trials and approvals.
• Define and implement Purchasing Best Practices.
• Participate in best practice sharing with peers from other Asahi Kasei America sites.
  
  

Qualifications

Education Background:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Degree in Business, supply chain, Logistics, Purchasing Materials Management, or related college degree preferred.
  
  

Knowledge & Experience:

• 7+ years of procurement experience is required.
• Must be familiar with procurement principles and practices, such as PPV, audits, and sourcing.
• Manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.
• Must have experience leading and mentoring others; direct supervisory experience is preferred.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office – Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook; experience in ERP systems is required.
• Professional certifications in supply chain, procurement will be an asset, i.e. CPIM, CSCP.
  
  

Key Attributes:

• Strong Negotiation skills – ability to negotiate pricing and terms for goods and services.
• Good communication skills - ability to communicate at all levels within the organization including suppliers, Site Manager, and Site employees.
• Project Management skills – ability to define project scope, develop and track timelines, and summarize results for cost reduction or other purchasing driven projects.
• Leadership and People Management skills – ability to manage one or several employees to reach procurement objectives including people development to meet growing needs of company.
• Change Management – ability to work and partner with peers to identify and implement change in order to gain synergy between companies.
  
  

Travel:

• Must be able and willing to travel up to 10% domestically and abroad for training and visiting other company locations.
  
  

Schedule:

• Must be able and willing to work a flexible schedule for emergencies and to attend in-person meetings and conference calls outside of normal business hours. The incumbent can flex working hours to accommodate.
  
  

Working Environment

This position will be based in a temporary structure on or near a construction site until the permanent office is built in 2026. The final work environment will be at a 24/7 manufacturing operation. This position is in support of manufacturing and requires working in a production environment around chemicals. The manufacturing facility will be a state of the art in terms of automation and being temperature and humidity controlled. This will be a clean and comfortable environment due to the nature of the products being produced.

About Us

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada, an Asahi Kasei Company, is a pioneer in battery technology and a long-trusted supplier of lithium battery separators, which are polymer-based microporous membranes that are key components of lithium-ion batteries (LIB).

The company’s Hipore brand of separators have been commercially available since the lithium battery market’s inception in the early 1990s and they are found primarily in electric drive vehicles (EDVs) as well as in consumer electronics (CE) such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Hipore membrane separators bring high porosity and excellent energy transfer, while contributing to battery safety and reliability and they are especially well matched for the high-capacity batteries required for power plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full battery (BEV) vehicles.

Asahi Kasei is accelerating its next phase of global growth with proactive investment and capacity expansion in battery separators to meet increasing demand for electric vehicle applications. Expansions have been announced at existing Asahi Kasei LIB separator facilities in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with start-up scheduled in succession from the first half of fiscal year 2026. Asahi Kasei will continue investing to further build its LIB separator infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted.

We are now in the early phases of staffing our new greenfield site, in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, that will have an investment of about 1.57 billion CAD$ to further build its LIB separator infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted.

The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 48,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow!

Location Information

Port Colborne, Ontario is a charming harbour town situated in the Niagara Region on the coast of Lake Erie. The Niagara Region is made up of 12 municipalities and has a population of approximately 478,000. It is an international trade hub with industry ranging from agriculture, construction, manufacturing, technology, tourism, transportation and warehousing. There are two regional airports, easy access to four international airports, railway, and other public transportation. It is home to Brock University, Niagara College Canada, McMaster University, as well as public and private schools that offer a selection of concentrations. The area offers a safe, affordable lifestyle with a hometown community feel. Recreational attractions include Humberstone Speedway, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Welland Canal, Canada’s largest casino, wineries, sporting and entertainment venues for concerts and festivals. Other amenities include the Niagara Heath System, a variety in dining, farmer’s markets, ample parks, trails and outdoor activities. Within driving distance, the greater Ontario province offers modern cities and countryside that are rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. It is about a 90-minute drive to Mississauga, Toronto, and Brampton.

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from qualified women, men, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. We are committed to providing accommodations throughout the interview process for needs that are made known in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. Asahi Kasei believes that its diverse workforce strengthens the company’s ability to adapt and thrive in a changing world .