Commodity Manager - Gears

Flender; Chennai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Flender in Chennai, India, seeks a Commodity Manager to lead gears sourcing, supplier strategy, and long-term partnerships. You will drive TCO optimization, supplier innovation, and sustainability across multiple regions and product platforms.

You will guide a team of commodity managers, align with production and quality, and shape the Make-Or-Buy decisions for resilient supply across our global locations. Fluent English is required; German is a plus.

Qualifications

• Mechanical Engineering degree with 10 years’ industrial experience, at least 5 in the relevant commodity.
• Proven leadership in strategic sourcing or commodity management within an international industrial environment.
• Strong technical and commercial acumen with the ability to translate engineering needs into sourcing strategies.
• Fluent in English; German language skills are an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the commodity strategy for gears, machined and heat-treated components across multiple product platforms and regions.
• Support a team of commodity managers and experts — inspiring collaboration, top-performance, and personal growth.
• Drive total cost of ownership optimization, supplier innovation, and sustainability initiatives across the supply base.
• Establish and manage strategic supplier relationships, including negotiation of framework agreements and all supply chain terms & conditions, risk management, and capacity planning to support growth in specific regions and business lines.
• Align with Production, Quality, and Operations to ensure supplier readiness for competitive and efficient production processes and robust supply base for Make-Or-Buy decisions.
• Support the transition toward green and low-carbon products and production processes, embedding sustainability in sourcing decisions.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Commodity management

Supplier collaboration

Contract management

Cost engineering

Communication

German language (advantage)

Education

Mechanical Engineering degree

Tools

SAP

Job description

Job Description:

Commodity Manager - Gears, you will lead our sourcing and supplier strategy for one of the most important material groups in our value chain. You will work with a highly skilled, international team and shape long-term partnerships that secure cost competitiveness, innovation, and resilience across all business units.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the commodity strategy for gears, machined and heat-treated components across multiple product platforms and regions.
• Support a team of commodity managers and experts — inspiring collaboration, top-performance, and personal growth.
• Drive total cost of ownership optimization, supplier innovation, and sustainability initiatives across the supply base.
• Establish and manage strategic supplier relationships, including negotiation of framework agreements and all supply chain terms & conditions, risk management, and capacity planning to support the growth in specific regions and business lines.
• Align closely with Production, Quality, and Operations to ensure supplier readiness for competitive and efficient production processes and to assure a resilient and robust supply base for our main manufacturing locations (Germany, France, China, India & USA) in the Make-Or-Buy decision process.
• Support the transition toward green and low-carbon products and production processes, embedding sustainability and circular-economy principles in every sourcing decision.

• You have a Mechanical Engineering degree with 10 years years of industrial experience of which at least 5 with the relevant commodity and position.
• Proven leadership experience in strategic sourcing or commodity management (ideally in forgings, heat-treatment or machined components) within an international industrial environment.
• Strong technical and commercial acumen with the ability to translate engineering needs into sourcing strategies.
• Skilled in supplier collaboration, contract management, and cost engineering.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills across cultures and organizational levels.
• A forward-looking, strategic mindset with passion for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement.
• Fluent in English; German language skills are an advantage.
• Willingness to travel and visit suppliers onsite
• SAP knowledge and working experience.

Your contact person(s) for this job posting is/are:

Thirumalai Kumar T

Flender is an Equal Opportunity and affirmative action employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, transgender, sex stereotyping, order of protection status, protected veteran or military status, or an unfavorable discharge from military service, and other categories protected by federal, state or local law.