Commodity Manager

E-Solutions; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

E-Solutions in Austin, TX is seeking a seasoned Commodity Manager to own sourcing strategy and supplier relationships for hardware infrastructure. You will manage strategic suppliers, drive continuity, and lead cross-functional teams to support NPI and production readiness.

The role requires 7+ years in commodity or supplier management, with strong negotiation, data analytics, and ERP expertise. Hybrid collaboration with engineering and planning is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field and 7+ years in commodity management or procurement.
• Proven experience managing strategic supplier relationships in high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of demand planning, MRP, and supplier performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Own strategic relationships with global suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Develop long-term commodity sourcing strategies aligned with roadmaps.
• Lead supplier business reviews, performance improvement plans, and executive engagements.
• Negotiate terms, lead times, capacity, and supply agreements.
• Monitor market trends, supply constraints, and technology roadmaps.
• Analyse demand, forecast, inventory, and supplier capacity for risk management.
• Drive continuous supplier performance improvements in LT, OTD, capacity and quality.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Forecasting

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations, or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Excel

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Commodity Manager – Strategic Supplier Management (Hardware Infrastructure)

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Commodity Manager to own the sourcing strategy, supplier relationships, and supply health for high-volume hardware commodities supporting infrastructure and data center products. This role is responsible for developing long-term supplier strategies, ensuring supply continuity, improving supplier performance, and partnering cross-functionally with Engineering, Planning, Finance, Operations, and Manufacturing teams to support New Product Introduction (NPI) and production readiness.

The ideal candidate has experience managing strategic suppliers within high-volume electronics, cloud infrastructure, server, networking, or hardware manufacturing environments and can effectively communicate supply risks and business recommendations to senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Supplier Management

• Own strategic relationships with global suppliers and contract manufacturers (ODMs/EMS partners).
• Develop long-term commodity sourcing strategies aligned with business growth and product roadmaps.
• Lead supplier business reviews, performance improvement plans, and executive-level supplier engagements.
• Negotiate commercial terms, lead times, capacity commitments, and supply agreements.

Commodity & Supply Strategy

• Own one or more hardware commodity categories (e.g., PCBs, power supplies, connectors, mechanicals, memory, storage, networking components, semiconductors, sheet metal, cables, or similar).
• Drive supplier allocation strategies, dual sourcing initiatives, and supplier qualification activities.
• Monitor market trends, supply constraints, pricing movements, and technology roadmaps to support sourcing decisions.

Supply Planning & Risk Management

• Analyse demand, forecast, inventory, and supplier capacity to identify supply risks before they impact production.
• Develop mitigation strategies including alternate sourcing, capacity expansion, risk buys, and recovery plans.
• Partner with Planning teams to balance demand versus supplier capacity across multiple programs.
• Maintain overall supply health and ensure business continuity.
• Drive continuous supplier performance improvements in:
• Lead Time Reduction
• On-Time Delivery (OTD)
• Capacity Utilisation
• Quality Performance
• Inventory Health
• Establish supplier scorecards and monitor key performance indicators.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with:
• Supply Planning
• Manufacturing
• Finance
• Quality
• Operations
• Logistics
• Program Management
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) by ensuring supplier readiness and component availability throughout product development and production ramps.

Executive Communication

• Translate complex supply chain data into concise, decision-ready updates for senior leadership.
• Present supplier health, capacity outlook, supply risks, mitigation plans, and strategic recommendations during executive reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Operations, or related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in Commodity Management, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Management, Procurement, or Supply Chain.
• Proven experience managing strategic supplier relationships in high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of demand planning, MRP, supply planning, inventory management, and supplier performance metrics.
• Experience driving supplier improvements in lead time, OTD, capacity, and cost.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex demand and supply data.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Planning, Finance, and Manufacturing teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale data centers, cloud infrastructure, servers, networking hardware, storage, AI hardware, or enterprise electronics.
• Experience working with ODMs/EMS manufacturers such as Flex, Jabil, Celestica, Foxconn, Quanta, Pegatron, Sanmina, or similar.
• Knowledge of semiconductor supply chains and electronic component sourcing.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and production ramp activities.
• Advanced proficiency with SAP, Oracle, or similar ERP systems, along with Excel and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).

Success Profile

The ideal Commodity Manager is someone who can:

• Build trusted strategic partnerships with global suppliers.
• Develop long-term sourcing and commodity strategies.
• Identify and mitigate supply risks before they affect production.
• Improve supplier performance through measurable KPIs.
• Balance demand against supplier capacity in fast-paced manufacturing environments.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives across Engineering, Planning, Operations, and Finance.
• Present supply chain insights and recommendations to senior leadership with confidence.