Commodity Specialist

CEL Critical Power; Williamsburg (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off and holidays

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Join CEL Critical Power in Williamsburg, Virginia as a Commodity Specialist, where you'll be pivotal in managing supplier sourcing and ensuring supply chain resilience. Reporting to the Supply Chain Manager, your role requires strategic sourcing, supplier audits, and performance management.

With a bachelor's degree in supply chain management and over 5 years of related experience, you will negotiate contracts and develop robust supplier relationships while ensuring compliance and risk management throughout our operations.

The position offers competitive salary, health benefits, and career advancement opportunities in a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in procurement, commodity management, or supplier development.
• Strong understanding of supplier onboarding and performance metrics.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the sourcing and onboarding process, ensuring compliance with policies.
• Conduct audits and performance reviews focusing on quality and delivery.
• Build relationships with suppliers through clear communication and proactive management.

Skills

Supplier onboarding

Risk management

Negotiation skills

Project management

Market analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain / business management

Certification in supply chain or procurement (e.g., APICS, CIPS)

Tools

ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle)

Job description

CEL Critical Power – Powering The AI Revolution

CEL has an opportunity for you to join our rapidly growing US business, where you will have an opportunity to make a significant impact on our immediate and long‑term success of our Supply Chain function.

CEL is an Irish based 40-year manufacturer, distributor and exporter of electrical switchgear and controls, and related products and services, now focused on the supplying the global Data Centre industry.

Operating from our newly acquired 400,000 ft facility in Williamsburg, Virginia, we aim to double in size each year for the next three years.

CEL is led by a hard‑working team who follow traditional working practices, value collaboration, continuous improvement, excellence in quality and commercial curiosity; this is your chance to develop your career as part of a dynamic US SMT who will shape the future of our business.

We strongly believe that seeking out and hiring the most diverse talent and creating an inclusive workplace is the way to create an exceptional and innovative workplace for our employees which will deliver excellence in service to our customers.

We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experience to join this multicultural, hard‑working team.

About The Role

Reporting to our Supply Chain Manager, we are seeking a highly motivated Commodity Specialist who will be responsible for managing supplier sourcing, approval, onboarding, delivery to PO schedule and ongoing performance through structured business reviews and escalation processes. This role is critical in ensuring our Supply Chain resilience, compliance and continuous improvement across strategic commodities. You will be responsible for helping us scale a robust supply chain for our US operations, ensuring on‑time‑in‑full profitability, excellence in delivery performance, and development of strong customer relationships.

What You'll Be Doing

Strategic Sourcing & Procurement

• Lead the sourcing / onboarding process, ensuring compliance with policies and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies for metal, electrical components and fabricated assemblies.
• Analyze market trends, LME / COMEX copper indices and material price fluctuations to mitigate risk.
• Negotiate contracts and long‑term agreements with material suppliers and component OEMs.
• Lead RFQs, benchmarking activities and cost modeling for switchgear materials.
• Support localization and dual‑sourcing initiatives to ensure resilience in supply.

General Supplier Management

• Conduct audits and performance reviews focusing on quality, delivery and standards compliance.
• Collaborate to implement cost reductions, lead‑time improvements and sustainability initiatives.
• Monitor supplier capacity and proactively manage risk of material shortages.
• Conduct supplier risk assessments and due diligence (financial, operational, capacity).
• Collaborate with your peer teams to validate supplier capabilities and certifications.
• Negotiate to achieve best price and margin, ensuring compliance with quality and service guarantees.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Serve as the senior supplier interface, ensuring high satisfaction and long‑term partnerships.
• Build relationships through clear communication, proactive management and reliable performance.
• Support sales by providing input on quotation development, project feasibility and execution risk analysis.

Supplier Performance Management

• Develop, maintain and report supplier scorecards and KPIs aligned with business objectives.
• Establish governance frameworks for project performance monitoring, reporting and escalation.
• Ensure robust supplier capacity planning, scheduling, resourcing, milestone tracking and reporting.
• Facilitate Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews (MBRs/QBRs) with key suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance trends and initiate corrective actions or improvement plans as needed.
• Manage the supplier escalation processes, including root cause analysis and resolution tracking.

Supply Chain Risk Mitigation

• Implement a structured risk identification, assessment and mitigation framework for your supply base.
• Identify and assess risks across the supply base, including geopolitical, financial, and operational risks.
• Drive early escalation of identified risks or performance deviations to the US Management Team.
• Maintain a lessons‑learned process to continuously improve future project outcomes.
• Develop and implement mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of supply.
• Support dual sourcing, inventory buffering and supplier diversification initiatives.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Procurement, Engineering, Quality, and Operations to align supplier capabilities with business needs.
• Provide commodity insights and market intelligence to support sourcing decisions.
• Contribute to business planning, forecasting and strategic decision‑making as part of the U.S. SMT.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain / business management or related field.
• Certification in supply chain or procurement (e.g., APICS, CIPS).
• 5+ years of experience in procurement, commodity management or supplier development.
• Strong understanding of supplier onboarding, performance metrics, and risk management.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and supplier management platforms.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proven ability to manage highly complex, large project portfolios with full financial accountability.
• Familiarity with ESG and sustainability frameworks in supplier management.
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., pharma, aerospace, automotive).
• Demonstrated commitment to ensure our business goals and your functional goals are met / exceeded.
• Ability to travel is required – approx. 60 % – 70 %.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance‑based incentives.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid time off and holidays.
• Professional development and career advancement opportunities.
• A dynamic and growing team focused on innovation and excellence.