Director, Procurement

Ingevity; North Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingevity seeks a Director of Procurement to lead enterprise sourcing, manage key supplier relationships, and drive strategic initiatives. You will partner with Operations, Finance, Legal, and R&D to optimize total cost of ownership and deliver measurable business results.

This role requires influencing without direct authority and leading a high-performing procurement team. Leading cross-functional collaboration, you will shape category strategies, negotiate complex contracts, and drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Professional certification (CPSM/CSCP) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute enterprise procurement and sourcing strategies.
• Lead high-value, high-risk sourcing initiatives and negotiations.
• Oversee supplier relationships and contract governance.
• Ensure compliance and governance across procurement processes.
• Drive cost savings, supplier performance, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Finance and operations to improve business performance.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Contract knowledge

Education

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

MBA or advanced degree

CPSM, CSCP, or other relevant professional certification

Tools

SAP

Coupa

Procurement analytics

Job description

Job Family Group: Supply Chain

Are you ready to do something remarkable? Ready to collaborate with an incredible team to solve problems that improve people's lives? Meet Ingevity. At Ingevity, we develop innovations that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Our products enable oil to flow better, crops to grow fuller, roads to last longer and ensure that the air we all breathe is cleaner. Our people come from all different backgrounds and help reimagine new possibilities daily. We understand there is no challenge too big and no contribution too small. We seek out new ideas for tackling complex problems and celebrate achieving the improbable. We value each person's unique talents and synergize them to create meaningful impact and sustainable solutions for our customers and our world. Bold. Energetic. Ingenious. Genuine. If these qualities describe you, we'd love for you to join Ingevity!

Director, Procurement Position Summary

The Director, Procurement leads the development and execution of Ingevity's procurement strategy while maintaining direct involvement in critical sourcing initiatives, supplier management, commercial negotiations, and procurement operations. Serving as both a strategic leader and hands-on contributor, this role is responsible for driving value creation through strategic sourcing, contract governance, supplier relationship management, risk mitigation, procurement excellence, and continuous improvement. The Director, Procurement ensures reliable supply, optimizes total cost of ownership, and delivers measurable business results while leading and developing a high-performing procurement organization. Working closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, Engineering, R&D, and Business Leadership, the Director serves as a trusted advisor and strategic business partner, bringing market intelligence, supplier insights, and commercial expertise into key business decisions. This role maintains a seat at the table for enterprise initiatives, helping shape business strategy by highlighting market conditions, supply risks, supplier capabilities, and emerging opportunities that may impact business performance. Success in this position requires the ability to influence and drive alignment across functions without direct authority, balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution to deliver enterprise-wide results.

Strategic Procurement Leadership

Develop and execute enterprise procurement and sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives. Establish long-term category strategies that improve cost competitiveness, supply assurance, sustainability, quality, and supplier performance. Identify market trends, supply risks, and business opportunities to support informed decision-making. Drive procurement transformation initiatives that improve organizational capability, operational effectiveness, and business performance. Partner with senior leadership to support growth initiatives, capital projects, operational excellence programs, and strategic business priorities. Serve as a strategic business partner by providing insights into market conditions, supplier trends, commercial risks, and supply chain dynamics that influence business decisions. Represent the procurement function in strategic planning discussions, ensuring external market perspectives and supplier capabilities are incorporated into business decision-making. Influence adoption of procurement best practices and sourcing strategies across the organization. Represent the procurement function in strategic planning discussions, ensuring external market perspectives and supplier capabilities are incorporated into business decision-making. Influence adoption of procurement best practices and sourcing strategies across the organization.

Procurement Execution & Category Leadership

Personally lead high-value, high-risk, or strategically important sourcing initiatives and supplier negotiations. Maintain direct ownership of selected spend categories and key supplier relationships. Participate directly in supplier selection, contract development, commercial negotiations, and supplier performance reviews. Support category managers and sourcing professionals in developing and executing sourcing strategies. Provide leadership during critical supply disruptions, supplier disputes, and commercial escalations. Collaborate with stakeholders to develop sourcing solutions that balance cost, risk, quality, sustainability, and operational requirements. Partner with business leaders to execute strategic initiatives by aligning supplier capabilities, market realities, and procurement strategies with enterprise objectives.

Supplier Relationship & Commercial Management

Lead strategic supplier relationship management programs across direct and indirect spend categories. Negotiate complex commercial agreements and multi-year supply contracts. Drive supplier performance improvements related to quality, delivery, innovation, service, sustainability, and cost. Partner with Legal and business leaders to mitigate contractual and commercial risk. Develop collaborative partnerships with suppliers that support business objectives and long-term value creation. Leverage supplier relationships and market intelligence to identify opportunities for innovation, risk mitigation, and competitive advantage.

Procurement Operations & Governance

Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contracting requirements, delegation of authority standards, and internal controls. Oversee procurement systems and processes, including SAP, Coupa, reporting, and procurement analytics tools. Drive process standardization, simplification, and continuous improvement initiatives. Monitor procurement performance metrics and identify opportunities for operational excellence. Support team members in resolving day-to-day procurement and supplier challenges. Establish and maintain governance processes that balance business agility with appropriate commercial controls.

Financial Performance & Value Creation

Lead initiatives that deliver sustainable cost savings, cost avoidance, and working capital improvements. Utilize market intelligence, supplier insights, and analytics to support strategic business decisions. Develop business cases and recommendations for leadership review and approval. Partner with Finance and Supply Chain leaders to improve overall business performance. Ensure procurement contributes measurable value to enterprise financial objectives. Drive total cost of ownership management across key spend categories and supplier relationships.

Leadership & Talent Development

Lead, coach, and develop procurement managers, category managers, and sourcing professionals. Build organizational capability in strategic sourcing, negotiation, supplier management, analytics, and business partnership. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus, innovation, and continuous improvement. Develop succession plans and talent pipelines for critical procurement roles. Promote cross-functional teamwork and strong business relationships throughout the organization. Serve as a role model for effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and influencing without authority.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Finance, Engineering, or related discipline.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• CPSM, CSCP, or other relevant professional certification preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive procurement, sourcing, supply chain, or related business experience.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing managers, professionals, or cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated success leading both direct and indirect procurement categories.
• Proven experience negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing strategic supplier relationships.
• Strong financial acumen, including total cost of ownership analysis, ROI evaluation, and value realization.
• Experience with SAP, Coupa, procurement analytics, and supplier management processes.
• Demonstrated ability to influence business decisions and drive results in a matrixed environment.

Ingevity is a company made up of extraordinary people of every race, religion and background, all worthy of the same dignity. Our differences are one of our great strengths. Join us in building a culture of increasing diversity and respect – a culture where everyone belongs.

Ingevity is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled.

Ingevity provides products and technologies that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, we develop, manufacture and bring to market solutions that help customers solve complex problems and make the world more sustainable.

Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 23 locations around the world and employs approximately 1,600 people. For more information, visit Ingevity.com.