Director, Strategic Supply Chain - Indirect

Steele Solutions Inc.; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Steele Solutions Inc. is seeking a Director of Indirect Sourcing in Milwaukee to lead a team of Commodity Managers, shaping sourcing strategy across Transportation, 3PL, Facilities, MRO, and CAPEX. You will drive synergy savings and partner with multiple functions to deliver value.

The role requires 8-12 years in strategic sourcing, strong negotiation and leadership, and a proven ability to operate in a matrix organization with international supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of sourcing and leadership experience in manufacturing.
• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering.
• Experience with 3PL, facilities, and CAPEX.
• Fluency in English; travel up to 40%.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Commodity Managers for indirect sourcing.
• Develop and execute indirect category strategies.
• Manage supplier contracts and terms.
• Drive cost savings and TCO improvements.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Legal.
• Oversee RFIs/RFPs and global/regional sourcing initiatives.
• Monitor supplier performance and risk.
• Standardize specifications and drive process improvements.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to optimize spend.
• Foster a high-performing procurement organization.

Skills

Team leadership

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation

Cross-functional collab

Data analysis

Change management

Project management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in SCM

Tools

SAP

Ariba

Tableau

Excel

Job description

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Director, Strategic Supply Chain - Indirect

Admin - Exec Milwaukee, WI, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 2014

About the Role:

The Director of Indirect Sourcing will hire and lead a team of Commodity Managers to develop strategies, execute frame contracts with suppliers and support operational procurement teams in sourcing activities across the SSi corporation with manufacturing plants in US and Mexico.

This position is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies across key indirect categories, to ensure reliable supply, optimal total cost of ownership, and alignment with business objectives. The role establishes and governs formal supplier contracts and commercial agreements that define pricing, service levels, performance expectations, and risk mitigation mechanisms. It leads cross-functional initiatives to standardize specifications, leverage spend, and drive continuous improvement with suppliers, while managing strategic capital equipment investments as a critical subset of the overall indirect portfolio. This role will manage supplier relationships, support supplier selection and qualification, negotiate commercial terms, monitor supplier performance, and drive improvements in cost, quality, delivery, and supply continuity.

The successful candidate will be experienced leading strategic sourcing of indirect categories and demonstrate their experience driving synergy savings and operational excellence in a matrix organization.

The primary indirect spend categories are Transportation & 3PL, Corporate Shared Services, Facilities, MRO and CAPEX. This role partners closely with internal stakeholders, including engineering, operations, quality, finance, logistics, and local procurement teams, to align sourcing execution with business objectives and established category strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide visible, values-based leadership for the regional procurement organization.
• Own the development and execution of sourcing strategies across all categories in scope, including targets, timelines, and resource plans.
• Build and transform the Indirect Procurement organization by developing in-house capabilities and driving a performance-focused culture of accountability and strong stakeholder partnership.
• Design and champion the adoption of global buying channels (e.g. guided buying, catalogs, P2P workflows, automation) to enhance user experience and process efficiency.
• Lead major global/regional sourcing initiatives (RFIs/RFPs), supplier selection, and complex contract negotiations, delivering TCO improvements and sustainable value across indirect and CAPEX spend.
• Act as the key business partner for Regional Operations, Engineering, Plant Leadership, Finance, Supply Chain, and Legal, translating business needs into robust category strategies and sourcing plans.
• Drive excellence in planning, budgeting, compliance, and project execution for indirect and CAPEX categories, ensuring transparency and measurable performance.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing team of Category Managers, setting clear direction, expectations, and accountability across both strategic and day-to-day category management.
• Lead business reviews with key stakeholders and business lines to assess risk, shape future strategy, and surface cost-reduction and improvement opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic suppliers to ensure cost reduction, service quality and delivery targets.
• Develop and own category strategies for indirect spend areas in support of multi-year roadmaps and savings pipelines.
• Identify and deliver cost savings, standardization and process improvements while maintaining quality, service and risk management expectations.
• Establish relationships with functional and divisional peers and leaders to ensure sourcing strategies align with our business goals and objectives.
• Drive productivity and value-add through negotiations and supplier management.
• Utilize formal sourcing processes for category strategy, sourcing events, supplier selection, qualification, contracting and ongoing supplier performance management.

Required Qualifications

• 8-12 years of relevant work experience in global manufacturing companies with increasing responsibilities in a multi-site, multi-product, company.
• International experience is strongly preferred.
• A bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, engineering or a related field with practical experience.
• Experience sourcing 3PL providers, Logistics, MRO, Facilities & Leases and Capital Equipment.
• Experience partnering with leaders of Finance, Engineering, Human Resources, Sales, Manufacturing and IT to support procurement of shared services.
• Strong experience managing supplier relationships and supplier performance.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, mechanical components, or mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate supplier, cost, quality, delivery, and supply chain issues using available data and business judgment.
• Strong negotiation, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and elevate risks or decisions at appropriate points.
• Demonstrated experience and success working in a fast paced, matrixed environment satisfying multiple customers. Strategic planning/thinking skills, coupled with analytical and execution skills.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to articulate vision to a broad audience
• Demonstrated ability to interface with executive and senior level management, both internally and externally.
• Solid contract and commercial acumen, including master supply and service agreements, warranties, risk and compliance clauses.
• Proven track record of meeting commitments with the highest standards of ethics and integrity.
• Leadership: This is a role for a leader, team builder, consensus builder and leader of change.
• Out-of-the-box thinker, decisive; experienced in and capable of communicating the need for results and leading change with a variety of departments and teams.
• An excellent team player.
• Proven track record leading complex negotiations, multi-stakeholder projects, and cross-functional sourcing initiatives across multiple sites or business units.
• Experience with supplier qualification, supplier performance management, competitive bidding, cost reduction, value engineering, supplier scorecards, or supplier corrective actions.
• Experience supporting supplier transitions, production ramps, new product introductions, or supplier issue resolution.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% within US, CA, MX.
• Fluency in English, written and spoken.

Preferred Qualifications

• An MBA or advanced MS degree is strongly preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certification or equivalent formal continuous improvement training.
• Professional Accreditations: APICS (CPIM, CSCP) or ISM (CPM, CPSM) certifications are considered a significant advantage.
• Mastery of structured problem-solving frameworks (e.g., MECE structuring, hypothesis-driven analytics).
• Advanced proficiency in data-driven tools KPI dashboard development (e.g., Alteryx, Tableau, Power BI) and complex financial modeling.
• Executive presence with the ability to distill highly technical operational concepts into razor-sharp, compelling presentations for C-suite alignment.

Steele Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. We are committed to maintaining a lawful workforce and verify employment eligibility for all newly hired employees in accordance with federal requirements.