Global Sourcing Leader — Critical Materials

Vulcan Elements; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of American rare-earth permanent magnets, seeks a Director of Strategic Sourcing to architect and lead the global sourcing strategy for critical raw materials, components, and services supporting domestic magnet production.

You will secure resilient, cost-effective supply chains and oversee supplier development, risk management, and compliance in highly regulated markets. This role demands deep procurement expertise and strategic leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, supply chain management, or supplier development within manufacturing environments such as critical minerals, aerospace, automotive, and/or battery materials manufacturing.
• 6+ years of demonstrated leadership experience managing sourcing, procurement, or supply chain organizations.
• Experience sourcing critical raw materials, specialty metals, industrial chemicals, advanced materials, or complex manufacturing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for rare earth materials, metals, alloys, consumables, capital equipment, and strategic services supporting magnet manufacturing operations.
• Build and scale the strategic sourcing organization to support all business objectives.
• Identify, evaluate, negotiate, and manage strategic supplier relationships across domestic and international markets.
• Lead commercial negotiations including long-term supply agreements, pricing structures, capacity reservations, and strategic partnerships.
• Develop supply chain resilience strategies for critical materials, including dual sourcing, geographic diversification, inventory optimization, and contingency planning.
• Monitor global rare earth markets, pricing trends, geopolitical developments, tariffs, trade restrictions, and regulatory changes impacting supply availability and cost.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, and Finance to support new product introduction, supplier qualification, and production scale-up activities.
• Partner with Logistics and Trade Compliance teams to optimize inbound material flows, customs strategies, and international supplier operations.
• Lead make-versus-buy analyses, total cost of ownership evaluations, and strategic sourcing decisions supporting long-term business objectives.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics for supplier performance, cost savings, risk mitigation, inventory optimization, and sourcing effectiveness.
• Support government, defense, and commercial customer requirements related to supply chain security, traceability, and sourcing transparency.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier development

Supply chain management

Leadership

ERP / MRP systems

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in SCM, Engineering, Business

MBA or CPSM/CSCP/CPM certification preferred

Tools

ERP / MRP systems

Job description

Vulcan Elements, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of American rare-earth permanent magnets, seeks a Director of Strategic Sourcing to architect and lead the global sourcing strategy for critical raw materials, components, and services supporting domestic magnet production.

You will secure resilient, cost-effective supply chains and oversee supplier development, risk management, and compliance in highly regulated markets. This role demands deep procurement expertise and strategic leadership.