Indirect Purchasing & Supplier Management Lead

Nippon Seiki North America; Auburn Hills (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Nippon Seiki North America, located in Auburn Hills, MI, seeks a Purchasing & Supplier Management Lead to drive indirect procurement strategies, manage supplier performance, and oversee contracts across IT, professional services, facilities, and logistics.

The role requires 5+ years in automotive indirect procurement, strong negotiation, and leadership across cross-functional teams. Hybrid work arrangement with onsite and remote collaboration is offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of indirect procurement in automotive setting; Tier 1 experience preferred.
• Experience managing complex service agreements and commercial contracts.
• Experience with sustainability, ESG, trade compliance, and logistics.
• Strong leadership across cross-functional and remote teams.
• Financial analysis and forecasting capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, RFQ/RFP processes, negotiations, contract administration, and supplier selection activities for indirect procurement categories.
• Manage third-party purchasing and supply chain service providers, including ESG consultants, trade compliance providers, brokers, logistics providers, and other outsourced partners.
• Partner with internal stakeholders across NSNA locations to identify requirements and develop sourcing strategies balancing cost, quality, service, and risk.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance programs, SLAs, KPIs, and supplier development initiatives.
• Identify and implement cost reduction, supplier consolidation, and productivity improvements across indirect spend.
• Support supplier risk management, cybersecurity assessments, data protection, business continuity, and TISAX compliance.
• Administer contracts ensuring compliance with terms, pricing, renewals, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop procurement KPIs, spend analytics, supplier scorecards, and executive reporting.
• Support implementation and governance of procurement policies and platforms.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Contract negotiation

Vendor risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Cost reduction

Education

Bachelor's in Supply Chain Mgmt

MBA

Tools

JDE

Plex

MS Office

Job description

Company Overview

Nippon Seiki is a world-class manufacturer of instruments for vehicles, agricultural, and construction equipment. Established in 1945, Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Japan, with numerous facilities worldwide. Nippon Seiki North America, Ltd. ("NSNA"), a group company of Nippon Seiki, located in Auburn Hills, MI, is a tier one supplier of instrument clusters and head-up display units for FCA US, General Motors, BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson, Suzuki, Polaris, Arctic Cat and other OEM's.

Purpose of Job

The Purchasing & Supplier Management Lead is responsible for leading indirect strategic sourcing, supplier and service provider management, contract administration, cost optimization, supplier risk management, and procurement compliance activities across all NSNA locations. This role develops and executes sourcing strategies that support business objectives, operational requirements, cost-effectiveness, supplier performance, and regulatory compliance.

The position manages a broad portfolio of indirect spend categories, including Information Technology, Professional Services, Marketing, Facilities, Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO), Corporate Services, Logistics and Transportation Services, Sustainability and ESG Services, Trade Compliance Services, Product Compliance Services, and other indirect goods and services.

Working cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, the Lead identifies sourcing opportunities, manages supplier selection and negotiations, supports contract development and administration, monitors supplier performance and risk, and drives cost reduction and continuous improvement initiatives. The role also supports supplier-related cybersecurity and TISAX requirements, regulatory compliance, sustainability objectives, and third-party risk management activities.

In addition, this position oversees third-party purchasing and supply chain service providers supporting critical business functions, including sustainability and ESG compliance, trade compliance, customs and import/export activities, product regulatory compliance, logistics and transportation, supply chain consulting, and supplier risk management programs. The Lead is responsible for establishing appropriate performance expectations, monitoring service delivery, and ensuring providers meet contractual, compliance, quality, cost, and business requirements while delivering maximum value to NSNA.

Major Duties/Responsibilities

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier evaluations, RFQ/RFP processes, commercial negotiations, contract administration, and supplier selection activities for indirect procurement categories
• Manage third-party purchasing and supply chain service providers, including sustainability/ESG consultants, trade compliance providers, customs brokers, logistics providers, product compliance specialists, and other outsourced service partners
• Partner with internal stakeholders across all NSNA locations and PCNs to identify business requirements and develop sourcing strategies that balance cost, quality, service, compliance, risk, and operational objectives
• Develop and maintain supplier performance management programs, service-level agreements (SLAs), corrective action processes, and supplier development initiatives
• Identify and implement cost reduction, supplier consolidation, value engineering, and productivity improvement opportunities across indirect spend categories and service contracts
• Support supplier risk management activities, including supplier qualification, cybersecurity assessments, data protection requirements, business continuity evaluations, financial risk monitoring, and TISAX-related supplier compliance
• Administer commercial contracts and ensure compliance with contractual requirements, performance expectations, pricing agreements, renewal terms, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Develop procurement KPIs, spend analytics, supplier scorecards, management reporting, and executive presentations to support data-driven decision making
• Support implementation, standardization, and continuous improvement of procurement policies, procedures, governance requirements, and procurement technology platforms

Education, Experience And Knowledge

Education:

Bachelor Degree in Supply Chain Mgmt, Engineering or related business emphasis;

MBA or advanced degree is a plus

Related Experience:

• Work requires at least 5+ years related work experience (automotive industry Tier 1 preferred)
• Experience managing complex service agreements and commercial contracts.
• Experience managing third-party providers supporting:
• Sustainability and ESG initiatives
• Trade compliance and customs activities
• Product compliance and regulatory requirements
• Logistics and transportation services
• Supply chain risk management
• Consulting and professional services
• Experience developing and monitoring service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Experience managing supplier performance, risk mitigation, and compliance programs.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams and remote teams
• Experience and knowledge in financial analysis, including forecasting & budget management
• Experience demonstrating effective leadership, directly or in-directly, for multi- disciplinary teams is required.

Special Training or Competency:

• Sustainability and ESG reporting requirements and service provider management.
• Trade compliance, customs, import/export regulations, and associated service providers.
• Product compliance requirements and regulatory service management.
• Logistics, transportation, warehousing, and supply chain service contracts.
• Supplier risk management, cybersecurity assessments, and TISAX requirements.
• Contract administration and vendor performance management.
• Strategic sourcing and category management methodologies.
• Observation, understanding, and execution of applicable company ISO/IATF 16949 certification standards related to the role and impact on the overall organization.
• Commitment to the highest ethical standard
• Training on contractual process with suppliers by negotiating NDA’s, General Terms & Conditions and Statement of Work
• Microsoft Office applications, ERP experince (JDE, Plex or other)Observation, understanding, and execution of applicable company ISO/IATF certification standards related to the role and impact on the overall organization.

Additional Information

Work Hours

Monday-Friday, 8 am – 5pm. Off-hours as needed.

Hybrid position, 2 days onsite / 3 days offsite

Travel Requirements

10-15% internationally and/or domestically.

If domestic travel is necessary, valid drivers’ license is required.

If international travel is necessary, valid passport is required.

Competencies

• Adaptation/Flexibility
• Initiative/ Results Driven
• Job Knowledge
• Judgment/ Decision Making
• Leading Others
• Resource Management
• Team work

DISCLAIMER

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Nippon Seiki North America is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Candidates must meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years to comply with labor laws and job responsibilities.