Sourcing Manager
Location: Newark, NJ 07102
Duration: 5 months, with potential for extension
Type: Hybrid
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced Sourcing Manager to lead strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier negotiations, and commercial activities. This role will focus on optimizing the supply chain, ensuring continuity of supply, managing supplier relationships, and delivering cost and commercial objectives.
The ideal candidate will have strong procurement and strategic sourcing experience, with at least 2 years of packaging sourcing experience, excellent negotiation skills, and strong analytical and commercial capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize supply chain performance and ensure continuous, responsible supply of materials, services, and finished goods.
- Partner with Commercial, Procurement, Operations, Supply, R&D, Quality, and Finance teams to develop and implement sourcing strategies and best practices.
- Manage supplier selection, negotiations, commercial agreements, and ongoing supplier relationships.
- Analyze spend, pricing, market data, and commercial scenarios to identify cost-saving and sourcing opportunities.
- Maintain accurate pricing information and commercial agreements following sourcing events.
- Support Commercial Systems activities, including vendor selection, system configuration, data maintenance, reporting, and analysis.
- Ensure data accuracy and test new system features and processes as implemented.
- Develop and implement best-practice processes, tools, guidelines, and systems to improve commercial capabilities.
- Support sourcing transformation, automation, and process improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to execute sourcing decisions and meet business objectives.
- Manage supplier performance and relationships while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 5+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience.
- Minimum 2 years of packaging sourcing experience.
- Proven experience leading and conducting supplier negotiations.
- Experience with contract negotiations beyond basic commercial terms.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret spend, pricing, market, and supplier data.
- Strong understanding of forecasting, budgeting, PPV, and financial concepts.
- Experience with commodity- or index-based pricing.
- Strong supplier relationship and stakeholder management skills.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and ambiguous environment.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- SAP experience preferred.
Preferred Experience
- Experience in FMCG/CPG industries.
- Experience with direct materials and manufacturing environments.
- Exposure to regional or global sourcing organizations.
- Cost modeling or should-cost analysis experience.
- Experience working across multiple countries and cultures.
- Experience with sourcing transformation, automation, or process improvement.
- Strong commercial judgment and a data-driven approach to decision-making.