Strategic Sourcing Lead - Aerospace & Defense

Molex

Addison (TX)

On-site

USD 110,000 - 160,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Job summary

Molex ADS is seeking a Regional Category Manager to lead strategic sourcing for assigned suppliers and categories, partnering with Procurement, Engineering, Quality, and Operations to drive value and resilience in mission‑critical aerospace solutions.

You will develop supplier strategies, lead quarterly business reviews, and manage performance metrics across global suppliers, ensuring quality, delivery, and cost competitiveness throughout the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.
5+ years of experience in procurement, category management, supplier management, strategic sourcing, or supply chain leadership.
Experience managing supplier relationships, supplier performance programs, and business reviews.
Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience working in a manufacturing environment with direct materials suppliers.
Strong analytical and problem‑solving capabilities.
Experience utilizing ERP systems and procurement or supplier management platforms.
Ability to influence and collaborate across a matrixed global organization.
Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary relationship strategic categories.
Develop and execute supplier relationship strategies that improve quality, delivery, responsiveness, innovation, and total cost performance.
Build strong partnerships with key suppliers and internal stakeholders to support operational and strategic business objectives.
Lead supplier business reviews and performance discussions, utilizing scorecards and key performance indicators to drive continuous improvement.
Monitor supplier performance metrics including delivery, quality, lead time adherence, responsiveness, capacity, and risk indicators.
Identify and mitigate supplier risks including capacity constraints, financial stability concerns, geopolitical impacts, regulatory requirements, and sole‑source dependencies.
Support new product development initiatives by engaging suppliers early in the development process to drive innovation, manufacturability, and competitive cost structures.
Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supplier Quality teams to support supplier qualification, onboarding, and development activities.
Drive supplier development initiatives focused on quality improvement, lead‑time reduction, operational efficiency, and cost optimization.
Lead escalation management efforts and coordinate root‑cause analysis and corrective action plans to resolve supply chain disruptions.
Partner with Procurement and Legal teams to support commercial negotiations, contractual obligations, supplier performance expectations, and renewal activities.
Ensure suppliers meet ADS requirements related to quality, regulatory compliance, ethical sourcing, and responsible business practices.
Support business continuity planning and supply chain resiliency initiatives.
Identify opportunities for supplier‑led innovation and collaborate with engineering teams to bring new technologies and capabilities into the organization.