Strategic Sourcing Lead – Direct Materials

Aston Carter; Michigan City (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Time Off / PTO

Job summary

Aston Carter in Michigan City, IN is seeking a Strategic Commodity Manager to develop and execute sourcing strategies for direct-material commodities in an industrial manufacturing environment. You will lead cost-reduction initiatives, negotiate supplier agreements, and manage supplier performance.

This on-site role requires strong analytical, negotiation, and project management skills, with 10-25% travel within the continental US.

Qualifications

• Direct commodity management experience in industrial/manufacturing environments.
• Measurable cost reductions achieved with suppliers.
• Experience negotiating long-term supplier agreements and complex terms.
• Experience managing supplier performance and developing or replacing suppliers.
• Ability to source technical, engineered, or build-to-print commodities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement cost-effective commodity and category strategies.
• Deliver measurable cost reductions through supplier negotiations, cost analysis, and market studies.
• Lead commercial negotiations and support long-term supplier agreements.
• Negotiate pricing, service levels, and other supplier terms.
• Monitor supplier performance against quality, delivery, cost, risk, and continuous improvement metrics.
• Develop corrective-action plans and replace underperforming suppliers when needed.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and onboard new suppliers.
• Build relationships with key suppliers and analyze market trends.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, quality, and purchasing to align sourcing strategies.

Skills

Commodity management

Cost reductions

Supplier negotiations

Supplier performance management

Technical sourcing

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Supply Chain/Engineering/Business degree

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Aston Carter in Michigan City, IN is seeking a Strategic Commodity Manager to develop and execute sourcing strategies for direct-material commodities in an industrial manufacturing environment. You will lead cost-reduction initiatives, negotiate supplier agreements, and manage supplier performance.

This on-site role requires strong analytical, negotiation, and project management skills, with 10-25% travel within the continental US.