Strategic Sourcing Leader (Lead Buyer)

The Strategic Sourcing Lead will play a crucial role in managing procurement activities across indirect spend categories within the consumer goods (CPG) industry, ensuring the efficient sourcing of materials and services to support business operations with a focus on redesign of MRO & CapEx categories. This role supports a high production plant that operates in a 24/7 capacity. Report to into a Global Executive Leader! Client Details Consumer Products Brand with a global presence and top line revenue exceeding $10B. This role will sit out of and support a Manufacturing Plant in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area. Description Manage end-to-end sourcing and purchasing activities for site-related CAPEX, MRO, technical services, spare parts, facility-related services, utilities, laboratory consumables/services/equipment, and other indirect operational needs not managed at Group level, ensuring compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements. Develop and execute sourcing strategies for local/site indirect spend categories to ensure the most efficient procurement of goods and services at the best total cost of ownership, while safeguarding service, quality, operational continuity, and compliance. Lead supplier identification, qualification, and negotiation processes to secure capable vendors and competitive commercial agreements. Collaborate closely with engineering, maintenance, operations, quality, finance, and other key site stakeholders to align procurement plans with business priorities, technical requirements, and plant operational needs. Apply the appropriate purchasing approach depending on the situation, including strategic sourcing, tactical sourcing, spot buys, contract-based procurement, and structured negotiation. Challenge, clarify, and help improve internal specifications and requirements to enable efficient sourcing, reduce rework, and shorten lead times. Build and maintain a prioritized action pipeline for the site, supported by spend analysis and stakeholder alignment, and translate this into concrete initiatives for cost optimization, supplier performance improvement, operational reliability, and risk mitigation. Manage supplier relationships in a disciplined and proactive manner, including contract negotiation, supplier performance follow-up, and supplier risk mitigation, ensuring that vendors deliver the expected performance in service, quality, and total cost of ownership. Support or lead issue resolution between suppliers and internal stakeholders. Ensure full compliance with Group purchasing policies, tendering rules, approval workflows, documentation requirements, contract governance, and audit expectations. Act as a link between the local/site procurement activity and the wider Global Purchasing Organization, ensuring local execution is aligned with global agreements, governance, and broader procurement standards. Maintain accurate, complete, and audit-ready procurement documentation, supplier records, and contract files, and provide regular and ad hoc reporting as needed. Support the maturation of procurement processes and ways of working at site level, helping position procurement as a proactive business partner rather than only a transactional service function. Progressively build knowledge of the broader operational procurement scope, including waste and residues. Profile Bachelor's degree required; Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, or a technical field is strongly preferred. Language: English written and spoken fluently. Strong command of Microsoft Office tools. Knowledge of SAP, Coupa and/or IBM Maximo is a strong advantage. Minimum of 8 years of procurement experience in an international company (preferably in food/pharmaceutical/chemical industries), within the manufacturing sector. Proven expertise in sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier management, and site / operational procurement. Proven success in managing indirect spend categories in a plant or industrial environment, …

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