Sourcing Manager

We are supporting an international manufacturer with the appointment of a Sourcing Manager to join one of its key European manufacturing sites. The site employs more than 300 people and operates as a European Centre of Excellence, combining R&D, industrialisation, manufacturing and supply chain. Producing more than 100,000 highly configurable products annually, it forms an important part of a recently established, private equity-backed international group. This is a significant procurement leadership position with responsibility a team of 4–6 people.

The Sourcing Manager will lead procurement activity at site level while also contributing to international sourcing projects across the wider organisation. Responsibilities will include:

• Leading, developing and challenging the local sourcing team
• Managing supplier negotiations, cost reduction and sourcing initiatives
• Improving supplier performance and mitigating supply risk
• Supporting new product introduction and industrialisation projects
• Managing supplier transitions and outsourced manufacturing activities
• Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, R&D and Finance
• Bringing greater structure, accountability and pace to the sourcing function
• Contributing to wider European and international procurement projects

We are particularly interested in individuals who have developed their careers within industrial manufacturing environments. More important is a track record of leading people, managing suppliers and delivering tangible improvements within a manufacturing environment.

Candidates should have:

• Significant sourcing/procurement experience within manufacturing
• Previous team leadership experience
• Strong supplier negotiation and cost-management capabilities
• Experience working alongside manufacturing and technical functions
• Exposure to NPI, supplier development or sourcing projects
• The ability to operate both strategically and hands-on
• Fluent French and strong professional English

The organisation is undergoing significant change and investment, making this particularly suited to somebody who enjoys building, improving and taking ownership, rather than simply maintaining an established procurement function.