Strategic Sourcing Category Manager

Strategic Sourcing Category Manager

This opportunity is located in Duluth, Minnesota. As the home to our corporate headquarters, Duluth is a four-season city on the western tip of Lake Superior and was voted "Best Town" by Outside Magazine. The splendor of the largest freshwater lake in the world offers a multitude of outdoor activities for adventure or rejuvenation. The North Shore lifestyle is known for its year-round activities, including bicycle and snowmobile trails, kayaking, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, golfing, sailing and skiing. And as a top employer in the area, Cirrus Aircraft was recently named "Best Overall Large Company to Work for in the Northland" and "Best Workplace Culture" by the Duluth News Tribune readers.

Cirrus Aircraft is seeking a highly organized, goal-oriented Strategic Sourcing Category Manager (Commodity Lead) to join our growing organization. The Commodity Lead is responsible for managing the strategic sourcing aspect in new product introduction activity. This role is responsible for overseeing and facilitating a cross-functional team to accomplish annual goals and objectives, develop and align the strategy for the program across the organization and negotiate long term agreements with the supply base. They serve as the primary interface between suppliers and have responsibility for managing the Cirrus relationship with these suppliers. Periodic updates to the Cirrus Executive Leadership Team on progress towards annual goals and objectives as well as providing category specific guidance to the annual budgeting process is required. These teams will also be responsible for designating suppliers as either strategic or non-strategic and be responsible for defining, prioritizing, and coordinating assistance to strategic suppliers, as needed, in support of category-focused goals and objectives.

The commodity groups at Cirrus include : Avionics, Electrical, Metal Fabrication, Composites, Propulsion, Landing Gear, Interiors, Safety Systems, Environmental Control Systems, Indirect.

Duties and Responsibilities / Essential Functions :

• Develop, communicate and execute a global strategy for the program to achieve annual goals and objectives.
• Lead cross functional teams including IT, engineering, marketing & sales, supply chain, manufacturing, human resources and suppliers through the full project lifecycle from discovery, requirements, design, development, pilot, production, commercialization through financial tracking close-out.
• Lead the strategic sourcing process including the identification of potential new sources of supply that achieve Cirrus metrics in quality, delivery, value and innovation.
• Own the supplier relationship.
• Investigates new cost savings ideas with appropriate stakeholders and drive decision making with appropriate business information from a cross-functional team.
• Work with area executives to assign team leaders and team members to projects with appropriate skill sets needed.
• Perform reviews with strategic suppliers, monitoring their adherence to Cirrus quality, delivery, cost and innovation performance metrics
• Negotiate long term agreements and lead the implementation, coordination and enforcement of contractual obligations for the program.
• Lead the integrated project team for the programs evaluating the company's needs and align the supply base.
• Facilitate regular meetings to define the strategy for the program and ensure that it aligns with the overall commodity strategy.
• Assume the role of "expert" for the program. Understand, track, and forecast the global supply base, market, technology, cost structure / drivers, and competition of the commodity.
• Support critical shortages as they are escalated to maintain program milestones.
• Lead sourcing activity for projects following the established Cirrus process including providing guidance on cost modeling early in the development process.
• Solve problems and issues and track program progress.
• Develop and utilize project KPI's to drive results to meet annual goals and objectives.
• Represent Cirrus in a highly professional manner internally and externally.
• Travel may be required up to 25-50% (domestic and international).

Qualifications :

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Our Benefits :

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Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Work beyond 40 hours per week may be required.

Cirrus is dedicated to a drug free work environment promoting equal employment opportunity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, national origin, color, age, disability, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, receipt of public assistance, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.