Director, Global Supply Chain & Procurement

Position Overview

The Director of Global Supply Chain & Procurement will lead end-to-end supply chain activities within a global manufacturing network. This role holds responsibility for achieving significant improvements in material costs, warehousing and logistics expenses, supplier efficiency, and reducing lead times. The role also focuses on establishing a resilient and optimized global supply base.

The director will be instrumental in rebalancing the worldwide supply footprint, supporting the growth of sourcing regions with emerging potential, and facilitating the execution of several simultaneous new product launches. The successful candidate will be a results-oriented leader capable of delivering concrete results within tight deadlines and elevated expectations.

Key locations include Bolton, ON (Canada), Luxembourg, Chennai (India), Milton, VT (USA), and Shanghai (China), with sourcing primarily from Canada, USA, India, China, and the European Union.

Core Responsibilities

• Drive structural cost reductions in direct material procurement by deploying global sourcing strategies, negotiating with suppliers, and applying design-to-cost techniques.
• Create and implement sourcing strategies that enhance cost efficiency across regions aligned with their market economics, closing regional cost gaps.
• Institutionalize stringent cost control measures such as should-cost modeling, benchmarking, and ongoing productivity monitoring.
• Reduce total lead times from supplier order placement through production readiness, improving material availability, inventory turnover, and delivery punctuality across manufacturing facilities.
• Establish robust performance measurement systems with standard metrics, enforce accountability, and lead recovery and escalation efforts for supply interruptions.
• Develop and execute a global sourcing strategy aimed at risk reduction, enhanced cost positioning, and increased supply flexibility, promoting sourcing expansion in low-cost regions and diversification to prevent geographical over-reliance.
• Support the creation of new supply chain capabilities in line with shifts in the manufacturing footprint.
• Ensure supply chain preparedness for multiple concurrent new product introductions by partnering with Engineering and Operations for alignment on design, cost, and timing objectives.
• Proactively identify and mitigate product development supply risks and integrate supply chain considerations early in the design phase to optimize cost and manufacturability.
• Manage a high-performing global supplier base to meet cost, quality, and delivery targets through strategic relationships, negotiations, performance reviews, and development plans.
• Drive supplier responsibility via performance management frameworks and escalation procedures, while identifying opportunities for supplier consolidation, dual sourcing, and enhancing capabilities.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Finance, and Commercial units to ensure supply chain execution aligns with broader business goals.
• Provide senior leadership with actionable insights on risks, trade-offs, and performance, influencing decisions based on data and facts, ensuring global manufacturing site alignment.
• Lead and nurture a dynamic global team of supply chain and procurement experts, fostering skills in strategic sourcing, supplier development, analytics, and execution discipline.
• Promote a culture emphasizing accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement; attract, develop, and retain top talent globally.

Qualifications

• Over 15 years of leadership experience within global supply chain, procurement, logistics, or manufacturing operations in an industrial setting.
• Proven success in implementing large-scale material cost reductions and lead time improvements.
• Experience managing supply chains spanning multiple manufacturing regions and global supplier networks.
• Track record of successfully developing supply bases in emerging or cost-competitive regions.
• Strong analytical skills capable of performing effectively under high-pressure conditions.
• Leadership qualities including being results-driven, strategic and pragmatic, decisive, resilient under pressure, collaborative, and skilled at leading change.

Success Metrics

• Annual reductions in direct material costs
• Significant lead time decreases
• Enhanced on-time delivery and inventory management
• Growth in sourcing from competitive regions
• Successful execution of new product introductions
• A robust, high-performing global supplier network