Program Manager, Strategic Sourcing NPD

Location: Onsite, four days per week - Kohler, WI

Opportunity

As a Program Manager within the K&B NPD Strategic Sourcing team, you will manage a team of Sourcing Leads and oversee a variety of like-categories. You will be accountable for the successful execution of all development projects within your categories, responsible for ensuring strategic alignment with all necessary stakeholders and counterparts, responsible for resource development and allocation within your team, and accountable for sourcing readiness in regards to future requirements of your managed categories. You will be charged with ensuring all Sourcing Deliverables and activities are completed within project timelines; including but not limited to engaging with stakeholders to understand their needs, translating and executing category sourcing strategies, negotiation related to inputs into Total Delivered Cost, and risk mitigation related to contracting, IP protections, and supply continuity. In addition to managing and developing your team, this role is expected to step in as an individual contributor when needed to drive critical work forward. This role is ideal for an aspiring leader who enjoys both developing people and staying close to the work through direct contribution.

• Lead the assigned strategic sourcing function within cross-functional product development teams, ensuring alignment of category strategies, supplier selection, and execution to overall program objectives.

• Manage and develop a team of sourcing professionals, providing direction, coaching, and prioritization to ensure successful delivery of NPD project milestones and sourcing outcomes

• Own category sourcing strategies and execution across assigned areas, guiding the team in cost modeling, supplier negotiations, and contract development to meet target cost and business objectives.

• Ensure successful execution of sourcing deliverables across all phases of product development, stepping in directly on critical initiatives or complex workstreams as needed to drive results

• Oversee supplier development and performance activities, ensuring alignment to project timelines, quality expectations, and long-term strategic capabilities

• Lead cross functional alignment with Engineering, Project Management, and Operations to proactively manage risk, resolve issues, and ensure sourcing readiness for product launches.

• Drive financial performance of sourcing initiatives, including cost savings, avoidance, and value engineering, ensuring delivery against program targets

• Provide leadership in contract strategy and negotiations, ensuring appropriate balance of risk, intellectual property protection, and supply continuity

• Establish and continuously improve sourcing processes, tools, and best practices to enhance team effectiveness and overall organizational capability

• Build and maintain strong internal and external relationships to enable effective collaboration, influence decision making, and resolve conflict

• Stay closely connected to market trends, supplier capabilities, and industry benchmarks, guiding the team in applying this knowledge to sourcing strategies

Required Competencies

Business/Technology

• Understand legal Interpretation of contract T&Cs and proficient in working with Domestic & International Law. Involved in the Acquisition and/or re-sale of Intellectual Property. Understanding potential differing needs between Internal & External customers. Consistently exceed customer expectations by dealing with internal complexities across multi or global organization in a manner invisible to customers.

• Ability to construct and manage complex, sophisticated commercial arrangements; Experienced in negotiating/managing point-to-point purchase agreements. Ability to construct value stream (profit margin) industry maps, utilize advanced financial techniques (commodity hedging), and build market comparable cost analysis.

• Ability to create spend category strategy with the understanding of interdependences, risks, and impact of strategy by business unit. Able to develop & implement contingency planning processes.

• Provides solution/alternatives to improvement ideas. Takes initiative to undertake improvement opportunities that are global in scope and complexity, setting strategies for process improvements that impact the work product of the department. Drives one company one process initiatives. Skilled in implementing continuous improvement opportunities within the supply base.

Interpersonal

• Communicates departmental vision and goals, creating atmosphere of open communication. Provides presentation opportunities for developing talent visibility with senior management. Issues undertaken are significant in scope and complexity. Actively supports change opportunities to maximize personal, departmental and/or company performance.
• Influences relationships, proficient in market research and capable of reacting to the speed of the industry. Recognizes and capitalizes on team dynamics, seeking out both internal and external opportunities for a team environment. Identifies critical relationship building opportunities.

Managerial

• Lead a team of sourcing professionals, responsible for continuous development of team and accountable for results of team performance. Collaborate in refining of NPD Sourcing vision, refreshing of annual objectives, defining of required initiatives, and setting and managing of required KPIs.