Head - Strategic Sourcing

Role & responsibilities

• Develop and implement the overall strategic sourcing strategy aligned with business, product, cost, quality, and delivery objectives.
• Lead sourcing of castings, forgings, machined components, fabricated parts, hydraulics, electrical/electronic components, bought-outs, and other critical commodities.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop new suppliers based on capability, capacity, quality, cost, technology, and delivery performance.
• Establish and manage strategic supplier partnerships and long-term sourcing agreements.
• Drive cost reduction, VA/VE, should-cost analysis, localization, and value engineering initiatives.
• Lead supplier negotiations for price, payment terms, tooling, logistics, capacity, and commercial agreements.
• Develop alternate and dual sourcing strategies for critical components to reduce supply-chain risks.
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Product Development, Finance, and Supply Chain teams for new product and localization requirements.
• Drive supplier development initiatives to improve PPM, OTD, capacity, productivity, and process capability.
• Establish commodity-wise supplier strategy, benchmarking, market intelligence, and cost models.
• Support New Product Development (NPD) through supplier identification, RFQ, technical-commercial evaluation, and sourcing decisions.
• Monitor commodity prices, market trends, supplier financial health, and external risks to ensure business continuity.
• Lead supplier audits, capability assessments, and development plans in coordination with Quality and Engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain a robust supplier base and sourcing pipeline for future business requirements.
• Lead annual sourcing plans, budgeting, and procurement cost improvement targets.
• Ensure sourcing decisions comply with organizational quality, commercial, compliance, and procurement policies.
• Lead and mentor the strategic sourcing / procurement team and build strong commodity management capabilities.

Key Skills & Competencies

Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Development | Cost Reduction | Negotiation | Commodity Management | Should-Costing | VA/VE | Localization | Supplier Evaluation | NPD Sourcing | Dual Sourcing | Market Intelligence | Contract Management | Risk Management | Team Leadership

Educational Qualification

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical / Production / Industrial Engineering or equivalent.

MBA / PGDM in Supply Chain / Procurement / Operations will be an added advantage.

Preferred Candidate Profile

• 1525 years of experience in Strategic Sourcing / Procurement / Supply Chain within manufacturing.
• Strong preference for candidates from Construction Equipment, Heavy Equipment, Automotive/Industrial OEM, Heavy Engineering, or similar manufacturing industries.
• Strong exposure to manufacturing components and engineering commodities, including castings, forgings, machining, fabrication, hydraulics, electricals, and bought-out components.
• Proven experience in strategic supplier development, negotiations, cost reduction, localization, and supplier risk management.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to work closely with senior management and cross-functional teams.
• Experience in managing large supplier portfolios and strategic commodities is preferred.
• Strong leadership, analytical, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.