Global Sourcing And Procurement Senior Manager

Illuminate USA, a new standalone joint venture established by two global leaders in renewable energy, is building one of the largest solar panel manufacturing factories in the Western Hemisphere. This 1.1 million-square-foot factory is currently in the advanced stages of preparation in the Columbus, Ohio area. Illuminate USA is seeking highly motivated team members to help the company grow from startup to a full scale, industry leading manufacturer with $1B - $2B expected annual revenue and over 1,200 employees in less than two years.

This will be a fast-paced and exciting time in our history as we are building something great from the ground up here in central Ohio. We offer competitive pay, benefits, and ongoing career development opportunities. Come join our collaborative, people-focused, and innovative workplace as we embark upon this unique and exciting journey!

Job Summary:

We are currently looking for a Global Sourcing and Procurement Senior Manager for our new factory in Pataskala, Ohio. Reporting to the Head of the Procurement Department, this role will support the domestic content strategy. Responsible for sourcing all solar panel materials in the U.S., supporting the global procurement experts in procuring raw materials locally to support the strategic and operational business objectives. Facilitates the procurement process for procurement decisions delivering the highest quality materials with the ability to manage cost. Develop strong business relationships and strategic partnerships. This person will be responsible for ensuring that the correct supply base is selected while ensuring that cost reduction targets and supplier performance goals are met. Building relationships through long term agreements or contracts as well as inventory agreements. The candidate will undertake sourcing projects to ensure that Illuminate remains at a competitive advantage in the marketplace and will ensure that the local and global sourcing team is made aware of potential in the domestic market. Responsible for finding, qualifying, and developing suppliers with a long-term point of view.

Responsibilities:

• Actively manage the performance portfolio of the material suppliers to ensure that all KPIs’ and production requirements are met.
• Lead strategic and tactical negotiations with managed supply partners, communicate the results to the supplier, internal customers, and the leadership team.
• Coordinate aggregation of demand for supplier forecasting and leveraging for cost reduction.
• Utilize formal benchmarking methods to determine best in class processes and drive improvement.
• Develop and implement global sourcing with specific negotiation strategies to achieve cost, supply assurance and risk mitigation.
• Demonstrate project management skills and ability to partner with domestic and international cross functional teams.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Effectively communicate with appropriate management levels both internally and externally.
• Source suppliers and develop long-term project plans to increase the number of qualified suppliers.
• Negotiate prices and make contract commitments with established and new suppliers.
• Assess new suppliers for business fit, financial stability and ensure that they will provide the best value to Illuminate USA.
• Proactively manage supplier base ensuring supply with no adverse impact on production plans.
• Conduct business dealings with the highest level of integrity and regard for legal and environmental issues.
• Ensure that all sourcing project plans are updated and maintained on a regular basis.

Qualifications:

• Understanding of operational purchasing processes, concepts, and negotiations including but not limited to familiarity with RFI, RFQ and RFPs.
• Requires a bachelor’s degree in purchasing, business management or related area of study.
• Fluent in Mandarin (speaking, reading, and writing) strongly preferred but not required.
• Must be a detail-oriented self-starter that can develop and execute strategic plans, timelines, and negotiations.
• Manufacturing experience in a fast-paced environment is strongly preferred.
• Ability to work under pressure, with strong planning, communication, and execution skills.
• 5+ years of sourcing/procurement role with solar procurement experience being preferred but not required.
• Strong learning agility and collaboration skills with an open mind to learn and solve problems quickly, demonstrating a growth mindset.

Illuminate USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any protected status as defined by law.