Strategic Sourcing Specialist

About This Role

Leading category strategy, supplier sourcing, and contracting activities across key product and service categories is the core of this specialist role. The successful candidate will collaborate with engineering, quality, production, and finance teams to deliver sustainable cost savings, ensure supply continuity, and drive procurement process improvements. This position involves analyzing market trends, conducting competitive sourcing events, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier performance to support business growth and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Conduct intelligence studies to identify supplier trends, cost drivers, and risk factors
• Maintain supplier qualification and ongoing performance management (e.g., scorecards, audits)
• Collaborate with internal teams—engineering, legal, quality assurance, and operations—to ensure alignment with sourcing decisions
• Identify supply chain risks; develop and execute mitigation and continuity plans to manage supply disruptions and escalation issues
• Drive continuous cost-optimization, process improvement, and performance metrics tracking
• Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers
• Help find second sources for any single sourced items
• Issue and maintain blanket purchase orders for commodities
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degrees preferred
• Proven experience (5–7 years) in sourcing or procurement, preferably in strategic sourcing and category management
• Industry-specific expertise (manufacturing)
• 2-3 years proven ETO or MTO manufacturing environment experience
• Strong negotiation skills; ability to secure favorable commercial terms and supply agreements
• Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems and advanced Excel for spend and data analysis and reporting
• Analytical mindset for data-driven decision-making
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities for stakeholder management
• Organizational and time management skills to handle multiple sourcing projects
• Strong ethical judgment and strategic orientation

Nice to have:

• Procurement/Supply Chain credentials: CPSM, CIPS, CPIM, ISM CSP or equivalent preferred

About the Company

Electrical Thermal Solutions (ETS), part of Spirax Group, creates electrical process heating and temperature management solutions through its businesses Chromalox, Durex Industries, Vulcanic, and Thermocoax. Chromalox, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, builds advanced thermal technologies for industrial heating applications and has been innovating for over 100 years.