Overview:
This role reports to the Director of Pressure Sensitive Labels on the Direct Materials Procurement team and will be responsible for procurement activities supporting one of our largest business segments. This role will work closely with business stakeholders to understand business priorities and develop/execute category strategies to reduce total cost of ownership and ensure supply continuity. This will be achieved through an understanding of industry benchmarking, best in class performance, and by leveraging supplier innovation, supplier management, complex deal negotiation skills, sourcing tools and processes.
Technical Strategy & Specification Management Responsibilities
- Adhesion Science: Define and audit technical specifications for permanent, removable, and repositionable adhesives.
- Durability & Environmental Resistance: Qualify materials for extreme conditions
- Manage the technical "sandwich" of the label
- Substrate Selection: Select optimal face stocks, liners, and adhesives
Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management Responsibilities
- Portfolio Optimization: Rationalize the current label SKU library by identifying cross-functional materials that meet multiple performance criteria.
- Supplier Qualification: Audit manufacturers on their technical consistency and coat-weight precision.
- Market Intelligence: Monitor feedstocks (Propylene, Paper Pulp, Silicone, Platinum catalysts) to anticipate pricing shifts and supply constraints.
Procurement Responsibilities:
- Responsible for developing, communicating and implementing procurement strategies for the category
- Build relationships to partner with key internal stakeholders to understand strategic direction and business priorities in order to develop and execute effective strategies to achieve business objectives
- Achieve business requirements while effectively capturing value (i.e. cost improvements, risk mitigation, supply continuity, cost avoidance, process improvements, supplier management)
- Develop and sustain strategic relationships with key suppliers
- Research, evaluate and qualify new suppliers as business needs require and to ensure competitive advantages
- Evaluate supplier core competencies and competitive positioning using cost models and benchmarking tools
- Ensure systems are continuously updated to contain the most current documentation, terms, etc.
- Ability to conduct successful sourcing events, negotiations, and thorough market analysis
- Negotiate supplier agreements with Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Service Level Agreements (SLA), appropriate price protection, and continuous improvement efficiencies
- Additional responsibilities as required to achieve business objectives
Qualifications
- Experience: Must have 5+ years in a technical procurement, R&D, or Application Engineering role specifically within the Pressure Sensitive Label industry.
- 5+ years of past experience in Pressure Sensitive/Direct Thermal Industry required
- An in-depth knowledge of label applications and specifications
- RFID label experience a plus
- Bachelor degree in business management or supply chain
- Demonstrated ability to build strategic partnerships across multiple internal teams and with suppliers
- Project management experience required with high volume throughput
- Demonstrated ability to analyze data and identify potential opportunities that align with strategies
- Excellent communication skills with ability to respond to sensitive issues with professionalism
- Proficient in Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides) and MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Able to travel occasionally as needed to support business requirements