Manager, Direct Category Management

The Role:

We are hiring a Manager Strategic Sourcing to lead strategy and supplier management for critical chemicals specialty gases and advanced materials. The focus is on suppliers in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia (Korea Taiwan Japan China Malaysia) and on aligning those outcomes with our global sourcing strategy.

In this role you will:

This person will strengthen global chemicals strategies and drive execution across APAC sites acting as the customer to global commodity managers partnering with site execution managers in Asia leading Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and Executive Business Reviews (EBRs) with top-tier suppliers maintaining and delivering a unified APAC Chemicals category register. This register tracks delivery of savings BCPs risk topics NPIs and stakeholder engagement each with clear owners and due dates.

Traits we believe make a strong candidate:

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and alignment

• Own the sourcing and supplier strategy for assigned chemicals gases and specialty materials in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.

• Translate global category strategy into executable plans in-region and bring regional cost capacity and risk insight back into the global roadmap.

• Help direct focus areas for global commodity managers to ensure we areinvestingeffort where it matters most.

Negotiation and commercial agreements

• Lead commercial negotiations and long-term agreements including pricing structures indexation volume commitments capacity access service levels payment terms and liability language.

• Adjust negotiation style by culture while protecting cost continuity of supply and quality.

Supply continuity cost and quality

• Improve total cost of ownership including pricelogisticscost working capital impact service levels and continuity of supply.

• Anticipatecapacity quality or compliance risks and drive mitigation before they affect production.

• Support qualification of alternate sources where needed.

Leadership and communication

• Act as the point of truth on Asia supplier activity for U.S.-based leadership.

• Keep executives and functional partners informed on supplier status risk commercial exposure and next actions.

• Coordinate actions across Operations Planning Quality Technology Legal and Finance to drive decisions and follow-through.

Experience:

Soft Skills and Leadership Behaviors

• Cultural fluency and credibility with senior supplier contacts in Korea Taiwan Japan China Malaysia and the United States.

• Language capability:proficiencyin speaking and writing at least one commonly used business language in Southeast or Northeast Asia (for example Korean Mandarin Japanese) is highly desired. Strong English business writing and executive briefing skill is.

• Clear structured communication with senior leadership.

• High personal ownership urgency and follow-through.

• Ability to influence and align teams that do not report directly to you.

Required Experience

• 8 years in strategic sourcing or supply chain leadership with 5 years in chemicals or other highly specified raw materials preferred.

• Direct experience negotiating and managing suppliers in Korea Taiwan Japan China Malaysia or similar Asia Pacific markets.

• Demonstratedresults in total cost of ownership improvement paymenttermand cash benefit supply assurance and quality/on-time performance recovery.

• Strong understanding of commercial terms supplier financial drivers and cost models.

• Proven ability to work in a global matrixed environment and across multiple time zones.

Tools and Systems

• SAP Power BI and Microsoft Office.

• Strong analytics fluency and presentation skills for leadership audiences.

Education

• Bachelors degree in supply chain Chemical Engineering Materials Science Business Finance ora relatedfield.

• Advanced degree(MBA)is a plus not.

Travel

• International travel to supplier and site locations in Asia Pacific willbe requiredto support negotiations qualification activity and issue resolution.

Year-Zero KPIs (2025)

• Savings delivery

• On-time delivery 95%

• Contract coverage

• Payment term improvements

• Zero revenue constraints due to supply

• Dual-source and BCP coverage