Strategic Sourcing Manager

Buckman – Memphis, TN

Location: Memphis, TN

Language: English

Travel: up to 10%

Buckman is a privately held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, TN, USA, committed to safeguarding the environment, maintaining safety in the workplace, and promoting sustainable development. Buckman delivers exceptional service and innovative solutions to our customers globally in the pulp and paper, leather, and water treatment sectors to help boost productivity, reduce risk, improve product quality, and provide a measurable return on investment. 

Purpose of Job

Responsible for developing and executing procurement strategies for Direct Materials (Raw Materials and PFR), ensuring alignment with business goals, cost targets, and quality standards. This role manages supplier relationships, negotiates commercial terms—including total cost, pricing, payment conditions, and savings opportunities—and continuously evaluates sourcing processes for improvement. The Strategic Sourcing Manager also supports cross-functional collaboration with R&D, sales, and operations teams in the introduction of new products and innovations, while monitoring market conditions to anticipate risks and maintain supply continuity. This position is accountable for managing an annual spend of approximately USD 40M

Key Outcomes/Responsibilities

Outcome: Cost Savings and terms improvement through efficient portfolio management for direct materials (Raw Materials and PFR)

Actions:

• Develop and implement sourcing strategies for Raw Materials and PFR categories, ensuring alignment with business objectives and maximizing supplier performance
• Conduct RFPs, should-cost analyses, and market benchmarking to secure competitive pricing and payment terms, identify cost drivers, and uncover savings opportunities
• Manage supplier performance, monitor contract validity, and lead strategic renegotiations to ensure favorable and sustainable commercial terms
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, implementing SRM strategies to support long-term collaboration and performance improvement
• Ensure accuracy and timely updates of commercial conditions and pricing in SAP, maintaining compliance with current agreements and procurement policies
• Report portfolio performance, project progress, and cost-saving achievements to support data-driven decision-making on agreed cadence

Outcome: Procurement-led innovation and strategic advancement

Actions:

• Lead cross-functional Strategic Sourcing projects, incorporating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and global collaboration;
• Monitor market trends, supplier innovation, and emerging technologies to introduce forward-looking procurement solutions
• Conduct detailed market scoping and supplier assessments to uncover new sourcing opportunities
• Analyze market dynamics and competitive intelligence to inform procurement strategies and support business innovation

Outcome: Anticipate and mitigate key business risks; retain business and global procurement alignment

Actions:

• Continuously evaluate market conditions, supply chain dynamics, inflation, and demand shifts to assess their impact on cost structures, sourcing strategies, and material availability

• Identify and assess financial, operational, strategic, compliance, regulatory, and environmental risks across the supplier base and broader supply chain
• Monitor vulnerabilities such as geopolitical instability, cost volatility, and supply disruptions, evaluating both likelihood and potential impact
• Develop and implement changes in approach or risk mitigation strategies based on evolving market conditions—including contingency planning, alternative sourcing, and supplier diversification—to ensure business continuity and safeguard operations
• Integrate risk assessments into supplier evaluations and sourcing decisions to proactively manage exposure
• Communicate actionable insights, risks and mitigation plans to internal stakeholders to ensure alignment, awareness, and preparedness across the organization

Outcome: Strategic supplier management for operational excellence

Actions:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local and international suppliers to ensure reliable delivery, resolve pricing, invoicing, quality, and delivery issues, and foster long-term collaboration
• Develop and implement supplier development programs to enhance quality, performance, and compliance with company standards
• Negotiate favorable terms that balance risk mitigation with service levels and pricing commitments
• Monitor supplier performance using KPIs, audits, and regular reviews to ensure alignment with business objectives
• Lead continuous improvement and innovation initiatives with suppliers to boost supply chain agility and competitiveness

Outcome: Suppliers Compliance with ISO Standards

Actions:

• Qualify and evaluate suppliers according to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), and ISO 45001 (Health & Safety) standards;
• Conduct supplier audits and manage corrective action plans to maintain ISO and ESG compliance;
• Integrate ESG requirements and ISO standards into supplier selection, development, and contract management;
• Maintain accurate and complete audit documentation for internal and third-party compliance reviews;
• Support corporate ESG reporting by ensuring supplier data aligns with sustainability and regulatory frameworks.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Chemistry, Engineering, Finance, or related areas
• Job Experience: 4-6 years
• Proficient at SAP, Excel, PowerPoint
• Solid business/financial/supply chain acumen
• Ability to lead cross functional teams
• Strategic sourcing for complex sourcing scenarios
• Ability to negotiate win-win agreements
• Legal and regulatory compliance expertise
• Supplier relationship management skills

Competencies

• Action Oriented - Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm 
• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives 
• Manages Conflict - Handling conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise 
• Courage - Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said 
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances 

We appreciate the interest of recruitment partners, but we are not engaging external agencies for this role.

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