Highlights of the Senior Supply Chain Manager Position

Our Oil & Gas client is seeking a candidate with a strong technical aptitude in Chemicals related commodities, as well as Procurement & Supply Chain background to assume the Senior Supply Chain Manager position available at the Chemicals division of their business. The right candidate will have the required market insight into the cost drivers of the Oil & Gas industry as it relates to Chemical commodities, a technical background and ability to develop policies and procedures related to their Strategic Sourcing process. The right person will have experience with adding structure to a Procurement organization and mentoring a team. Relevant commodity experience is also important, and the intangibles to be in a leadership role and guide the department as it transforms into a more strategic entity.

Company Information

Our client is a global manufacturing leader and Fortune 200 company in the Oil & Gas services industry. The company is one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With more than 60,000 employees in approximately 80 countries, the company serves the upstream oil and gas industry throughout the lifecycle of the deposit.

Job Location

Southwest US

Key Responsibilities of Senior Supply Chain Manager Position

• Must have proven experience in developing Strategic Sourcing processes and procedures, implementing them and mentoring team members on their application and use.  This person will manage a team of 7 Category Managers who are each assigned a commodity group in the Chemicals Division.
• This person will be tasked with elevating the Global Category Management group to ‘Best in Class’ status.  This person will have to understand how to use Spend Analytics, Market Indices, understand Cost Drivers of the market, Cost Modeling and be able to use these tools to take a Total Cost of Ownership (T.C.O.) approach in order to elevate the Category Management group.
• Provide direction to accomplish strategic sourcing alternatives, vendor selection, price negotiation and supplier performance measurements to meet the needs of the organization.
• Responsible for leading a team that will develop and implement global category strategies and managing the supply base.  This person will guide the team in managing the supplier relationship, supplier performance assessments and reviews, contract negotiations and drafting, stakeholder management, and operational coordination for areas identified within the category.
• Develop effective sourcing alternatives for new products including development of low-cost country suppliers when possible.  Overcoming ‘sole source’ supplier issues, and other cost drivers like tolling.  Assess current market conditions and identify and implement strategies to maximize opportunities.
• Track raw materials trends and plan effectively to protect profitability of operations.
• Understand the cost of logistics and international freight, as well as be familiar with bulk and packaged products.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts for material cost and sourcing activities.
• Implement effective systems and processes to provide value throughout the supply chain and support lean manufacturing initiatives.
• Work with the team of Category Managers to build and develop category strategies and processes to manage suppliers globally and support manufacturing and distribution activities in all regions.
• Identify and develop a robust supply base to provide materials with competitive cost and quality for all locations and support for geographic expansions.
• Work closely with manufacturing and technical management to provide best-value solutions for raw materials and outsourced products.

Essential Qualifications and/or Requirements

• Outstanding negotiation, leadership skills and technical aptitude that would include previous experience with one or more of the following commodities:
  • Mined Products – Barite, Bentonite, etc.
  • CERA – Corrosion Control, Emulsifiers, Raw Materials and Acidifiers
  • FLSTV – Filtration Control, Lubricants, Suspension agents, Thinners and Viscosifiers
  • Base Oils – Class I, II and III oil products
  • Salts and Brines – Bromides, Chlorides, etc.
  • LCM/Stabilizers – Lost Circulation, Stabilizing Chemicals
  • Capital Equipment
• Must have a Chemistry and/or Chemical Engineering background.  If not, this person must possess an advanced knowledge of Chemicals in order to suggest substitution specifics and be able to understand pressure temperatures.
• Must have a track record of elevating the performance of the group through a disciplined Strategic Sourcing process and the use of Spend Analytics to develop better strategies for Category Management of the above commodities.
• Bring focus, purpose and agility to motivate others to adapt quickly to changing business needs.
• Proven ability to raise the performance bar – create, promote and sustain a high performance culture that reinforces accountability.
• Takes the initiative to look for and take advantage of opportunities and willing to take independent actions and calculated risks.
• International sourcing experience is preferred.
• Strong team player; proactively able to step in to support other team members as needed and share knowledge to allow cross training of all functions, builds collaborative relationships.
• Works well under pressure, effectively handles conflict and demonstrates flexibility in work style to accommodate changing priorities and fixed deadlines.
• Track record of sourcing success for new products and development of new suppliers.
• Successful implementation of lean supply chain concepts.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the broader organization, and how their role and/or function fit into the strategic plan and overall direction of the company.
• Creates alignment so everyone within organization understands the strategy and how their contribution furthers organizational success.
• Decisions reinforce the business plan and strategy by building a disciplined, consistent approach with measurements of success.
• Demonstrated ability to pull together management reporting, interpret data and provide meaningful information to both a financial and non-financial audience.
• Self-motivated, capable of seeking quality solutions and continuously focusing on process improvements, while keeping the needs of the business in the forefront.

Desired Qualifications

• BS/BA Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or other technical degree is highly preferred, with a graduate degree in Business Administration and/or Certification as a Supply Chain Professional preferred.
• Supply Chain Management, Finance and Business degrees will also be considered with at least 15 years of experience in roles with progressive growth in a multinational organization.

About the Author:

The Teldar Group is an Executive Search and Recruiting Firm specializing in placing professionals in Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, Purchasing, Logistics and Supply Chain positions.

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