Location: Elkhart,IN, USA
JOB SUMMARY: Bennington is the market leading pontoon boat manufacturer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries, a Fortune 500 company. We pride ourselves on delivering a boating experience that's second to none through our emphasis on innovation, design, product quality, and relentless focus on customer satisfaction. Our team members live that passion every day and have fueled our growth. The Strategic Sourcing Manager is responsible for overall supplier strategy and to be a key member of the new product team to execute the product development process and deliver flawless new product launches with our supplier partners. ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES : •Act as the supplier contact for innovation and new product ideas through assisting engineering and product development to build and maintain a new idea pipeline. •Monitor new product trends and understand competitive landscape in marine space. •Responsible for the alignment of supplier strategy of both new and existing supply base. •Lead new part implementation with internal purchasing, finance, materials, kitting, and manufacturing teams. •Lead, track, and drive cost optimization for new products working closely with BOM team. •Responsible for Purchasing PDP (Product Development Process) deliverables for all milestones to ensure flawless launches. •Act as point of contact and communicate any timeline changes or other significant issues with critical suppliers to ensure readiness, while meeting all cost and quality standards. •Act as key contributing member for the executive product council. •Lead the RFQ process through supplier selection, including quoting for both components and tooling. •Partner closely with engineering and design to optimize new products for sourcing and manufacturing. •Partner with Product Management to develop and execute product scopes. •Assist quality to ensure selected NPD suppliers obtain PPAP or applicable alternative. •Assist in the development and implementation of master supply agreements with suppliers. •Lead supplier negotiations for cost effective pricing, warranty terms, legal terms & conditions, lead times, delivery, payment terms, etc. while ensuring product meets specifications. •Assist with order generation for DV, PV, Production Ramp Up, and Boat Show's as applicable. •Responsible for part number set-up and integration into BOMs and All Purchasing Systems. •Assist in development and deployment of Purchasing IT systems. •Leads problem solving of supplier and manufacturing launch issues. •Track parts and prepare weekly, monthly & PDP milestone component readiness status updates SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE •Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, supply chain, or related field desired. •Marine industry experience/knowledge and/or passion for boating desired. •6+ years of purchasing or relevant experience (sales, engineering, project management, etc.) preferred. •2+ years of leadership experience preferred or an experienced and proven leader who has the demonstrated ability to build effective teams and deliver results. •Cross functional project management and/or commodity management experience required. •Demonstrated leadership ability to set goals, delegate and motivate team to achieve those goals. •Strong presentation abilities, including PowerPoint development. Expected to present to executive leadership. •Ability to lead productive working relationships with suppliers and cross-functionally. •Excellent written & verbal communication within team and cross-functionally. •Highly organized and effective in managing multiple priorities and deadlines. •Effective negotiation, decision making and problem-solving skills. •Strong financial acumen; ability to understand, quantify and communicate financial impact of supply base issues. •Project management skills; history of managing large cross-functional projects and achieving timelines. •Ability to drive accountability throughout the organization.