Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager

Panasonic Energy is seeking a recognized procurement expert who can develop, plan, implement, and maintain leading edge raw material and component sourcing strategies. The individual will focus exclusively on the Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America (PECNA), which is dedicated to making the vision of affordable electrical vehicles for the masses a reality by producing the world’s safest, highest quality, and lowest cost batteries. PECNA operations, and thus this role, are in De Soto, Kansas. Will also serve as liaison between the PECNA business and corporate (headquarters) and Panasonic Energy company (PEC) in Osaka Japan.

Essential Duties:

• Provide sourcing category expertise for raw materials for lithium-ion battery production.
• Support development of category strategies based on rigorous analysis of spend data, supply market dynamics, category intelligence, and business requirements
• Identify profit improvement opportunities beyond sourcing, such as demand management, process improvements, insource vs. outsource, innovation, etc.
• Actively drives value beyond cost – e.g., growth, innovation, risk management
• Regularly monitors the market for category leading practices and demand/supply shifts such as supply consolidation, technology innovations, etc.
• Execute strategic sourcing initiatives following the 7-step Sourcing Methodology
• Gather stakeholder and subject-matter expertise/insights and market intelligence to ensure sourcing solutions meet business needs
• Assess supplier capabilities and identify new potential suppliers
• Analyze supplier proposals and facilitate fact-based supplier selection process
• Prepare and present business cases and should-cost models; perform complex data analysis and build financial models (i.e., ROI, NPV, supplier scorecards, savings tracking, make vs. buy decision models)
• Analyze and summarize RFP responses and results and prepare recommendations for Senior Management
• Develop negotiation strategies, plan, and lead negotiations to maximize total value and minimize risks
• Establish contract terms and conditions and coordinate with legal to execute contracts with suppliers that optimize the relationship. Partner with internal stakeholders to develop and implement transition plans to new supplier(s)
• Develop qualified, competitive sources of supply on a continuing basis through comprehensive financial and market review
• Lead local implementation of national, regional, or global supplier contracts. Establish expectations for local supplier teams and ensure that business needs will be met effectively.
• Provide feedback on performance, seek continuous improvement and innovation
• Work with suppliers and key stakeholders to manage supplier performance and develop new capabilities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and third-party providers
• When performance issues emerge, identify root causes and work with internal and external stakeholders to drive efficient resolution
• Identifies, oversees, pursues, and manages re-engineering, value engineering and demand management opportunities to enhance operational effectiveness, interfacing with cross-functional teams
• Implements and drives procurement strategy, policies, and procedures
• Enforces compliance to procurement policies and works to increase adoption
• Conduct analysis in Excel, Tableau, and other BI tools to support procurement activities including spend analytics, budget analysis, etc.
• Leverage spend analytics to identify consolidation opportunities; understand total cost of ownership and cost drivers, analyze product/service specifications to identify rationalization opportunities; analyze demand and spend to identify patterns and reduction opportunities
• Analyze market intelligence to build business cases and should-cost models to identify and quantify improvement opportunities for both sourcing and non-sourcing – e.g., demand management, process improvements, insource vs. outsource, etc.
• Gather requirements and specifications from business and category experts to ensure that proposed solutions meet business needs

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a requirement for some roles at PENA and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Basic/Required: Bachelor’s Degree in relevant area such as supply chain, business or STEM required
• Preferred: MBA and other relevant degree /certification (e.g., ISM CPSM) highly desirable

Essential Qualifications:

• 10 years+ of relevant strategic sourcing experience demonstrating success in positions of increasing complexity.
• Understanding of Lean Six Sigma concepts and participation in manufacturing process improvement
• Deep experience designing end-to-end procurement strategies and a track record of leading sustainable high impact sourcing approaches levering sourcing levers beyond tendering
• Experience with category management strategies for categories in scope: opportunity diagnostic, strategic sourcing process, supplier management with a proven track record of delivering business impact
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills: record of managing relationships across the business to achieve objectives.
• Expert understanding of contract terms and techniques for driving additional value and managing risks
• Demonstrated analytical, financial, problem solving, organization, and project management skills
• Ability to support, lead, plan, and conduct successful negotiations
• Strong project management skills, including management of stakeholder timelines and meeting management skills
• Knowledge of and experience utilizing Supplier Management tools (SRM, conducting Quarterly Business Reviews, etc.)
• Technology-savvy and high competency in MS office: Advanced Excel and analytics skills as well as e-Sourcing, Ariba, etc.
• Highly motivated with an entrepreneurial mindset; proactive and innovative. Able to work independently, i.e., not co-located with management.
• Experience working effectively in global complex organizations and with offshore providers
• Ability to lead and influence change in the face of complexity and ambiguity
• Thrives in a fast paced, goal oriented, dynamic organization with time sensitive deadlines
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills including meeting facilitation and presentations
• Ability to interact effectively and gain credibility with internal associates at all levels as well as external third parties.
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in EV industry
• Experience working with raw materials supplier identification, development and management
• Background in supplier relationship management (SRM).
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: (Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to)

• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 20%
• Lift: 10%

Required Lifting and Carrying: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)

• Up to 10 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Not Required

About Us:

Panasonic Energy is expanding to Kansas after demonstrating exceptional performance Tesla at a massive battery factory near Reno, Nevada. Panasonic’s role at the Gigafactory is to manufacture and supply cylindrical lithium-ion cells to Tesla for their electric vehicles and energy storage systems. This role is located in De Soto, Kansas and is responsible for the next phase of Panasonic battery manufacturing for Tesla and Lucid.

Our mission at PENA is to make the vision of affordable Electric Vehicles a reality by producing the world’s safest, high quality, and lowest cost batteries. Through this effort we will create a clean energy society and our products will change society’s use of and perceptions of electric power.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required. Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Panasonic is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy.