Senior Sourcing Manager

--- About Us Infinitum is revolutionizing the future of motors with our patented Aircore technology — delivering superior performance in half the weight and size, while reducing the carbon footprint compared to traditional motors. Our solutions open up sustainable design possibilities for smaller, lighter, and quieter machines, improving quality of life while conserving energy and reducing waste. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, we are driven by innovation and a commitment to making a positive global impact. Learn more at Position: Senior Sourcing Manager Location: North Austin, TX (Onsite) Reports To: Director of Purchasing Travel: Approximately 20-30%, domestic and international Position Summary The Senior Sourcing Manager is responsible for developing and executing Infinitum's strategic sourcing strategy for direct materials, engineered components, and contract-manufactured products across the global supply base. As Infinitum's first dedicated strategic sourcing leadership role, this position will establish sourcing methodologies, supplier-selection processes, negotiation frameworks, and category-management practices. The role will lead alternate-source development, supplier qualification, commercial negotiations, long-term agreements, cost-reduction initiatives, and supply-risk mitigation while partnering closely with Engineering, NPI, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Planning, Finance, Legal, and Purchasing. Key Responsibilities - Develop and execute multi-year sourcing and category strategies based on product demand, technology, supplier capability, cost, capacity, geography, and supply risk. - Lead supplier identification, market mapping, RFQ/RFP development, competitive bidding, proposal evaluation, supplier selection, and award recommendations. - Identify, evaluate, qualify, and develop alternate suppliers to reduce single-source exposure and improve supply resilience and geographic diversification. - Lead supplier capability assessments covering manufacturing processes, capacity, quality systems, technical capability, financial health, scalability, and business continuity. - Partner with Engineering and Quality through supplier qualification, samples, first articles, validation builds, PPAP/FAI or equivalent processes, and production approval. - Lead complex supplier negotiations covering pricing, long-term/supply agreements, payment terms, lead times, capacity, MOQ/NCNR, cancellation flexibility, inventory liability, tooling/NRE, warranty/quality terms, and total landed cost. - Partner with Legal, Finance, the Director of Purchasing, and Supply Chain leadership on contract development, redlines, risk assessment, and execution. - Lead structured cost-reduction programs using should-cost, supplier cost breakdowns, TCO, commodity indices, benchmarking, volume-price analysis, freight, tariff, and FX impacts. - Partner with Engineering on design-to-cost, value engineering, specification optimization, standardization, and manufacturability improvements. - Assess sourcing risks including supplier/geographic concentration, financial health, capacity, trade and geopolitical exposure, export controls, obsolescence, and sub-tier dependencies; develop mitigation plans. - Support long-range supply assurance by validating supplier capacity and commercial readiness against forecasted business demand. - Engage early in NPI to influence supplier selection, manufacturability, target cost, tooling strategy, component standardization, and sourcing readiness before designs are finalized. - Develop executive and commercial relationships with strategic suppliers and use delivery, quality, cost, responsiveness, and risk performance to influence future awards. - Partner with the Director of Purchasing to transition approved sourcing strategies, supplier awards, pricing, lead times, and commercial terms into controlled purchasing execution. - Establish and standardize strategic sourcing templates, supplier-selection methods, negotiation frameworks, sourcing pipelines, savings tracking, and contract-status reporting. Qualifications & Experience Required - 8-12+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, commodity management, procurement, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment. - Proven experience leading complex global sourcing initiatives for engineered direct materials and developing qualified alternate suppliers. - Strong commercial negotiation experience involving pricing, terms, long-term agreements, supply agreements, and risk allocation. - Demonstrated success delivering measurable cost reductions using should-cost, TCO, supplier cost structures, and manufacturing economics. - Experience working with Engineering and NPI teams during supplier selection, qualification, and product development. - Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and major initiatives without direct authority. - Strong financial and analytical acumen; advanced Excel skills and familiarity with ERP and supplier-management systems. - Excellent executive communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management capabilities; ability to travel 20-30%. Preferred - Experience sourcing electromechanical products, electronics/PCBAs, magnets, stators, castings, machined components, plastics, sheet metal, or related engineered commodities. - Experience sourcing in North America and Asia, including supplier development in Mexico and support of US-Mexico manufacturing operations. - Familiarity with supplier quality systems, FAI/PPAP/APQP or equivalent qualification processes, and PLM systems such as Arena. - CPSM, CSCP, CPIM, C.P.M., Project Management, Lean, or Six Sigma certification is a plus. - Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus. Competencies That Win in This Role - Commercial leadership: understands leverage, cost structures, contractual risk, and long-term value. - Strategic thinking: builds sourcing strategies around future business requirements, not only current demand. - Supplier development and cost intelligence: develops production-ready suppliers and challenges pricing with facts and cost models. - Risk awareness and execution discipline: identifies vulnerabilities early and converts sourcing strategies into measurable outcomes. - Cross-functional influence and executive communication: drives alignment across Engineering, Operations, Finance, Quality, and Purchasing. Key Performance Indicators - Annualized realized cost savings and sourcing savings pipeline versus target. - Purchase-price / BOM-cost reduction. - Percentage of critical components with qualified alternate sources and reduction in single-source exposure. - Strategic spend under contract / LTA and commercial-term improvements. - Sourcing project cycle time, supplier qualification completion, and NPI sourcing readiness. - Supplier capacity coverage, localization, and geographic-diversification progress. Why Join Infinitum - Be part of a sustainability-driven company transforming the motor industry. - Build and shape Infinitum's strategic sourcing function from the ground up. - High-visibility role with direct impact on product cost, supplier strategy, supply resilience, and growth. - Work closely with Engineering, Operations, and executive leadership on next-generation product and supply-chain decisions. - Comprehensive Health Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision) - Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Coverage - Health Savings Account (HSA) - includes employer contributions. - Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account - 401(k) - Traditional and Roth - Open Paid Time Off (PTO) - 12 Paid Holidays - Community give-back opportunities. Infinitum embraces diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. Agency representatives, we appreciate your interest, but we've got this! ---