Commodities Manager

Company / Location Information

Water technology is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. As a leading global water technology company, A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS) is at the center of the trend. We are a $4 billion company with over 140 years of history and 12,000+ employees. Our emphasis is on hot water and clean water; we are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment as well as a supplier of water purification products in a number of emerging countries.

With manufacturing operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, India, and Europe, we have the reach to serve customers worldwide.

A.O. Smith is committed to continuous improvement and maintaining a culture that values and respects our employees.  Recognized by The Tennessean as one of the top Nashville area Workplaces, we have programs in place to help our team members achieve their potential. When you join our team, you will receive rewards and recognition for your contributions, training and professional development opportunities, as well as a variety of benefits to support you and your family's health, well-being, and financial future. If you are inspired to learn, take risks, and succeed as a team, you can build an amazing career at A. O. Smith.

This role is located in our modern Nashville Metro Center office, located just minutes from downtown with easy interstate access and free parking.

Primary Function

The Commodities Manager will have complete responsibility for all major strategic sourcing and Supply Agreements related to assigned commodities for all manufacturing facilities. 

Responsibilities

• Work with related operational areas to gain an excellent understanding of commodity applications in various operations.
• Maintain an excellent communication and rapport with each manufacturing facility concerning ongoing use of assigned commodities and needs for current and future discussions/negotiations with supply base.
• Develop, maintain, present, and execute strategies to provide lowest total cost of ownership status for all assigned commodities.
• Work with all commodity managers, operations, and product engineering to meet and exceed the annualized cost reduction target for the Global Procurement team.
• Interface with multiple functional areas within a matrix management organizational structure (e.g. Product Engineering, Plant Operations, Finance, etc.).
• Provide excellent ongoing communication with all operational facilities concerning research for pending negotiations, sourcing progress, and decisions made on finalizing Supply Agreements.
• Establish strong communication and coordination with the Global Sourcing Manager and work jointly to develop cost reduction and value enhanced procurement opportunities outside the United States.
• Meet and exceed all objectives for assigned commodities and personal objectives to clearly support Global Procurement objectives in aggregate.
• Travel to manufacturing facilities as required to properly prepare for negotiations and review actual commodity application in production.
• Develop excellent knowledge concerning all facets of the supply chain from suppliers’ sources to end customer concerning manufacturing processes and final application of all assigned commodities.
• Perform other activities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Related Field
• 5+ years related work experience
• 2+ years supervisory/leadership experience

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience in a purchasing function with similar responsibility with clearly demonstrated achievements MBA is a plus
• ISM or APICS certifications, preferred
• Willingness to travel as required
• Demonstrated skill set in applications such as ERP systems, inventory replenishment systems, etc. in support of negotiated supply agreements
• Excellent record of successful strategic sourcing initiatives
• Excellent applies negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership skills to serve as a project lead across multiple functional areas
• Impeccable moral character with high ethical standards
• Excellent computer-based skills including spreadsheet development, word processing, and charting capabilities

We Offer

Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance.