Director of Materials and Purchasing

Job Summary:

Manage and direct the purchasing of goods and services of APP. You will be responsible for identifying potential supplier sources, conducting interviews with potential vendors, negotiating favorable supplier agreements and managing supplier and vendor contracts. You will continually manage and evaluate the performance of each vendor to ensure the partnership remains mutually beneficial. Manage APP’s sourcing capabilities and supply chain and will be responsible for strategizing and negotiating with suppliers and vendors to acquire the most cost-effective deals and to reduce procurement expenses. Spend an equal amount of time at the four APP sites ensuring site supply meets APP’s requirements.

Job Requirements:

• Set on-site meetings with suppliers at the supplier’s facility. The intent is to learn as much as possible from each supplier and ensure you have a working understanding of their capabilities and capacities, as well as their weaknesses and possible risks.
• Perform onsite supplier audits and evaluations related to: Compliance, Capacity, Production / Change Management, Supply Chain, Quality, Equipment/Tooling Management, etc. and ensure closure of all findings and action items.
• Analyze and rank the supplier base to determine where we spend (or plan to spend) our money.
• Define where we are single-sourcing and work to develop secondary sources.
• Where appropriate, implement contracts or MOUs so expectations are clearly defined.
• Manage the end-to-end inner company supply chain relationship with business sites (streets) Alton, McWane, Susan, and Warner for strategic buys and ensure timely delivery of products for the Business Site.
• Help resolve all procurement issues with sales, engineering, quality, and operations.
• Continually monitor, evaluate, and report on the performance of suppliers.
• Maintain key Supply Chain performance indicators
• Ensures processes comply with AS9100 quality requirements
• Lead the development and execution of long-term strategies that will optimize APP’s position in terms of quality, response time, risk and total cost.
• Provide feedback and ideas for improvement to leadership and the rest of the APP team.
• Promote cooperative relationships with suppliers and ensure that all suppliers are treated in a professional, ethical, and fair manner.
• Conduct development, negotiations, and contracting to reduce spend while ensuring high levels of service. Lead complex processes by utilizing Requests for Information and Requests for Proposal.
• Ensure that targeted financial savings are achieved within a framework of financial control and that new business savings are achieved incrementally year-over-year.
• Knowledge of industry including experience w sourcing, technology/development engagements and contract negotiations.
• Manage the contract cycle.
• Manage supplier NDA’s
• Receive goods and services at the highest value and lowest cost possible, as value must be considered, not just the cost.
• Tracking and trending differences in price, lead time and quality across suppliers with similar product or service
• Track suppliers, by spend, and add additional suppliers to the RFQ/RFP list and gather price and lead time data that can be used to compare to what we are currently spending on the same product or service.
• Meet with suppliers to establish “Risk Level” (Ex: green, yellow, red)
• Determine sustainability of current practices.
• Where risk is nearing or is already intolerable, take immediate action to mitigate the risk
• Perform any other duties not mentioned above when instructed to do so by the department manager.

Educational & Professional Qualifications:

• Degrees: A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Master's degree (MBA), Supply Chain Management, Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field.  
• Experience: Minimum of 10 to 15+ years’ experience in procurement, supply chain management or strategic sourcing within a manufacturing environment, aerospace industry experience preferred.
• Project History: A proven track record of reducing operational costs, establishing supply chain resilience, and leading company-wide transformation initiatives. 
• System Implementation: Hands-on experience operating and deploying Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (such as SAP, Oracle) and eProcurement platforms. 
• Contractual History: Experience managing complex, multi-million-dollar vendor contracts with a knowledge of contract law.
• Strategic Sourcing & Negotiation: Ability to secure favorable terms, analyze market trends, and formulate long-term purchasing strategies to minimize risk and maximize savings. 
• Leadership & Team Management: Strong management skills with the flexibility to handle multiple tasks.  Self-motivated and work independently to find solutions.  Minimum of 10 years’ experience in senior leadership roles. Capacity to mentor, scale, and guide a cross-functional purchasing team toward high-performance goals. 
• Analytical & Financial Acumen: Strong capability to interpret cost data, evaluate vendor performance (KPIs/SLAs), and align procurement with organizational financial objectives. Detail-oriented with strong analytical and quantitative skills. 
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to manage diverse stakeholder expectations and navigate vendor disputes. Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management.
• Risk Management: Competence in risk identification, business continuity planning, and contract dispute resolution. 
• Certifications: Industry-recognized credentials are strongly desired, such as CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), or CPPO (Certified Public Procurement Officer). 

Why work for APP?

• Medical, Dental, Vision – Generous company contribution, low cost to employee
• Life insurance – 100% company paid - covers employee, spouse and dependent children
• Generous Vacation Time
• 9 Paid Holidays
• Holiday Shut Down (Christmas thru New Year’s)
• Sick Time
• Annual Bonus (based on company meeting Key Results)
• 401k (Company matches up to 4%)
• ESOP Employee Profit Sharing Retirement Plan (100% Company Paid)
• Tuition reimbursement

Compensation: $110,000 - $165,000 annually. This is the lowest to highest hourly rate we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.