Sr. Commodity Manager

POSITION OVERVIEW

Ascend creates performance materials that improve the quality of life today and inspire a better tomorrow. Based in Houston, Texas, and with regional offices in Shanghai, Brussels and Detroit, we are a fully integrated material solutions provider with nine global manufacturing facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Our 3,000-person global workforce produces the engineered materials, fabrics, fibers and specialty chemicals that are used to make safer vehicles, cleaner energy, better medical devices, smarter appliances and longer-lasting apparel and consumer goods. We are committed to safety, sustainability and the success of our customers and our communities.

TARGETED OUTCOMES

• Provide leadership in the development and implementation of short, medium, and long-term strategies for the assigned category/commodities.

• Partner with key internal stakeholders in business, supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, sustainability and technology.

• Develop key strategic supplier relationships and manage supplier performance.

• Identify and implement metrics, tools and systems to ensure successful execution of the organization's strategic goals and objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement short, medium, and long-term category/commodity management strategies in collaboration with key internal stakeholders.

• Develop key strategic supplier relationships and function effectively as the primary communication point between internal stakeholders and strategic suppliers.

• Negotiate contracts to support category/commodity strategies with focus on price competitiveness, cash flow, reliability, sustainability, and risk mitigation.

• Assess and deliver on sustainability opportunities to support the company's sustainability.

• Analyze key raw material markets and spend data to identify cost savings/productivity opportunities.

• Achieve productivity metrics as agreed to in the annual business plan.

• Support Supplier Quality Management program, identify and implement key supplier metrics to monitor and measure supplier performance.

• Implement corrective actions to improve supplier performance when necessary.

• Engage with Material Planning team to ensure sourcing strategies are fully implemented and managed.

• Ensure standards for ethical conduct are in place and are being adhered to.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in related technical field. Master's degree desirable.

• 5+ years of experience in Procurement, Logistics or Engineering with a background in strategic purchasing of materials and services in support of business and manufacturing operations.

• Knowledge of procurement systems and purchasing policies, procedures and laws.

• Experience working in an ERP environment; SAP experience preferred.

• Six Sigma or Lean experience desirable.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Must exhibit strong communication, analytical, quantitative and problem-solving skills

• Strong negotiation skills

• Commodity/Category strategy development and management expertise

• Demonstrated ability to prioritize work and manage multiple priorities at one time

• Ability to drive complex projects to completion within a short period of time

• Ability to establish effective working relationships at all levels of the business

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Attention to detail with ability to learn quickly

Skills Summary:

About Us:

Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways-all within a stable and growing business.

Why work at Ascend?

Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.

We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.

Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn't only apply to the marketplace - it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.

Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You'll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs

Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn't mean simply working quickly - it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.

One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don't accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won't be boxed into a single role at Ascend - you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.