Director of Direct Materials

CSP is the industry leader in the formulation and molding of lightweight, advanced composite components for the transportation industries. As an innovative, full-service Tier One supplier, we offer an entrepreneurial environment where you’re only limited by your own imagination. In addition to our team-focused environment, we provide industry-leading benefits, called BENEfits4U. Our comprehensive offering includes: affordable medical, dental, and vision care; flexible spending accounts; life insurance; 401k with company match and much, much more.

Job Description

POSITION AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INTERFACES

•  Engineering & R&D: material specifications, second-source validation, qualification plans, formulation governance, and VAVE initiatives.Operations & Plant Leadership: production alignment, supply assurance, inventory parameters, and change management.
•  Quality / SQD: PPAP compliance, supplier quality gates, audit management, performance escalation, and corrective action plans.Finance: TCO modeling, savings validation, index-linkage mechanisms, program budgeting, and variance-to-plan reporting.
•  Program Management: sourcing alignment to program timelines, launch support, and customer change management.Direct Materials Team: direct leadership of Senior Commodity Manager SMC and the broader team to be recruited and developed under this role.

  KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  A.  People Leadership and Team Development

•  Build, structure, and lead the Direct Materials procurement team: define roles and headcount requirements, recruit talent, set performance objectives, and develop individual capabilities across the team.Lead, mentor, and coach direct reports — including the Senior Commodity Manager SMC — fostering a high-performance, ownership-driven culture with clear accountability for category results, program delivery, and supplier management.
•  Establish team operating rhythms, governance cadences, and a shared culture of commercial excellence, cross-functional partnership, and continuous improvement aligned to CSP’s values.

  B.  

• Category Strategy and Governance
•  Own and execute comprehensive category strategies across the full direct materials portfolio: SMC & DLFT raw materials (resins, fiberglass, pigments/thickeners, fillers, SMC chemicals), production parts (stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals/gaskets, latches/hinges), and paint & external paint (primers, paints, external paint services).Establish structured sourcing cycles (RFx/e-auctions), index-based pricing, market baskets, and dual-/multi-sourcing roadmaps; implement governance, decision frameworks, and KPIs for cost, quality, delivery, and risk across all categories.

  C.  Technical Sourcing and Cost Engineering

•  Translate formulation, process, and engineering constraints into commercial sourcing strategies; lead value engineering (VAVE) and target costing programs with R&D and Engineering across raw materials and production parts.Run sub-category RFPs with aligned scoring, TCO evaluation, and should-cost analysis; build validated supplier panels with award strategies and dual-source readiness across all three category pillars.

  D.  Production Parts — Strategic Sourcing

•  Lead global RFPs for stampings, castings, extrusions, fasteners, seals, and latches; benchmark across OEM programs and leverage cross-portfolio opportunities where applicable.Drive supplier localization, co-location, and domestic sourcing strategies; identify opportunities to reduce tariff exposure, logistics cost, and lead times in alignment with Operations.

  E.  Paint and External Paint — Category Ownership

•  Own sourcing strategy and supplier governance for paint raw materials (primers, paints) and external paint services (~$70M); drive consolidation, benchmarking, and contract coverage in a category currently managed with limited enterprise leverage.Collaborate with Operations and Engineering on specification standardization and demand management; identify opportunities for insourcing, GPO leverage, or supplier rationalization to reduce total cost.

  F.  Supplier Relations and Performance Management

•  Develop executive-level relationships with strategic suppliers across all categories; negotiate MSAs and pricing agreements with escalator/de-escalator mechanisms and SLA-based performance frameworks.Ensure full contract coverage across the direct materials portfolio; implement robust performance monitoring (PPM, OTIF, audit scores), corrective action tracking, and SQD coordination for qualification and PPAP readiness.

  G.  Risk, Resilience, and Compliance

•  Build resilience through second sourcing, geographic diversification, and inventory risk buffers; maintain a living risk register across all direct material categories.Orchestrate customer approval timelines, PPAP, and lab validation plans; manage change controls, communications to plants and customers, and IATF 16949 / OEM compliance requirements.

  KEY OUTCOMES AND METRICS

•  People and Team: team structure defined and staffed; individual development plans in place; team performance and engagement metrics; retention.Cost and Value Creation:–  Annual savings and TCO reduction across all subcategories; index adherence and variance-to-plan; contract coverage ratio; VAVE contribution.
•  Supplier Excellence:–  
• Quality PPM, OTIF, audit scores, innovation engagement; dual-source readiness per product family.
•  Organizational Efficiency:–  
• RFx cadence adherence; cycle time reduction; sourcing pipeline coverage; team capability development.
•  Compliance and Governance:–  
• PPAP/on-time approvals; change control compliance; IATF 16949 audit conformity; OEM customer requirement adherence.
•  Sustainability and ESG:–  
• VOC reductions via low-bake SMC solutions and paint optimization; supplier ESG audit compliance.

  THE PERSON

  Core Competencies and Professional Attributes

  •  People Leadership and Team Building: demonstrated ability to build, structure, and develop a procurement team from the ground up; strong coaching mindset with experience recruiting and developing commercial talent in an automotive environment.Direct Materials Category Leadership: proven mastery across production parts, paint/external paint, and/or raw materials in an automotive Tier-1 context, including PPAP, APQP, and OEM customer-specific requirements.
  •  Advanced Sourcing and Negotiation: contract architecture (MSA, pricing agreements, indexation), e-sourcing/RFx, TCO and should-cost modeling, market intelligence across multiple categories.Technical Credibility: strong understanding of metallic components, paint/coatings, and/or composite materials; ability to engage Engineering, R&D, and Operations with credibility.
  •  Cross-Functional Leadership: disciplined matrix execution with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Program Management; executive presence and clarity of communication.Digital Fluency: ERP (QAD preferred), eProcurement, contract lifecycle management, performance dashboards, and master data governance.

  Education

  •  Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; advanced credentials (MBA, M.S. in Engineering or Materials Science) are advantageous.

  Industry Experience10+ years in direct materials procurement or category management within automotive Tier-1 or advanced manufacturing, with demonstrated people leadership and team development experience.

  •  Proven track record of building and leading procurement teams; experience defining team structures, recruiting, and developing category management capability in a multi-site automotive environment.Demonstrable success delivering cost savings and supply resilience across production parts, paint/coatings, and/or composite raw materials; experience with dual-sourcing under PPAP qualification constraints.
  •  Demonstrated success running multi-site RFP/e-auction programs and negotiating MSAs with major direct material suppliers.

  STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS

  Short-Term [0–6 months]:–  Assess team structure and headcount needs; initiate key hires; establish category baselines and contract inventories across production parts, paint, and SMC/DLFT; launch priority RFx waves; lock in pricing agreements for near-term expirations.
•  Mid-Term [6–24 months]:–  
• Build a fully staffed and high-performing Direct Materials team; execute dual-source roadmaps and MSA/indexation frameworks; deliver savings ramp across all three category pillars; standardize TCO models and performance dashboards.
•  Long-Term [24+ months]:–  
• Institutionalize world-class direct materials category management with a sustained savings pipeline, robust supplier panels, qualification discipline, and a capable, autonomous team — aligned to IATF 16949 and OEM standards.

  ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK AND RESOURCES

•  Direct spend responsibility: ~$465M+ across production parts (~$129M), SMC & DLFT raw materials (~$266M), and paint & external paint (~$70M) across 14 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico.Current direct report: Senior Commodity Manager SMC; additional team roles to be defined, recruited, and developed by this position.
•  Mobility: frequent presence at SMC plants, production and paint sites, and supplier locations; periodic travel across the North American plant network.Location: Auburn Hills, Michigan (CSP HQ) preferred.
•  Systems: QAD ERP operational; eProcurement, contract lifecycle management, and master data systems in deployment.Ethics: transparency, compliance, IATF 16949 adherence, and sustainability orientation.

  If you enjoy innovation, and an opportunity to learn and contribute to a growing organization, CSP is the place for you!