Position Summary

The Sourcing Specialist – Rare Earth Elements is responsible for identifying, developing, and managing suppliers of critical minerals, metals, and rare‑earth elements used in electromechanical components including motors, actuators, sensors, optical assemblies, and magnet assemblies. The role ensures secure supply, competitive cost, and global regulatory compliance while supporting long‑term business needs in a rapidly evolving materials market.

This position plays a key role in global strategic procurement by developing sourcing strategies, managing suppliers, monitoring global market dynamics, and enabling cost‑competitive and resilient supply chains.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Sourcing

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for critical minerals, metals, and rare‑earth elements (e.g., Nd, Dy, Tb, Sm, Pr) used in magnets and high‑performance components.
• Conduct global market and commodity analysis to identify new suppliers, emerging regions, price trends, and geopolitical risks.
• Build long‑term sourcing roadmaps aligned with corporate growth, engineering demands, and future technology requirements.
• Support global supply‑chain resilience initiatives by developing multi‑source strategies and reducing region‑specific dependencies.
• Partner with Engineering, R&D, Quality, and Operations to support new product introductions (NPI) and material‑related technical decisions.

2. Supplier Management

• Identify, assess, and onboard suppliers based on quality, cost competitiveness, technical capability, capacity, reliability, and ESG/compliance criteria.
• Conduct supplier audits, capability assessments, and ongoing performance evaluations.
• Lead quarterly supplier business reviews and maintain strong strategic relationships.
• Resolve supply, delivery, or quality issues in collaboration with Quality and Engineering teams.
• Ensure suppliers adhere to REACH, RoHS, conflict‑minerals requirements, and international trade/export controls.

3. Negotiation & Contracting

• Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, LTAs, MOQs, logistics, payment terms, and risk‑mitigation clauses.
• Support contract creation and execution in partnership with Legal, Finance, and Compliance.
• Build cost models and total‑cost‑of‑ownership (TCO) analysis to drive cost‑reduction and value‑creation opportunities.

4. Market Intelligence & Risk Management

• Monitor global price indices, supply‑demand dynamics, geopolitical issues, export controls, and trade‑policy developments impacting rare‑earth materials.
• Develop commodity forecasts and contribute to long‑term supply and pricing strategies.
• Identify and mitigate supply‑chain risks by establishing alternative sources and improving supplier resilience.

5. Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Engineering, R&D, Global Procurement Leadership, Finance, and Operations to align sourcing strategies with business needs.
• Support VA/VE initiatives, design‑to‑cost efforts, and continuous improvement programs.
• Ensure sourcing alignment with corporate cost objectives, compliance standards, and strategic priorities.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Materials Science, Chemistry, Metallurgy, or a related technical field preferred.

Experience

• 6–8 years of procurement or sourcing experience, ideally in metals, rare‑earth elements, magnets, chemicals, mining, or high‑precision industrial components.
• Experience working with Asian supply bases (China, India, ASEAN); China‑market familiarity is a plus.

Technical Skills

• Strong analytical skills with expertise in cost modeling, TCO analysis, and commodity forecasting.
• Knowledge of rare‑earth supply chains, mining, separation, and magnet manufacturing processes.
• Proficiency with procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Ariba, Oracle) and supplier‑management tools.

Soft Skills

• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship‑management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a global matrix organization.
• High attention to detail, structured problem‑solving, and ability to manage multiple priorities.