At Zygo, your skills and insights will be integral to our core values of curiosity, collaboration, and persistence. For over 50 years, Zygo Corporation in Middlefield, CT, has been a global leader in designing and manufacturing advanced optical metrology systems, ultra-precise optical components, and complex electro-optical systems and assemblies. Join our team, where your expertise will drive cutting-edge solutions, address complex technical challenges, and uphold the highest standards of precision and safety.
As Global Sourcing Manager, Mechanical Commodities, you will lead global commodity managers, commodity buyers, and buyers responsible for mechanical commodities across Zygo and Navitar. Reporting to the Director of Supply Chain, you will oversee category strategy, supplier development, purchasing execution, and supplier performance. Your focus will be improving material availability, quality, delivery, cost, and working capital while building a high-performing global sourcing team.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership and Purchasing Execution
- Lead, coach, and set priorities for global commodity managers, commodity buyers, and buyers, with clear accountability for strategic sourcing, purchase order execution, supplier follow-up, and exception resolution.
- Run disciplined reviews of supplier commitments, shortages, and past-due purchase orders; escalate risks early and hold suppliers accountable for recovery plans.
- Maintain accurate supplier, lead-time, pricing, and payment-term data in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and support ERP consolidation through data cleanup, workflow testing, and user training.
Supplier Performance and Category Strategy
- Establish supplier scorecards and business reviews to improve on-time delivery, quality, lead time, responsiveness, and corrective-action closure.
- Partner with Engineering and Supplier Quality to communicate technical requirements, qualify suppliers and changes, and prevent recurring quality issues.
- Develop category plans based on spend, capacity, cost, and risk; expand qualified second sources and Asia-for-Asia localization based on quality, landed cost, lead time, and supply continuity.
- Deliver Finance-validated savings through competitive bids, cost modeling, negotiation, design-to-cost, and supplier payment-term improvements.
New Product Development
- Lead mechanical sourcing from early design through production ramp, engaging suppliers to assess manufacturability, cost, tooling, lead time, and capacity.
- Drive supplier qualification and material readiness to meet launch milestones and resolve cost, quality, lead-time, and capacity risks before production release.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, engineering, business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- At least seven years of procurement, strategic sourcing, or supplier management experience in manufacturing, including at least three years leading people.
- Experience sourcing engineered mechanical components and interpreting drawings and specifications in partnership with Engineering and Quality.
- Demonstrated success improving supplier quality and delivery, negotiating commercial terms, mitigating supply risk, and delivering Finance-validated savings.
- Experience with ERP and material requirements planning (MRP), supplier scorecards, and purchasing analytics in a multi-site or global environment.
- Ability to travel approximately 20% domestically and internationally, including to Asia, based on business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience sourcing precision machining, castings, sheet metal, or mechanical assemblies in a high-mix manufacturing environment.
- Experience qualifying suppliers or localizing supply in Asia, supporting an ERP transition, or contributing to new product launches.
- Professional certification in supply chain, procurement, or Lean Six Sigma.
Key Competencies
- Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Management
- Global Supply Chain and Risk Management
- Negotiation and Financial Acumen
- Cross-Functional and Change Leadership
- Team Leadership and Talent Development
Measures of Success
- Higher supplier on-time delivery, fewer past-due purchase orders and shortages, and lower supplier defect rates.
- Greater qualified dual-source coverage for critical parts and measurable progress against regional sourcing targets.
- Finance-validated savings, lower total landed cost, shorter supplier lead times, and improved supplier payment terms.
- On-time completion of sourcing, supplier qualification, and material-readiness milestones for new products.
- Improved team capability, purchasing discipline, ERP data accuracy, and timely closure of supplier corrective actions.
Bring your passion and commitment to Zygo, where we are curious, collaborative, persistent, and confident, and where safety and quality guide every step of our journey. Grow with us as we solve complex challenges, inspire confidence, and drive excellence in manufacturing.
Are you ready to expand the boundaries of possibility, simplify the complex, and embody the values that define our success? We welcome your unique perspective and invite you to join us! We offer competitive compensation, benefits, retirement (401k), and paid time off programs. Compensation and position level will be set based on experience.
*Due to the nature of Zygo's programs and products, applicants must have the legal right to work in the US and additionally must be legally authorized to access export-controlled information and source code.
