Manager – Resin & Indirect Materials (Greases/Solder Paste/Felts, etc.)

Job Title: Manager – Resin & Indirect Materials (Greases/Solder Paste/Felts, etc.)

Company: AISIN World Corp. of America

Department: Purchasing, Materials & Machinery

Location: Northville, MI, Seymour, IN, Cibolo, TX, Torrance, CA, Smyrna, TN, or Durham, NC

Position Responsibilities

The incumbent is expected to perform the following functions that the company has determined are essential to this position:

• Commodity Management – Resin & Indirect Materials
  • Lead North America purchasing strategy and commercial management for resin raw materials and indirect chemical commodities, including greases, felts, solder paste, glues, etc.
  • Serve as the commodity leader for resin and assigned chemical commodities, with a strong working understanding of polymer/material properties, applications, manufacturing processes, suppliers, feedstocks, and market drivers.
  • Apply a basic understanding of organic chemistry and material properties to manage technically complex resin, grease, lubricant, and chemical commodities in cooperation with Engineering and Manufacturing.
  • Develop and execute short- and long-term commodity strategies covering sourcing, localization, cost reduction, supply continuity, capacity, and supplier development.
  • Analyze total North America spend, volumes, forecasts, material-market movements, raw-material indices, feedstock impacts, supplier cost structures, and total landed cost.
  • Lead RFQ, sourcing, quotation analysis, negotiations, commercial terms, and supplier selection for assigned commodities.
  • Lead annual cost-reduction activities through competitive sourcing, localization, specification review, VA/VE, commercial negotiation, and supply-chain optimization.
  • Support Component Purchasing with resin and chemical raw-material cost inputs, benchmarking, and supplier/material cost analysis.
  • Manage supply-chain risks including capacity constraints, allocation, supplier operational risk, logistics, tariffs, force majeure, and material discontinuation or transition.
  • Lead commercial activities associated with material changes, production change requests, engineering changes, last-time buys, inventory builds, and supplier transitions.
  • Maintain sourcing documentation including RFQs, LOIs, ECIs/PCRs, agreements, pricing records, and supplier commercial documentation.
• People & Organizational Management
  • Manage, develop, and provide direction to buyers responsible for resin and assigned indirect/MRO chemical commodities.
  • Establish priorities, assign responsibilities, review workload, and ensure timely execution of sourcing, cost-reduction, supply-risk, and program activities.
  • Develop team members’ commodity, technical, analytical, negotiation, and supplier-management capabilities.
  • Establish clear objectives and performance expectations and provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance evaluation.
  • Coordinate activities across multiple AISIN North America plants and affiliated companies and ensure consistent purchasing direction and communication.
  • Escalate significant commercial, supply, quality, or program risks to Purchasing management with clear countermeasures and timing.
• Program Development / Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Lead purchasing support for new programs, including supplier identification, material sourcing, localization, prototype/trial materials, cost estimates, and launch readiness.
  • Work closely with Design, Materials Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, Component Purchasing, and AISIN plants to evaluate material requirements and commercial impact.
  • Support material qualification and validation activities by coordinating suppliers, technical data, samples, commercial conditions, timing, and supply requirements.
  • Identify potential suppliers and assess technical capability, manufacturing footprint, capacity, cost competitiveness, supply-chain structure, and commercial risk.
  • Manage key supplier relationships and act as the primary commercial escalation point for assigned strategic suppliers.
  • Develop and maintain supplier and market intelligence including new materials, technology, capacity, competitor activity, VA/VE, cost improvement, and supply-risk developments.
  • Prepare and present weekly/monthly status, commodity strategies, cost-reduction results, sourcing recommendations, supply-risk assessments, and management-level presentations.
  • Operate with a cross-functional approach and assume additional responsibilities as required by the business environment.
• Other tasks and duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Abilities

Essential Skills and Experience:

• At least 7+ years of responsible purchasing, commodity management, supply-chain, or related manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated experience in resin, polymers, chemicals, lubricants, greases, or related materials used in manufacturing.
• Automotive manufacturing experience with practical understanding of manufacturing processes, material applications, quality requirements, and associated cost drivers.
• Basic working knowledge of organic chemistry, polymer/material properties, and chemical terminology sufficient to manage technically complex resin and indirect chemical commodities.
• Prior experience managing and developing employees in a larger or multi-site organization.
• Demonstrated ability to develop commodity strategies and lead complex commercial negotiations with strategic suppliers.
• Strong analytical capability including spend analysis, market/index analysis, quotation and cost-driver analysis, forecasting, and cost-reduction tracking.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority activities, supply issues, program requirements, and supplier negotiations simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, plant management, suppliers, and senior leadership.
• Strong organization, judgment, fact verification, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and multicultural environment.

Beneficial Skills and Experience

• Experience managing resin categories such as PP, engineering plastics, compounds, elastomers, or other automotive polymers.
• Experience purchasing industrial greases, lubricants, process chemicals, or other indirect chemical commodities.
• Experience with material localization, supplier transitions, technical validation, and production change processes.
• Experience in a Japanese-based or other global/multicultural automotive organization.

Education/Training/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, or a related field is preferred.
• A business degree may be acceptable with demonstrated technical knowledge and substantial relevant resin/chemical commodity experience.