Strategic Sourcing Manager

Role Summary

Summit Technical is seeking an experienced Strategic Sourcing Manager specializing in rare earth minerals to drive supply chain security, global vendor coordination, and onsite risk mitigation for our enterprise client portfolio. In this role, you will act as one of our primary supply advisors to ensure rigorous rollout discipline, geopolitical risk governance, and seamless delivery communication for critical raw materials. Representing the Summit brand in the field, you will help organizations evaluate supplier fit, secure volatile mineral pipelines, and execute procurement strategies smoothly without losing control of quality or operational readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Intake & Supply Chain Mapping: Evaluate client requirements against volatile global markets to conduct upfront geopolitical risk, material specification, and cost-benefit assessments for rare earth elements (REEs).
• Supplier Qualification & Execution: Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing initiatives, including vetting international mining or refining partners, negotiating high-stakes supply agreements, and ensuring seamless vendor onboarding.
• Risk Mitigation & Delivery Governance: Manage real-time supply disruptions and international shipping escalations while enforcing strict compliance with global trade regulations (ITAR, EAR, OFAC) to maintain absolute field readiness.
• Reporting & Performance Optimization: Deliver comprehensive market intelligence and supplier performance reports, contribute critical procurement data to leadership’s monthly status updates, and lead structured closeout reviews to ensure long-term pipeline security.

Required Qualifications

• Field Experience & Accountability: Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in global strategic sourcing or procurement, with at least 3 years specifically dedicated to rare earth minerals or critical raw materials; proven ability to maintain onsite accountability under high-pressure market conditions.
• Technical Depth & Geopolitics: Thorough knowledge of the global REE landscape (light and heavy rare earths), mineral extraction and refining processes, geopolitical supply constraints, and international trade compliance standards.
• Execution & Supply Stabilization: Demonstrated experience with international logistics routing, contract dispute resolution, incident escalation handling, and stabilizing volatile supply chains across multi-site enterprise environments.
• Professional Certification: Active CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent baseline global procurement certification (or the ability to successfully obtain it within one year of hire).

Desired Qualifications

• Education & Academic Foundations: BS or MS in Supply Chain Management, Mining Engineering, Geology, Metallurgy, or International Business.
• Strategy & Framework Expertise: Enterprise-level experience implementing "China+1" sourcing strategies or working within an OEM or MSP delivery framework for critical defense or technology components.
• Language Capabilities: Fluency in a second language relevant to global mineral processing markets (e.g., Mandarin, Spanish, or French).
• Technology & Quality Assurance: Thorough knowledge of mineral traceability technologies (e.g., blockchain tracking) and raw material quality-assurance protocols.
• Methodology & Process Alignment: Proven background utilizing structured project management methodologies (Agile, Lean, or Six Sigma).

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. All jobs are subject to random drug screening.