Associate Commodity Manager Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

What You Will Do

As a Commodity Manager for TURCK, you will develop, formulate, and implement commodity strategies to achieve cost savings, stability of the supply base, and alignment with company application requirements. Commodities may include raw, semi-finished, finished, and indirect materials. Develop and lead a Resilient Supply Chain Strategy that identifies and mitigates geopolitical, economic, and market-driven risks for TURCK’s critical automation components. Act as a Strategic Business Partner to Engineering and R&D to ensure early supplier involvement in the product development lifecycle. Define and drive the strategic RFQ roadmap to ensure the supply base meets future technical and cost requirements. Partner with suppliers to provide the quality, price, and timely delivery required to meet Turck's requirements. This role will provide direct factory support for the assigned commodity.

Vendor Management

• Develop, support, and maintain supplier relations. Responsible for overall supplier performance in assigned commodities by measuring supplier activities, ongoing engagement, and supplier audits.
• Effectively manage supplier selection to meet the requirements of commodity strategy, quality, service, cost, risk mitigation, and supplier capabilities.
• Oversee the quoting process and services to meet customer demands, including supplier stocking programs, supplier forecast, on-time deliveries, non-conforming material, certificates of origin, material costing, adherence to product compliance, and development of prototypes.
• Direct the RFQ strategy for new and existing business, including final vendor selection and negotiation of Master Service Agreements (MSAs), ensuring seamless hand-off to purchasing for PO execution.
• Assist product management and engineering in sourcing parts and/or developing parts design and engineering specifications (dimensional drawing, material selection, mechanical, chemical, electrical, or thermal properties, and material approvals). Engage suppliers in the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) to support new product development and product changes.
• Monitor supplier performance using KPI’s and lead corrective actions as needed.
• Conduct regular supplier business reviews and drive supplier development initiatives.
• Drive the supply base to develop process improvements: make recommendations to improve vendor operations' productivity, quality, and efficiency.
• Proactively manage end-of-life cycles and develop mitigation strategies (e.g., life-of-buy, alternate sourcing) to prevent production delays.

Commodity Management

• Develop and implement effective sourcing and commodity strategies in support of company objectives and through analysis of company requirements.
• Investigate, recommend, and develop alternative sources while promoting continuity of supply, consistency of quality, and competitive pricing.
• Educate themselves concerning commodities they are responsible for and maintain a good working knowledge of Turck products.
• Act independently to identify and develop supply chain improvement opportunities for given commodities.
• Execute periodic Market Baskets and RFQs to benchmark current pricing against market indices and identify TCO reduction opportunities. Provide management with forecasts of trends and potential risk areas, specifically regarding single-source dependencies and delivery delays.
• Develop mitigation plans such as safety stock or alternate suppliers.
• Manage cost savings through local and regional sourcing.
• Provide recommendations for alternative materials or new processes.
• Optimize and maintain system data integrity to drive the accurate generation of automated procurement messages and MRP requirements.
• Serve as a functional lead to mentor and elevate the strategic sourcing capabilities of the team to foster a culture of excellence within the senior buyer and buyer roles and provide functional leadership to junior buyers.
• Lead cross-functional workshops to identify cost-out opportunities through design-for-manufacturability and material solutions.
• Facilitate executive-level quarterly reviews focused on innovation, sustainability (ESG), and long-term capacity planning.

General

• Lead or participate in special projects to support departmental or company objectives, emphasizing cost savings, improving manufacturing speed/flexibility, and risk mitigation.
• Train other staff members and department associates in systems, procedures, processes, and methodologies.
• Work closely with planner buyers to ensure consistency in vendor management, support material flow issues, and purchasing functions as required.
• Act as liaison between the supplier and the rest of the Turck organization.
• Support the organization in all new product development, programs, and value analysis/value engineering programs.
• Ensure appropriate product launch plans for the supply chain are in place.
• Single source communication point for Operations to discuss sourcing activities.
• Collaborate with global sourcing counterparts (e.g., TURCK TMEX) to harmonize supplier selection and leverage TURCK’s total global spend.
• Ensure the supply base meets all global regulatory requirements, including RoHS, REACH, and Conflict Minerals (CMRT) reporting.
• Incorporate Digital Transformation. Utilize data visualization tools (Power BI/Tableau) to automate spend analytics and supplier performance reporting, reducing manual data manipulation for the department.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

What You Will Bring

Required:

• 4-year degree in engineering and/or business with technical aptitude
• 5+ years of experience sourcing, buying from, and negotiating with distribution and/or manufacturing suppliers (including 2 to 4 years with commodity management responsibilities)
• Excellent and proven negotiation skills with proven performance
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings
• Thorough understanding of manufacturing concepts and knowledge of MRP/ERP systems
• Excellent computer skills (advanced Excel and reporting)
• Demonstrate influence management and leadership skills; ability to build cross-functional consensus and mentor junior staff to successfully implement complex sourcing strategies.)
• Experience sourcing high-mix, low-volume electronics or precision electromechanical assemblies.
• Advanced proficiency in financial analysis, including the ability to build ‘Should-Cost’ models to validate RFQ responses.
• Comfortable with international exposure/international sourcing experience

Desired:

• CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Chain Management)
• Experience using data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI or Tableau) to drive spend transparency and performance metrics.
• Strong background in several of the following: electromechanical components, electronics components, metal components, connectors and sockets, plastics and rubber products
• Experience using web-based purchasing/technical search engines Contract manufacturing and industrial automation background
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment
• Track record of being proactive, taking initiative, and demonstrating a sense of urgency
• Solid analytical skills and attention to detail/organizational skills
• Ability to consider and deal with all technical, commercial, and relational aspects of the job
• Ability to build influential supplier relationships and use those relationships to negotiate delivery and pricing effectively
• Familiarity with regional trade regulations and logistic practices
• Executive presence: able to present to C-suite and represent the company to suppliers
• Familiarity with SAP
• Fluency in Spanish, Chinese and/or German

Why TURCK?

We're committed to empowering our employees to do meaningful work while supporting their growth, well-being and long-term sucess.

Autonomy & Impact

Take ownership of your work and drive meaningful results. Your ideas and expertise directly influence how we design, improve, and scale our manufacturing capabilities.

Career Growth

Build your skills and grow your career within a global organization that actively invests in your development through hands-on experience, learning opportunities, and cross-functional collaboration.

Collaborative Culture

Work alongside teams who value partnership, inclusion, transparency, and continuous improvement. We believe the best solutions are built together.

Comprehensive Benefits & Wellness Support

We offer a robust benefits package designed to support you and your family, inside and outside of work, including:

• Onsite healthcare clinician and telehealth access for employees and their eligible family members, providing convenient, accessible care
• Competitive medical and dental insurance with above-market employer contributions
• Life and disability insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match and profit-sharing opportunities
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement and continued learning support
• Wellness programs, including health coaching and mental health resources

Ready to Lead the Future of Automation?

Apply now to join a company where your leadership drives real results—and your career can thrive.