Director Innovation Jobs in Novi, MI (NOW HIRING)

Your Job
As the Global Director, Direct Materials, you will lead the global sourcing strategy for critical direct material categories supporting Molex's Transportation Industrial Solutions (TIS) Division, driving supply continuity, cost competitiveness, supplier innovation, and successful product launches worldwide. Working closely with business, engineering, operations, quality, finance, and procurement leaders, you will develop and execute strategies that strengthen the supply base, create value, and support the division's growth and technology objectives. This role serves as a key strategic partner to divisional leadership, influencing sourcing and supply chain decisions that impact performance across multiple product lines and throughout the product lifecycle.
Our Team
The Transportation Industrial Solutions (TIS) Division delivers innovative connectivity and interconnect solutions that support a wide range of transportation and industrial applications around the world. As part of a global, cross-functional organization, our procurement team partners closely with category management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and commercial leaders to ensure reliable supply, accelerate innovation, and create long-term value for our customers. Together, we foster a collaborative, principle-based culture focused on continuous improvement, responsible stewardship, and helping the business achieve sustainable growth.
What You Will Do

• Lead the global direct materials procurement strategy, focused on connector-industry materials such as copper alloy strip, resins, and seals.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global team responsible for sourcing strategy, supplier development, commercial execution, and new product launch support.
• Partner with leadership to align sourcing strategies with business growth, innovation roadmaps, customer requirements, and financial objectives.
• Develop and execute category and supply base strategies that improve cost competitiveness, supply continuity, quality, working capital, supplier innovation, and regional execution.
• Serve as the primary liaison between business unit leadership and global Category Managers, translating business priorities into aligned sourcing strategies and actionable procurement plans.
• Lead supplier negotiations, commercial agreements, cost modeling, escalation management, and long-term supplier relationship development.
• Drive value creation through fact-based negotiations, should-cost analysis, total cost of ownership, VA/VE initiatives, payment term improvements, and waste elimination.
• Lead procurement involvement in new product development and launch programs, ensuring supplier engagement, material readiness, cost alignment, and flawless execution.
• Strengthen supply resiliency through supplier risk management, dual sourcing, capacity planning, inventory optimization, and market intelligence.
• Collaborate with engineering, quality, supply chain, operations, finance, and plant teams to deliver measurable business outcomes while resolving supplier-related quality, delivery, commercial, and technical issues.
• Establish performance metrics and governance for direct materials procurement, ensuring compliance, ethical sourcing, strong business controls, and continuous process improvement.
• Represent procurement in executive reviews, supplier business reviews, strategic planning, and customer-related discussions while promoting Molex's Principle Based Management culture and leadership principles.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations, or a related field
• Significant progressive leadership experience in global procurement, direct materials sourcing, supply chain, or category management; or equivalent demonstrated experience in a relevant leadership role.
• A successful candidate will bring executive presence, global business acumen, strong commercial capability, and the ability to lead through influence across a complex matrix organization.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Direct materials leadership experience in the connector, automotive, transportation, electronics, or electrical component industry.
• Preferred category expertise in copper alloy strip, engineered resins, seals, stamping-related materials, and supplier ecosystems supporting connector manufacturing.
• Demonstrated ability to lead global teams and influence senior stakeholders across regions, functions, and business units.
• Strong commercial capability in negotiations, supplier agreements, commodity strategy, should-cost modeling, cost breakdown analysis, and total cost of ownership.
• Experience supporting new product development, launch readiness, supplier selection, and product lifecycle management from concept through end of life, including leadership of sourcing strategies across NPD sourcing teams.
• Proven track record delivering measurable value through cost improvement, supply assurance, risk mitigation, working capital improvement, and supplier performance management.
• Experience with SAP or comparable ERP/MRP systems, procurement analytics, market intelligence, and executive-level reporting.
• Strong understanding of supplier quality, capacity management, contract management, and global supply chain risk.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
Hiring Philosophy
All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .
Who We Are
As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.
At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.
Our Benefits
Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.
Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.
Equal Opportunities
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here , aquí , or tu ).
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