Platform Partnerships Jobs in Appleton, WI (NOW HIRING)

About Us:

BW Converting is a strategic alliance of resources and services that bring together several Barry-Wehmiller companies - Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), Winkler + Dunnebier (W+D), STAX Technologies, Hudson-Sharp, Baldwin Technologies and Northern Engraving and Machine. These industry leaders offer trusted brands and innovative technologies in the design, manufacture, and service of high-performance converting and packaging machinery for the tissue, nonwovens, hygiene, bag-converting, mailing, and printing industries.

 

Barry-Wehmiller is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper-converting industries. By blending people-centric leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose-driven growth, Barry-Wehmiller has become a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world.

 

Job Description:

The Global Platform Commodity Leader: Mechanical is responsible for developing and executing the mechanical commodity strategy across all BW Converting sites. This platform-level sourcing leadership role will leverage global spend, establish preferred supplier strategies, improve commercial performance, reduce supply risk, and support consistent sourcing practices throughout BW Converting. The annual spend under strategic management for this role is around $100M USD.

The Commodity Leader will provide strategic direction for assigned mechanical categories while partnering with site procurement teams that retain responsibility for local purchasing execution, transactional activities, material availability, and day-to-day supplier coordination.

This position will work across Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, Project Management, Service, and other functions to improve total cost, quality, delivery, working capital, supplier capability, and continuity of supply. This will include working alongside the Enterprise Sourcing team based in St. Louis, along with the functions at our 5 main manufacturing sites + aftermarket/small manufacturing locations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive global commodity strategy for assigned mechanical categories across BW Converting.
• Create category roadmaps addressing supplier segmentation, sourcing regions, cost competitiveness, technical capability, capacity, quality, delivery, lead time, and continuity of supply.
• Analyze platform-wide spend and demand to identify opportunities to leverage common requirements across sites.
• Establish and maintain the platform preferred supplier strategy, including supplier rationalization and Grow, Maintain, Develop, or Exit recommendations.
• Lead supplier selection, qualification, development, performance evaluation, and strategic business reviews in partnership with Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, and site procurement teams.
• Lead competitive sourcing events and negotiate long-term agreements, memoranda of understanding, pricing agreements, rebates, payment terms, warranty provisions, and other commercial arrangements.
• Deliver measurable productivity, cost-out, cost avoidance, inflation mitigation, and working-capital improvements using total-cost-of-ownership principles.
• Identify opportunities through supplier consolidation, competitive bidding, localization, low-cost-country sourcing, value analysis and value engineering, specification alignment, and demand aggregation.
• Partner with Finance to validate savings and provide commodity-market outlooks, supplier pricing projections, commercial risks, and budget inputs.
• Serve as the platform commodity expert and strategic point of contact for assigned mechanical categories.
• Partner with site Buyers, Planners, and Supply Chain leaders to implement the platform strategy while preserving local responsibility for transactional execution and immediate operational needs.
• Work with Engineering to support component standardization, preferred technology selection, design simplification, early supplier involvement, new product development, supplier transitions, and engineering changes.
• Identify and manage supplier, geopolitical, tariff, logistics, capacity, financial, quality, and single-source risks and develop practical mitigation plans.
• Establish and track commodity-level performance measures, including savings, supplier quality, on-time delivery, lead-time improvement, working-capital impact, preferred-supplier utilization, and supplier-base reduction.
• Provide regular updates to the Senior Leader, Strategic Sourcing and other platform stakeholders on progress, risks, barriers, and required decisions.
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Mechanical Commodity Scope (example of some of the categories to support):
• Bearings, pneumatics, hydraulics, and linear-motion components.
• Gearboxes, motors, pulleys, sprockets, chains, belts, couplings, and related mechanical power-transmission components.
• Machined components, fabricated and welded components, castings, and forgings.
• Rollers, shafts, conveyor components, mechanical assemblies, and subassemblies.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, Finance, or a related field. Equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Significant progressive experience in strategic sourcing, commodity management, procurement, supply chain, or supplier management within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience sourcing mechanical components, machined parts, fabrications, or related industrial products.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and commercial negotiations across multiple locations or business units.
• Demonstrated success delivering cost reductions using total-cost-of-ownership principles.
• Experience in a global or matrixed manufacturing organization is strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting complex machinery, engineered-to-order products, capital equipment, or low-volume and high-mix manufacturing is preferred.
• Professional supply chain, procurement, Lean, or Six Sigma certification is beneficial but not required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of strategic sourcing, commodity management, supplier development, competitive bidding, contracting, and negotiation.
• Working knowledge of mechanical components and their application within industrial equipment.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, specifications, bills of material, and related engineering documentation.
• Strong understanding of total cost of ownership, cost drivers, commodity-index movements, and supplier pricing structures.
• Ability to analyze spend, pricing, supplier performance, demand, and market data and convert findings into actionable sourcing strategies.
• Strong commercial judgment, financial acumen, project-management skills, and organizational discipline.
• Ability to lead cross-functional and cross-site initiatives and influence decisions without direct authority.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency with ERP, procurement analytics, business-intelligence, and Microsoft Office tools.
• High ethical standards and commitment to fair, transparent, and respectful supplier relationships.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require.

Leadership Responsibility

This role provides platform-level functional leadership for assigned commodities. The Commodity Leader may not initially have direct reports but will lead work across site Buyers, Planners, Engineers, Quality professionals, Finance partners, and other stakeholders through influence, shared objectives, defined sourcing governance, and fact-based decision-making.

Competencies

• Strategic Mindset - Anticipates future possibilities and translates them into effective commodity strategies.
• Business Insight - Applies knowledge of the business, markets, customers, and supplier environment to advance organizational goals.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieves meaningful outcomes, even under challenging circumstances.
• Collaborates - Builds partnerships and works cooperatively across functions, sites, regions, and suppliers.
• Communicates Effectively - Delivers clear communications tailored to technical, operational, commercial, and leadership audiences.
• Instills Trust - Builds confidence through honesty, integrity, transparency, and authenticity.
• Decision Quality - Makes sound and timely decisions using data, experience, risk assessment, and business judgment.
• Plans and Aligns - Prioritizes work and coordinates resources to meet commitments aligned with platform goals.
• Optimizes Work Processes - Identifies more effective ways to improve sourcing processes, supplier performance, and cross-site execution.
• Action Oriented - Takes on opportunities and challenges with urgency, energy, and accountability.

Measures of Success

• Validated cost-out, cost avoidance, and inflation-mitigation results.
• Documented commodity strategies and sustainable sourcing pipelines.
• Preferred-supplier utilization, supplier-base rationalization, and implementation of platform-level commercial agreements.
• Supplier quality, on-time delivery, lead-time, and working-capital improvement.
• Reduction of single-source and continuity-of-supply risks.
• Cross-site adoption of preferred suppliers and standardized components.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Frequent use of a computer and standard office equipment.
• Periodic presence in manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, and supplier-production environments.
• Ability to comply with applicable site and supplier safety requirements.
• Domestic and international travel as required to support sites, supplier meetings, negotiations, assessments, and strategic initiatives.

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At Barry-Wehmiller we recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. We know that our differences often can bring about innovation, excellence and meaningful work-therefore, people from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require reasonable accommodations during the interview process.

Barry-Wehmiller is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/D/V This organization uses E-Verify.

 

Applicants may be subject to pre-employment screening which may include drug screening, reference checks, employment verifications, background screening and/or skills assessments.

Company:

BW Converting