Sourcing Specialist

Position Summary

IEM is currently seeking Sourcing Specialists for our Franklin, TN location. The Sourcing Specialist supports sourcing, supplier management, and procurement activities that help IEM meet manufacturing, supply chain, and operational goals. This role assists with supplier identification, pricing analysis, negotiations, supplier follow-up, and sourcing projects to support material availability, cost competitiveness, quality, and on-time delivery.

The ideal candidate has experience in a manufacturing environment and is comfortable working with suppliers, internal stakeholders, and data to support sourcing decisions, cost reduction initiatives, supplier performance, and production needs. This position reports to our Strategic Procurement Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Support sourcing activities that align with cost, quality, delivery, inventory, and business continuity goals.
• Assist with identifying, evaluating, qualifying, and onboarding suppliers that meet IEM's manufacturing and operational needs.
• Support supplier negotiations related to pricing, payment terms, lead times, minimum order quantities, stocking agreements, blanket orders, and supply commitments.
• Maintain supplier relationships through regular communication, follow-up, and issue resolution.
• Assist with supplier performance tracking, scorecards, corrective actions, and supplier development activities.
• Support sourcing, cost reduction, supplier consolidation, dual sourcing, localization, and supply risk mitigation initiatives.
• Partner with Procurement, Planning, Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Finance to support production needs and supplier-related actions.
• Analyze supplier pricing, lead times, capacity, market trends, demand signals, and supply risks to support sourcing recommendations.
• Help resolve supplier issues related to delivery delays, defects, nonconformance, pricing discrepancies, capacity constraints, and recurring performance concerns.
• Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, contract, and sourcing data in applicable systems.
• Support continuous improvement efforts related to supplier performance, material flow, cost reduction, and supply chain reliability.
• The candidate will be expected to perform additional duties as assigned to support the team and organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, supply chain, purchasing, supplier management, or a related role in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting supplier communication, sourcing activities, pricing analysis, supplier performance, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Understanding of manufacturing supply chains, supplier lead times, material planning, cost drivers, and production support.
• Ability to support practical sourcing and supplier decisions while partnering appropriately with Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain.
• Strong analytical, communication, problem-solving, follow-up, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience in electrical equipment, power distribution, switchgear, industrial manufacturing, or engineered-to-order manufacturing preferred.
• Experience with supplier development, localization, Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and material flow concepts preferred.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, Microsoft Excel, and supplier performance reporting tools.
• Demonstrated career ambition with a track record of growth and increasing responsibility; highly promotable with the potential to take on broader responsibilities within a fast-paced, high-growth organization.

Working Conditions

• Manufacturing and office environment.
• May require occasional travel to suppliers or IEM facilities.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities, production demands, and supplier constraints.