Strategic Sourcing Specialist - Strategic Sourcing, Engineered Equipment

Job Summary

The Strategic Sourcing Specialist — Engineered Equipment is a developing individual contributor who executes defined category work within the engineered equipment portfolio with appropriate oversight, building toward independent category management. The engineered equipment portfolio encompasses power transformers, autotransformers, distribution transformers, switchgear (circuit breakers, reclosers, switches), and wire, conductor, and cable categories — all characterized by long procurement lead times, capital program dependency, and technically complex supplier engagement.

The Specialist manages sourcing events for assigned categories or sub-categories, maintains supplier relationships at a working level, administers contracts and agreements, and develops the commercial and analytical skills required to progress to Senior Specialist-level independence. The Specialist operates with clear performance expectations, delivers defined work products with increasing quality and consistency, and escalates decisions and risks with context rather than as raw problems.

Essential Functions

Sourcing Event Execution
•    Develop and execute RFQ/RFP packages for assigned engineered equipment sub-categories (e.g., distribution transformers, reclosers, wire/cable SOW renewals) with Procurement Manager or Senior Specialist oversight, including scope of work, technical requirements, commercial terms, and evaluation criteria.
•    Manage the supplier Q&A and clarification process for assigned sourcing events, maintaining competitive integrity and information parity across all participating manufacturers.
•    Conduct bid evaluation for assigned categories including weighted scoring, price comparison, and basic total cost of ownership analysis. Produce evaluation summaries for Senior or Lead Specialist review that are complete and internally consistent.
•    Draft award recommendation documentation that is complete, documented, and requires review but not reconstruction by the Procurement Manager.
•    Support multi-round negotiation processes including preparation of bid summary comparisons, price reduction request documentation, and counter-offer tracking.

Supplier Relationship Management
•    Manage working-level supplier relationships for assigned engineered equipment categories, tracking performance against contract requirements and raising supply risk signals proactively.
•    Assist in development and maintenance of supplier performance scorecards for the engineered equipment supply base, collecting delivery, quality, and service data from internal stakeholders and supplier reports.
•    Participate in supplier coordination calls and QBRs for assigned categories, managing follow-up action items and tracking resolution without prompting.
•    Escalate supplier performance issues and supply risk signals — including lead time extensions, capacity constraints, and quality holds — with a clear summary of the issue, impact, and recommended path.

Contract Administration & Governance
•    Administer contracts for assigned categories including PO issuance, change order processing, SOW and MSA compliance tracking, and documentation governance in SAP or equivalent systems.
•    Track contract expiration calendar for assigned engineered equipment categories, raising renewal triggers to the Procurement Manager with appropriate lead time given the long-lead nature of the supply base.
•    Ensure PO, contract, and spend documentation is accurate, audit-ready, and consistently maintained.
•    Support execution of Master Service Agreements and Statements of Work for assigned manufacturers, coordinating Legal review routing and signature management under Procurement Manager oversight.

Market Intelligence & Analysis
•    Monitor supply market conditions for assigned categories including lead time dynamics, manufacturer capacity utilization, commodity price movements (copper, aluminum, GOES for transformers), and tariff and trade developments affecting the engineered equipment supply base.
•    Develop spend analysis, supply base assessments, and sourcing event packages with increasing independence as category knowledge and proficiency develops.
•    Maintain accurate lead time data for assigned equipment categories, updating the team tracker when manufacturer-reported timelines change.

Stakeholder Coordination
•    Manage working-level stakeholder relationships with Engineering, Construction, Project Management, and Operations for assigned category needs, resolving routine coordination issues before they require Procurement Manager involvement.
•    Communicate proactively on supply risk, lead time changes, and sourcing timelines for capital project-critical equipment without waiting to be asked.

Education Description

•    Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.

Experience

•    2–5 years of procurement, sourcing, or supply chain experience with demonstrated involvement in sourcing event execution for technical, capital, or materials categories.
•    Demonstrated ability to support or execute RFQ/RFP events including document development, bid evaluation, and award recommendation.
•    Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and SAP or equivalent ERP.
•    Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent commitments across active sourcing events and supplier relationships without supervision of each.
•    Clear written and verbal communication with professional presentation quality.

QUALIFICATIONS — PREFERRED
•    Experience in electric utility, power generation, transmission, industrial, or construction procurement environments.
•    Exposure to long-lead equipment procurement including procurement timeline management, manufacturing milestone tracking, or factory acceptance coordination.
•    Familiarity with transformer, switchgear, or conductor product families and associated technical specifications or ANSI/IEEE standards.
•    Experience with contract structures including MSA, SOW, PO, and blanket agreement frameworks.
•    Experience with commodity-influenced categories and index-linked pricing concepts (copper, aluminum).
•    SAP or equivalent ERP proficiency for spend analysis, PO management, and supplier records.

BEHAVIORAL & CULTURAL STANDARDS
The Specialist is held to the same cultural and professional standards as every other member of the team. Seniority does not create exceptions to conduct, confidentiality, or accountability expectations.
•    Delivers on commitments to colleagues, stakeholders, and suppliers consistently and without requiring reminders. Raises conflicts early, not after the deadline has passed.
•    Brings issues with context and a recommended path before escalating. Has considered options before bringing a problem to the Procurement Manager.
•    Maintains absolute confidentiality of commercial information including bid pricing, award decisions, supplier positions, and sourcing strategies in all settings — formal and informal.
•    Takes personal accountability for the quality and completeness of submitted work. Reviews outputs before delivery and does not submit work that requires corrective reconstruction.
•    Communicates proactively on open items. Does not wait to be asked for status updates when timelines are at risk.
•    Maintains professional conduct in all supplier interactions including email, calls, and in-person meetings. Does not create commercial leverage problems through informal supplier communications.

Physical Requirements

Working Conditions