Full-Time
Director – Global Logistics Procurement and Enterprise Procurement Risk Management
Global Logistics Procurement, Enterprise Procurement Risk Management
Posted on 10/31/2025
Albemarle
1,001-5,000 employees
Global producer of lithium, bromine, catalysts
No salary listed
Charlotte, NC, USA
Hybrid
Three days on-site per week at Charlotte, NC office.
 Operations & Logistics (8) |
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- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field; MBA or equivalent master’s degree strongly preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in global procurement and logistics, with at least 5 years in procurement risk, compliance, or governance roles
- Proven ability to lead risk mitigation programs across global procurement organizations.
- Proven success managing over ~$250M in annual logistics spend
- Deep experience in global ocean freight, Over The Road (Full Truck Load, Less than Truck Load, Parcel, Drayage, Rail), and multimodal transportation procurement
- Demonstrated success in leading cross-regional and cross-functional teams and influencing global stakeholders
- Develop and lead the global logistics procurement vision, strategy, and execution roadmap in alignment with corporate core values and objectives.
- Lead strategic sourcing initiatives across all regions to optimize supplier portfolio, drive value creation, and ensure security of supply.
- Provide executive-level guidance on logistics procurement trends, disruptions, and emerging technologies to support risk-informed decision-making.
- Champion the integration of enterprise procurement risk management into sourcing strategy and supplier segmentation.
- Provide thought leadership in evolving logistics procurement practices, digital transformation, and sustainability.
- Build and develop a high-performing team and foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Direct reports are based in the U.S., APAC, & EMEA, with indirect reports in Australia & Chile.
- Lead global tender events (RFI, RFP, RFQ) for logistics services including long-term agreements and strategic partnerships; drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements and value-based negotiations.
- Own global contract strategy, terms, and compliance for all logistics providers, ensuring alignment and collaboration with legal, trade compliance, insurance, and risk departments and policies.
- Incorporate contract clauses that ensure supply continuity, performance guarantees, liability coverage, and proactive risk mitigation
- Establish and manage governance and escalations around carrier performance, dispute resolution, and contract lifecycle management.
- Develop and implement a supplier risk segmentation model and risk scoring criteria across all procurement categories.
- Establish enterprise-wide risk registers, dashboards, and early warning systems using market intelligence, supplier data, and digital tools.
- Create policies for third-party risk due diligence, onboarding, and periodic re-evaluation for critical suppliers.
- Partner with legal to ensure procurement contracts include force majeure, continuity of supply, cyber/ESG liability, and escalation clauses.
- Lead risk assessments during M&A activity, major capital projects, or supplier transitions.
- Align PRM metrics with ESG, compliance, and financial reporting requirements.
- Integrate risk insights into sourcing decisions, supplier selection, and long-term planning.
- Regularly report procurement risk status to Procurement Leadership Team, ERM Council, and executive stakeholders.
- Lead enterprise-wide spend visibility and risk exposure analytics using Power BI, SAP S/4HANA, or similar tools.
- Develop and manage the global logistics procurement budget, including freight forecasts cost, hard savings targets, cost avoidance and rate benchmarking.
- Deliver annual productivity and working capital improvements through sourcing strategies, modal optimization, innovation partnerships and leveraging technology.
- Develop dashboards that include supplier risk indicators, early warning signals, and risk-adjusted performance metrics.
- Quantify cost of risk, cost avoidance, and mitigation ROI as part of executive dashboards.
- Lead executive reporting on spend, savings, and KPI dashboards.
- Establish a global framework for Logistics Service Provider (LSP) management, onboarding, scorecarding, and performance reviews.
- Lead initiatives to harmonize procurement processes and digital tools across regions.
- Drive logistics procurement's role in integrated business planning (IBP), network design, and sustainability programs.
- Embed procurement risk frameworks into supplier onboarding and performance reviews.
- Institutionalize procurement risk controls, policies, and SOPs across all categories.
- Integrate PRM within supplier onboarding, scorecards, and performance reviews.
- Collaborate with IT, cybersecurity, and digital teams to deploy procurement risk tools and platforms (e.g., risk intelligence platforms, supplier scorecards, audit systems).
- Ensure adherence to global trade compliance, customs, and dangerous goods regulations (DOT, IMDG, IATA).
- Build business continuity strategies addressing supplier risk, geopolitical disruptions, and regulatory changes.
- Establish and govern a Procurement Risk Management (PRM) framework covering all categories, suppliers, regions, and risk types (supply, financial, ESG, cyber, regulatory).
- Serve as Albemarle’s enterprise lead for procurement risk, driving alignment with enterprise risk management (ERM), compliance, and internal audit.
- Advise senior executives on emerging procurement risks, including geopolitical shifts, trade regulations, ESG compliance, cyber threats, and market volatility.
- Design playbooks and business continuity strategies for high-risk and critical supply categories.
- Lead scenario planning, stress testing, and response simulation exercises related to procurement and logistics disruptions.
- Conduct recurring supplier risk assessments, including financial health reviews, operational audits, and geopolitical risk mapping.
- Develop and maintain a logistics and procurement category risk register and lead quarterly risk reviews with senior stakeholders.
- Collaborate with internal audit and enterprise risk teams to ensure procurement risk aligns with corporate risk frameworks.
- Lead enterprise efforts to comply with ESG regulations affecting suppliers (e.g., EU Supply Chain Due Diligence, UFLPA, REACH, etc.).
- Serve as key liaison to internal business units, supply chain operations, and manufacturing to ensure logistics alignment with business needs.
- Collaborate with global leadership teams to support growth, expansions, and transformation initiatives through proactive logistics sourcing.
- Partner with enterprise risk, legal, and compliance teams to align logistics procurement risk practices with broader business continuity strategies.
- Facilitate cross-functional forums and risk governance councils
- Deep expertise in procurement and third-party risk management frameworks (ISO 31000, COSO, etc.)
- Familiarity with risk intelligence platforms (e.g., Resilinc, Everstream, RapidRatings, Dun & Bradstreet, EcoVadis)
- Strong command of risk-related contract clauses and legal frameworks
- Advanced contract negotiation and supplier relationship management skills
- - Expertise in ERP (SAP S/4 HANA), spend analytics (Power BI)
- Chemical industry experience in the movement of Regulated DG/Haz-Mat and Non-Regulated bulk (dry/liquid) and packaged goods by ground, rail, ocean, and air
- Knowledge of Dangerous Goods transportation regulations (DOT, IATA, IMDG) a plus
- Excellent executive communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to collaborate in cross-functional, team-oriented environment
- Ability to interact with multiple levels of leadership internally and externally
- Data driven, addresses partner and customer needs
- Strong sense of urgency and follow through
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, matrixed, global environment
- Proficient User of MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint
- Fluent in English; Spanish a strong advantage
- MBA or equivalent master’s degree strongly preferred
Albemarle is a global specialty chemicals supplier focused on lithium, bromine, and catalysts. It extracts lithium from brine and hard rock and processes it into battery-grade materials for electric vehicles and energy storage, while also supplying bromine for fire safety and chemical synthesis and providing catalysts for chemical manufacturing. It differentiates itself with end-to-end lithium mining and processing, a broad product portfolio, and a worldwide footprint, including being the only active lithium producer in the United States. Its goal is to secure and deliver essential materials that enable mobility, energy storage, and connectivity, supporting the transition to electric power and advanced chemistry.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Founded
1887
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Energy Storage demand surged 117% year-over-year, diversifying revenue beyond cyclical EV markets.
- Q1 2026 adjusted EBITDA doubled to $664 million driven by pricing and cost improvements.
- Lithium demand projected to grow 15-40% in 2026, with 2030 forecast raised 10% to 3.6 million tons.
What critics are saying
- Kemerton Western Australia plant permanently idled February 2026 due to China's low-cost competition.
- Kings Mountain and South Carolina Mega-Flex face environmental lawsuits delaying 50,000 tons annual output.
- Analyst consensus projects $5.7 billion 2028 revenue with zero profitability versus management's $6.9 billion target.
What makes Albemarle unique
- Only US lithium producer with Silver Peak brine facility and Kings Mountain hard-rock mine.
- Mega-Flex facility processes diverse feedstock including recycled battery material for circular economy.
- Secured $1.2 billion Tesla supply deal providing long-term revenue visibility amid market volatility.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Paid Holidays
Professional Development Budget
Company News
Albemarle reported mixed fourth-quarter results, with earnings missing expectations whilst revenue exceeded forecasts. The lithium producer announced long-serving director James O'Brien will retire at the May 2026 annual meeting under the company's age limit policy. The company is proposing to remove certain supermajority provisions on affiliated transactions and showcasing manufacturing AI capabilities at an industry summit, aiming to streamline governance and expand use of advanced analytics in operations. Albemarle's investment case remains centred on lithium's role in energy storage, though pricing pressure and industry oversupply present near-term challenges. The company's narrative projects $6.9 billion revenue and $1.1 billion earnings by 2028, requiring 11.5% yearly revenue growth. Analyst views vary sharply, with more cautious forecasts showing 4.2% growth and no return to profitability by 2028.
Australia exposed as China rewrites green economy. Poppy JohnstonAAP 18 March 2026, 1:03pm The shuttering of a Western Australian lithium refinery after just four years should serve as a warning as China pumps more than A$160 billion into overseas critical minerals and metals endeavours. US company Albemarle shut up shop at its South West lithium refinery in February, citing its struggle to compete with China's low-cost production. Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley said its closure was a consequence of China's strategic diversification to boost critical minerals and clean tech capacity. "That is a serious problem," he told AAP. "We will stay a dig and ship country if we can't actually get other countries to value the geopolitical stability that we offer." Mr Buckley has co-authored a report on China's evolving strategy to entrench its dominance in lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and other elements of the low carbon supply chain. The Asian powerhouse has invested heavily in domestic mining and manufacturing capacity as well as launched a comprehensive foreign investment strategy targeted at the Global South. Moving beyond the extractive mega-projects of the past, China is investing in smaller, high-tech manufacturing facilities offshore to secure long-term access to materials. The massive $160 billion total outbound investment tracked by the think tank represents China's strategic move to dampen its over-reliance on a few key export markets, including Australia. As well, little of China's overseas spending is landing in Australia, with a 85 per cent collapse in foreign direct investment since 2018 identified by consultancy KPMG. Mr Buckley said Australia needed to adapt quickly to China's reshaping of the green economic geography. "It is imperative that we act now to shift these dynamics in Australia's favour to become a renewables-powered mining and value-adding superpower or risk remaining on the sidelines as the world's quarry in the new global economy," he said. In the absence of a strong international carbon pricing signal to bolster greener manufacturing, Mr Buckley says Australia should be doubling down on "green energy statecraft". This involves trade arrangements and strategic investments that help key trade partners meet Paris climate commitments while securing a higher green premium for Australian processed goods. The agreement between Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and Japan to supply rare earth long-term at a guaranteed floor price was held up as a "perfect example" of green energy statecraft. Australia should also be looking for opportunities carefully and selectively engage China - still its biggest trading partner - on green partnerships before the diversification away becomes more pronounced. The $81 billion in federal capital support under 'future made in Australia' was described as "directionally correct" but insufficient without a carbon pricing signal to entice private money. The think tank recommends Australia work toward an explicit, whole-of-economy carbon price and leverage Energy Minister Chris Bowen's COP31 presidency to push for a regional Asian carbon border adjustment mechanism.
Albemarle has appointed two finance executives to its board, launched up to $500 million in debt tender offers, and is redeeming its 4.650% senior notes due 2027. The company also reaffirmed its quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share whilst progressing the sale of a controlling interest in its Ketjen business. The moves aim to simplify Albemarle's portfolio around its Energy Storage division and reduce financial risk as lithium prices remain volatile. The company is refocusing on lithium-focused operations, though analysts note risks from alternative battery technologies and regulatory pressures. Albemarle's narrative projects $6.9 billion revenue and $1.1 billion earnings by 2028, requiring 11.5% annual revenue growth. Consensus estimates previously anticipated approximately $5.7 billion in 2028 revenue.
Albemarle Corporation has appointed Michelle T. Collins and Mark R. Widmar to its board of directors, effective 26th February 2026. The appointments are part of the board's regular succession planning. Collins brings over 40 years of audit and advisory experience, having served as vice chair, senior audit partner and national automotive sector leader for Deloitte & Touche until her recent retirement. She will join the audit & finance committee and governance & public policy committee. Widmar has served as CEO of First Solar since 2016, following earlier roles as CFO and chief accounting officer. He previously held CFO positions at GrafTech International and financial leadership roles at NCR and Dell. He will join the executive compensation & talent development committee and safety, sustainability, operations & capital committee.
Albemarle has announced plans to sell a 51% stake in its Ketjen refining catalyst solutions business for $660 million in pre-tax proceeds, increasing its focus on lithium and specialty chemicals. The company is also idling its last operating train at its Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant in Western Australia, a move expected to boost adjusted EBITDA from the second quarter of 2026. CEO Kent Masters noted that recent lithium price improvements alone cannot offset challenges facing Western hard-rock lithium conversion operations. The company maintains production capacity in China to serve that market. Combined with $459 million in cost cuts during 2025, management outlined scenarios showing significant EBITDA margin expansion opportunities from potentially higher lithium prices, despite the near-doubling of prices over the past six months.