Head - Supply Chain Management

• Work Model

  : WFO

• Role Focus

  : Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Supplier Development, Cost Optimisation, and Program Management for Sheet Metal and Body-in-White (BIW) Components.

• Candidate Expectations Total Experience

  : 20+ years

• Relevant Experience

  : 20+ years of overall experience, preferably with substantial experience in automotive OEMs, specifically in sheet metal sourcing, strategic procurement, supplier development, and supply chain management.

• Candidate Location: Skills Mandatory

  : Extensive experience in strategic sourcing and procurement of sheet metal components, BIW assemblies, fabricated parts, stampings, and welded structures.
• Strong expertise in supplier identification, evaluation, selection, commercial negotiations, and supplier performance management.
• Experience in cost optimisation, Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE), should-cost modelling, and design-to-cost initiatives.
• Proven expertise in supplier development, capacity planning, manufacturing process validation, and production readiness.
• Experience in New Product Development (NPD), program sourcing, tooling development, and Start of Production (SOP) readiness.
• Strong understanding of automotive manufacturing processes, including stamping, press tools, laser cutting, robotic welding, and fabrication.
• Experience in material planning, inventory optimisation, supplier scheduling, logistics coordination, and supply continuity.
• Ability to collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and other cross-functional teams.
• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, analytical capabilities, and stakeholder management experience.

• Candidate Industry:

  Automobile OEMs Preferred.
• Automotive Component Manufacturing.
• Automotive Sheet Metal and BIW Manufacturing.
• Automotive Engineering and Manufacturing.

Education and Certification Qualification Mandatory

• B.Tech / B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.

• Qualification Good to Have

  : Postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Procurement, or Business Administration.
• Specific Remarks: Candidates with experience in automobile OEMs are preferred.
• Strong hands-on experience in sheet metal sourcing, BIW components, supplier development, and automotive manufacturing programs is essential.
• Education mode acceptance and any specific regular education requirements are to be confirmed.

• Certification Good to Have

  : Certifications in Strategic Sourcing and Procurement.
• Supply Chain Management certifications.
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma certifications.
• Value Engineering and Cost Optimisation certifications.
• Project or Program Management certifications.

• The Head Supply Chain Management (Sheet Metal) will lead strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier development, cost optimisation, and supply chain operations for sheet metal components and Body-in-White (BIW) assemblies within the automotive manufacturing environment.
• The role involves developing sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, driving cost reduction initiatives, and ensuring supplier readiness for new product development and mass production.
• The individual will work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to ensure cost competitiveness, product quality, timely component availability, and uninterrupted manufacturing operations.
• Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Develop and execute sourcing strategies for BIW assemblies, fabricated parts, sheet metal components, structural reinforcements, cross-members, brackets, mounting structures, and related subassemblies.
• Lead supplier identification, evaluation, selection, negotiations, contracting, and ongoing performance management.
• Drive sourcing activities for sheet metal, steel grades, high-strength steel, aluminium structures, stampings, laser-cut parts, welded assemblies, and fabricated components.
• Establish competitive sourcing strategies through localisation, dual sourcing, make-versus-buy analysis, and supplier consolidation.
• Negotiate long-term supply agreements, commodity contracts, tooling costs, capacity commitments, and commercial terms.
• Develop sourcing strategies that balance cost competitiveness, quality, delivery performance, supplier capability, and supply chain resilience.
• Cost Optimisation and Value Engineering Drive annual cost reduction initiatives through Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE), design-to-cost, should-cost modelling, strategic negotiations, and process improvements.
• Optimise material utilisation, scrap levels, production yield, tooling investments, logistics costs, and supplier conversion costs.
• Collaborate with Engineering teams to reduce BIW weight and component costs without compromising structural integrity, safety, durability, or manufacturability.
• Establish cost benchmarks for raw materials, fabricated components, welding assemblies, and tooling.
• Monitor commodity price movements and implement appropriate cost-management strategies.
• Identify opportunities for supplier productivity improvement, material cost reduction, and total cost of ownership optimisation.
• Supplier Development and Industrialisation Build, develop, and manage a competitive supplier ecosystem for BIW components, sheet metal parts, and fabricated assemblies.
• Lead supplier capability assessments covering stamping, press tools, laser cutting, CNC machining, robotic welding, fixture design, dimensional control, and assembly processes.
• Drive supplier capacity planning, process validation, production readiness, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure supplier readiness across prototype, pilot production, and mass-production phases.
• Establish strategic supplier partnerships to support localisation, manufacturing innovation, and future product platforms.
• Monitor supplier performance against quality, cost, delivery, capacity, and operational excellence targets.
• Work with suppliers to resolve capability gaps, manufacturing bottlenecks, and production-related challenges.
• New Product Development and Program Management Lead sourcing activities from concept and prototype stages through engineering validation, production validation, and Start of Production (SOP).
• Ensure supplier nomination, tooling development, sample approvals, process validation, and capacity readiness are aligned with program milestones.
• Participate in cross-functional reviews covering design freeze, engineering changes, Bill of Materials (BOM) cost, tooling status, and launch readiness.
• Ensure timely resolution of supplier-related issues during prototype builds, production trials, and manufacturing ramp-up.
• Integrate supplier risk assessments and sourcing decisions into product development and launch plans.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and suppliers to ensure smooth program execution and timely launch.
• Track sourcing deliverables, tooling timelines, component approvals, and supplier readiness against program schedules.
• Supply Planning and Operational Excellence Ensure uninterrupted supply of BIW components and sheet metal parts to manufacturing facilities.
• Lead demand planning, material planning, inventory optimisation, supplier scheduling, and logistics coordination.
• Establish appropriate inventory strategies for long-lead-time tooling, imported materials, critical components, and production ramp-ups.
• Drive improvements in On-Time In-Full (OTIF) performance, lead times, inventory turns, schedule adherence, and supply continuity.
• Develop and implement contingency plans to manage capacity constraints, supplier disruptions, and raw-material shortages.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and logistics teams to align supply plans with production requirements.
• Establish performance monitoring mechanisms to identify supply risks and drive corrective actions.
• Key Deliverables Competitive sourcing strategies and improved procurement performance for sheet metal and BIW components.
• Achievement of annual cost reduction and VA/VE targets.
• Development of a robust and capable supplier ecosystem.
• Timely supplier nomination, tooling development, and production readiness for new product programs.
• Improved supplier quality, delivery performance, and manufacturing capability.
• Effective inventory management and uninterrupted supply to manufacturing operations.
• Successful coordination of sourcing and supplier-related milestones through SOP.
• Reduced supply chain risks, improved operational efficiency, and stronger supplier partnerships.

Key Skills Mandatory Key Skills

• Strategic Sourcing and ProcurementAutomotive Sheet Metal SourcingBody-in-White (BIW) Components and AssembliesSupplier Development and Supplier Relationship ManagementCommercial Negotiations and Contract ManagementCost Optimisation and Cost ReductionValue Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE)Should-Cost Modelling and Design-to-CostAutomotive Manufacturing ProcessesStamping, Fabrication, and Welding ProcessesTooling Development and ManagementNew Product Development (NPD)Program Sourcing and SOP ReadinessSupplier Capacity Planning and IndustrialisationMaterial Planning and Inventory OptimisationSupply Chain Risk ManagementCross-Functional Stakeholder Management Good to Have Skills Automobile OEM ExperienceHigh-Strength Steel and Aluminium Component SourcingLocalisation and Dual-Sourcing StrategiesMake-versus-Buy AnalysisSupplier ConsolidationManufacturing Process ImprovementLean Manufacturing and Six SigmaCommodity Price ManagementLogistics Cost OptimisationProduction Ramp-up and Launch ManagementAdvanced Supplier Performance ManagementProject and Program Management

Other Specific Remarks Additional Requirements:

• Candidates should have 20+ years of overall professional experience.
• Prior experience in automobile OEMs is strongly preferred.
• Direct experience in sheet metal sourcing, BIW components, automotive procurement, and supplier development is essential.
• Candidates should have demonstrated experience in cost optimisation, supplier negotiations, tooling management, and new product launch support.
• Experience coordinating with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and suppliers during product industrialisation is highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, commercial decision-making, and stakeholder management capabilities are required.