Strategic Sourcing Specialist

ABOUT US: We’re on a journey to empower makers to bring their ideas to life. The world’s product visionaries face exceptional challenges finding the right materials, inputs, and resources to build their products at scale. At Valdera, we want to make it effortless for innovators and manufacturers to source the right materials from the right places. We’re led by a vision to get high quality physical products in the hands of millions of consumers across the world. Our team has a proven track record of serving some of the world’s largest Fortune 500 industrial manufacturers, CPG brands, and chemical companies. We’re growing quickly, and we can’t wait to find the best-in-class experts to spearhead the next leg of our journey. THE ROLE: As a Strategic Sourcing Specialist, you will be instrumental in helping build the industry's most robust network of specialty chemical and raw material suppliers! You will be partnering with Valdera buyers' and supporting their strategic sourcing needs by discovering and developing relationships with global suppliers. This role is a perfect opportunity for an experienced sourcing professional who is interested in being a part of a global fast-paced technology company that is disrupting the supply chain industry. In this role, you will be a part of our sourcing operations team that provides white glove service to our customers. This role reports to the Sourcing Manager, and works closely with sales, customer success, and our engineering team. JOB DETAILS: The Strategic Sourcing Specialist is responsible for the strategic sourcing and building relationships with Valdera’s network of suppliers. This includes deeply understanding buyer requirements, discovering high-quality global sources to meet those requirements, providing vendors with platform support, and staying up to date on industry trends. WHO YOU ARE:You consistently seek to deliver value and keep the customer at the forefront of your work, viewing problems and raw materials through the customer lens. You are passionate about strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management for chemicals and raw materials. You are somewhat of a sourcing wizard — you are known for being able to find just about any raw material, can identify and assess the quality of a supplier, and have a go-getter attitude. * Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States and live in the United States. We are unable to provide VISA sponsorship at this time.

In this role, you'll do the following:

• Assess and understand the needs of the buyers and manufacturers that Valdera serves
• Source, build, and maintain strong relationships with new suppliers
• Rapidly find and connect a high volume of relevant suppliers to each of our buyers' needs
• Help buyers close deals and execute high volume, multi-geography raw material purchases (specifications, finance & logistics)
• Develop and implement negotiation strategies to deliver cost savings, reduced lead time, and a wide range of options for buyers
• Build scalable methods and best practices for managing several sourcing and raw material projects simultaneously
• Onboard suppliers onto the Valdera platform and provide a frictionless experience integrating with our system

Required skills & experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in a strategic sourcing or direct materials procurement role.Extensive knowledge of chemicals / raw materials and relevant technical expertise in reviewing RFQs (TDS, SDS, COA, etc.).
• Experience owning several technical raw material projects and stakeholders simultaneously as an individual contributor.
• Strong ability to identify alternate or offset materials by reviewing technical documentation and product chemistry.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and providing continued support.
• Strong understanding of buyer requirements as it pertains to their material end use.
• Proactive problem solving ability - you are experienced in identifying and tracking any market challenges and using that knowledge to inform decision making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Objectives & responsibilities:

• Utilize sourcing strategies to expand our supplier network, deliver cost savings, and achieve a wide range of terms to meet buyer needs. Identify and connect a high volume of relevant suppliers to participate in each of our buyers' time sensitive RFQs.
• Establish and build upon relationships with suppliers to increase competitive bidding, creating strong supplier partnerships for Valdera.
• Work closely with your team to build scalable methods and best practices for managing several sourcing and raw material projects simultaneously.
• Provide a frictionless experience for onboarding suppliers.
• Work closely with the product design and engineering team to identify pain points and drive new feature requests for Valdera’s technology platform.
• Regularly report on chemical market intelligence and supply market trends.

What's in it for you: Valdera is a young, fast-paced, high-growth start-up. As we continue building out the world’s best procurement sourcing platform, we need more driven company builders, who are excited to innovate on an antiquated process. You will have the opportunity to contribute in significant ways to our mission, to grow with the company, and make an outsized impact! There’s lots of opportunities for career growth, and to enjoy a people-first company culture that allows you to bring your best self to work every day. The typical salary range for this role is between $70,000-90,000 annually with a semi-monthly payroll cadence. Salary ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, job level, internal equity, and budget. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors such as the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications, location and experience relative to the requirements of the role. We are committed to investing in each team member as an individual, and in each team as a whole. Here are just some of the ways we support our team members: - Career growth opportunities - Competitive total compensation - Pre-IPO Equity (Stock Options) with a 4-year vest and a 1-year cliff - 100% employer paid premiums for Medical, Dental and Vision coverage for employees - 50% employer paid premiums on Medical insurance for Dependents - $100 monthly Wellness Bonus for gym memberships, athletic equipment, massages, etc. - Voluntary Short & Long-term Disability & Supplemental Life Insurance - 401(k) with Traditional & ROTH investment options - Generous Flexible PTO, Sick Leave, Parental Leave policies, & 11 company-paid holidays - Free One Medical account for on-demand, virtual primary care appointments for employees who live in a covered area (medical insurance still applies) - Free 3rd party Health Advocate - Remote working opportunities - Annual company trips in fun places with other potential opportunities to spend time in person together throughout the year If you’re interested in this opportunity but don’t meet all of the qualifications listed above, we encourage you to apply. Feel free to attach a cover letter to highlight any relevant experience you have that might not stand out on your resume. Valdera is an equal-opportunity employer and we welcome applicants of all backgrounds. We celebrate our diverse culture and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, skills and experience. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind and believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment decisions including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, qualifications and the needs of our business.