Principal Strategic Sourcing Analyst, Cost Optimization — Detroit, Michigan Area

Day-in-the-life

It’s Monday morning in Detroit. You’ve just pulled the latest spend cube and flagged a spike in resin pricing that’s nudging Purchase Price Variance in the wrong direction. By 10 a.m., you’re partnering with Finance to reconcile PO-to-invoice mismatches and validate standard costs. After lunch, you’re on with a strategic supplier, negotiating a cost-down tied to volume commitments and rebate structure. Before the day ends, your dashboard is updated and leadership can see the margin impact—this week, this month, this quarter.

What you will lead

• Enterprise PPV performance: investigate, resolve, and prevent variances across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Supplier cost-down programs that translate data-driven insights into measurable savings.
• Reconciliation of PO vs. invoice and alignment to standard costs to protect margin.
• Monthly cost and margin analysis with clear, repeatable reporting discipline.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Finance, Business, Accounting, or a related field.
• 5+ years in strategic sourcing, purchasing, cost analysis, or manufacturing finance.
• Hands-on experience managing PPV, standard costing, rebates, and variance analysis.
• Proven track record working directly with strategic suppliers.
• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, modeling, data analysis) and strong financial acumen.
• Comfort working cross-functionally with Finance and interpreting invoice detail to resolve discrepancies.
• Clear communicator with strong interpersonal skills; meticulous, analytical, and disciplined in reporting.
• Results-oriented mindset focused on safeguarding and improving margin.

Preferred extras

• Multi-site manufacturing background.
• Experience with rebate programs.
• ERP exposure (SAP, Oracle, Plex, IQMS, etc.).
• Knowledge of plastic injection molding.

Where you’ll work

• Office and manufacturing plant settings.
• Occasional travel to manufacturing locations and supplier sites.

Why this role matters

This is a high-visibility individual contributor position with enterprise reach. You will influence cost performance, partner with senior leaders, and deliver tangible, sustained improvements across the organization.

Core proficiencies

• Manufacturing environment experience
• Microsoft Excel