External Manufacturing Manager

As the External Manufacturing Manager, you will lead external manufacturing and supply chain operations by overseeing the procurement of goods and services. Your primary focus is ensuring cost efficiency, maintaining high-quality standards, and guaranteeing timely delivery. You will manage supplier relationships, optimize purchasing strategies, and align procurement activities with the organization's overall goals.

Our Team

You will work closely with all Molex employees internally and maintain strong partnerships with all Molex entities and suppliers externally. This role collaborates extensively across the Consumer & Commercial Solution Division to ensure seamless coordination between purchasing, production, logistics, and planning teams.

What You Will Do

• Develop and implement purchasing strategies that align with company objectives to drive business success.
• Manage and nurture relationships with external manufacturers and suppliers to ensure reliable supply and collaboration.
• Monitor supplier performance through key performance indicators such as on-time delivery, quality, and compliance, and take action to resolve any issues.
• Lead efforts to resolve disputes while ensuring all suppliers adhere to contractual obligations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with suppliers, planners, production, and logistics teams to optimize inventory levels and streamline operations.
• Oversee production planning, scheduling, and inventory management to minimize supply risks and meet demand.
• Govern supplier capacity to prevent supply disruptions and ensure competitive positioning in the market.
• Continuously monitor and improve supply chain performance and costs by identifying process improvements and driving cost-saving initiatives.
• Implement stock management strategies with cross-functional teams to optimize materials flow and inventory.
• Ensure procurement practices comply with legal, ethical, and sustainability standards, and maintain transparent documentation for audits.
• Lead and mentor the purchasing team to promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with subcontracting suppliers to maximize output and revenue generation.
• Manage material lead times and performance improvement requests to maintain market competitiveness.
• Work closely with internal teams to ensure alignment and provide support across related functions.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in procurement or supply chain roles, including at least 2 years in a managerial capacity.
• Solid knowledge of supply chain management, vendor management, and inventory optimization practices.
• Strong negotiation, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in SAP and RR systems with demonstrated leadership and team management abilities.

What Will Put You Ahead (Preferred Qualifications)

• Professional certifications such as CPSM or CIPS.
• Experience specifically managing external manufacturing and supplier relationships.
• Expertise in quality and regulatory standards relevant to procurement and manufacturing.
• Commitment to sustainability and ethical purchasing practices.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Who We Are

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

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