Director of Product Sourcing - Senior - 705418

Senior Director of Product Sourcing
The E&D Sourcing and Planning Group, within the Microsoft Entertainment and Devices (E&D) Division is seeking a Sr. Director of Product Sourcing. The E&D Sourcing and Planning Group is responsible for all direct sourcing activities, strategic indirect sourcing activities, and end-to-end component and finished good planning for the E&D Division. Employees in the E&D Sourcing and Planning Group have the opportunity to work on the latest component technologies in our products and Microsoft’s exciting hardware platforms, including Xbox 360, Zune, PC Hardware, and Surface.
The Senior Director of Product Sourcing is a senior-level position and is responsible for the leadership and performance of a team composed of three functional areas:
Tier-1 Commercial Management. This team is responsible for establishing the Tier-1 supply base strategy, sourcing finished goods manufacturing services with contract manufacturing suppliers, driving product cost and cost reduction strategies, and managing the commercial relationship with contract manufacturers. This team is expected to work very closely with both the E&D Manufacturing organization as well as the various E&D hardware product teams.

Platform Strategy Management. This team’s role is to ensure tight alignment of both strategy and execution between the Sourcing organization and the various product teams in the support of hardware product launches. The PSM’s are accountable for maintaining a clear and accurate view of product costs for both launch and long-range planning and are tasked with representing the strategic viewpoint of their respective product portfolio to the Sourcing team.

Performance Management. This team provides cost benchmarking support, industry analysis and competitive reporting for the broader E&D Souring team. They are also responsible for a number of other support roles within the organization, including tools and systems, financial forecasting and process development.

Beyond his/her role as a manager of the above organization, the Senior Director will have personal responsibility for:
Serving as a valued, contributing member of the GM, Sourcing & Planning’s staff as well as be a visible leader within the Sourcing and Planning organization,
Establishing and maintaining positive and productive working relationships with the leadership of peer organizations, especially Manufacturing and the product teams,
Cultivating strong working relationships with senior-level management of a portfolio of suppliers,
Driving key strategic and cost reduction initiatives within E&D.
Success for this role will be measured by:
The sourcing results (financial) directly achieved by this team as well as those results supported by other parts of the team,
The effectiveness of strategies and execution plans developed and successfully driven to closure,
The quality of the relationships established between the Sourcing organization and the product teams and the “seamlessness” of the product launch process, including cost management,
The continuous growth and improvement of the productivity and value-add of the team as well as that of the individuals on these teams,
His/her effectiveness/excellence as a manager and a leader.
The successful candidate will have many, if not all, of the following qualifications:
Strong written and verbal communication skills
A four-year degree in a related field
At least 13 years of sourcing experience
Demonstrated business acumen
Significant experience in a manufacturing environment; outsourced is a plus
Hands-on experience with contract construction and negotiation
Experience in managing and developing high performance individuals across a variety of functions/businesses,
Comfortable with highly ambiguous situations
Ability to interact at senior levels within Microsoft as well as with suppliers
Familiarity with E&D Manufacturing and Sourcing is a plus.