About this role
- Education / Educación:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Engineering, Finance or a related field.
- Experience / Experiencia:
- Seven or more years of progressive procurement or strategic sourcing experience, including at least three years in a lead or management role.
- Proven experience sourcing capital and production equipment, such as testers, fixtures, workstations and automation.
- Experience partnering directly with Manufacturing and Operations teams to define and deliver equipment needs.
- Demonstrated project management experience, managing multiple workstreams on aggressive timelines.
- Experience drafting and administering commercial contracts, including change-order management.
- Specialized Knowledge (Desirable) / Conocimiento especializado (preferible):
- Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment, such as medical device, pharmaceutical or life sciences.
- Familiarity with equipment qualification and validation requirements in a regulated setting.
- Knowledge of the Costa Rica supplier market and Free Trade Zone regime.
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) or similar certification.
- Experience with greenfield plant startups, new line launches or new facility launches.
- Languages required for the position (Desirable) / Idiomas requeridos para el puesto (preferible):
- Fluency in English and Spanish, written and spoken. (B2+)
- Computer tools and knowledge level required (Desirable) / Herramientas informáticas y nivel de conocimiento requerido:
- Proficiency with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Ariba or Coupa) and advanced Excel.
- Summary of Duties and Responsibilities / Resumen de funciones y responsabilidades:
We’re building a new manufacturing facility in Costa Rica and are seeking a Sourcing Manager to lead procurement of the equipment, capital and services needed to launch it. Working most closely with Manufacturing and Operations, this role turns each group’s requirements into sourced, delivered and installed equipment on schedule and on budget.
Equipment and capital procurement
- Lead end-to-end sourcing of production equipment, testers, workstations, fixtures, tooling, lab and inspection equipment, IT hardware, furniture and indirect categories for the new facility.
- Translate Manufacturing, Operations, R&D and Quality requirements into clear specifications, sourcing strategies and competitive bid packages.
- Build and maintain an integrated equipment procurement plan aligned to the launch schedule, with clear milestones, lead times and critical-path purchases.
- Prioritize long-lead equipment early to protect the launch date.
- Manage purchasing from requisition through purchase order, delivery, installation and acceptance, including coordination of factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT).
- Ensure suppliers provide the documentation Quality needs to support equipment qualification and validation.
Stakeholder partnership
- Serve as the primary procurement partner to Manufacturing and Operations, which represents more than half of this role’s focus.
- Partner with Facilities, R&D and Quality site leads to understand their equipment and service needs and deliver against them.
- Deliver clear, concise status updates to Manufacturing, Operations, Finance, Facilities, Supply Chain and Procurement leadership on progress, risks, savings and decisions needed.
- Escalate issues early and bring recommended solutions, not just problems.
Vendor sourcing and negotiation
- Identify, qualify and select local and international equipment suppliers through competitive bid processes, including requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposal (RFPs) and requests for quotation (RFQs).
- Lead commercial negotiations to secure favorable pricing, payment terms, warranties, service levels, spare parts and delivery commitments.
- Drive cost favorability against approved capital and operating budgets, and document savings and cost avoidance.
Design and construction contract support
- Support the Facilities lead on change orders and any further negotiations with design and construction service providers.
- Support administration of design and construction contracts and monitor supplier compliance with contract terms.
Contract management
- Establish equipment purchase agreements, service agreements and maintenance contracts that protect the company’s interests.
- Partner with Legal to structure terms covering scope, performance, acceptance criteria, penalties, liability and termination.
- Manage change control to prevent scope creep and unplanned spend.
Budget and financial stewardship
- Partner with Finance to track committed and actual spend against the capital expenditure (CapEx) and operating budgets.
- Provide regular forecasts, variance analysis and early warnings on cost risk.
- Ensure purchasing complies with internal controls, approval authorities and audit requirements.
Risk management
- Identify and mitigate supply, schedule, financial and compliance risks across the supplier base.
- Build contingency plans for critical suppliers and long-lead equipment.
- Conduct supplier due diligence, including financial stability, capacity and compliance.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain and trade compliance on import logistics, customs and Free Trade Zone (Zona Franca) requirements for capital equipment.