JOB DESCRIPTION
Assistant Manager – Sourcing (HR, Admin & Professional Services)
Department: Operations & Services
Division: Kohler India Technical Center (ITC), Pune
Grade: AM
Reporting to: Manager – Sourcing
About Us
KOHLER® was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, USA. As one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies, Kohler is a global leader in kitchen & bath products. Kohler also owns and operates two world‑renowned five‑star hospitality and golf destinations located in Kohler (USA) and St. Andrews (Scotland). The organization is globally recognized for excellence in innovation, craftsmanship, and design.
Why Work at Kohler Co.?
Kohler’s mission is to contribute to a higher level of gracious living for everyone touched by our products and services. Beyond competitive benefits and compensation, Kohler provides a culture deeply rooted in creativity, innovation, diversity, and community impact.
Kohler India is a certified Great Place To Work organization — a testament to the values and leadership we demonstrate every day.
Kohler Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Position Description
About the Role
The Assistant Manager – Sourcing (HR, Admin & Professional Services) plays a critical role in driving strategic sourcing initiatives for professional services categories across Kohler’s global businesses. Operating from Kohler India Technical Center (ITC), this role supports both India and global teams to ensure category excellence, optimized supplier performance, cost competitiveness, and seamless service delivery.
This position requires proactive stakeholder partnering, strong analytical abilities, contract and supplier management expertise, and a strategic mindset to support Kohler’s global procurement vision.
Role Overview
This role manages end-to-end strategic and operational procurement for HR, Admin & Professional Services, ensuring category governance, compliance to the Global Procurement Policy, commercial excellence, and supplier performance. The position collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, global category managers, legal, finance, and business partners to enable value-driven sourcing.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Category Management
- Develop and maintain category strategies aligned with global procurement objectives and business needs.
- Conduct spend analysis, market intelligence gathering, benchmarking, risk assessment, and opportunity identification across HR and Professional Services categories.
- Support global and regional sourcing initiatives, consolidation opportunities, supplier rationalization, and long-term value creation.
2. Sourcing & Procurement Excellence
- Lead sourcing events including RFI/RFP/RFQ creation, bid analysis, negotiation planning, and award recommendations.
- Ensure cost competitiveness, value engineering, and commercial risk mitigation across all engagements.
- Maintain structured documentation, sourcing controls, and adherence to governance frameworks.
3. Contracting & Supplier Lifecycle Management
- Partner with Legal for contract drafting, reviewing, redlining, and execution within defined authority guidelines.
- Drive timely renewals, rate card updates, SLAs, and compliance with procurement and corporate policies.
- Manage ongoing supplier performance, issue resolution, quarterly reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
4. Stakeholder & Business Engagement
- Act as a trusted sourcing advisor and category partner for global and domestic stakeholders.
- Liaise with HR, Admin, ITC, Finance, and business leaders to understand requirements and deliver sourcing solutions that align with business priorities.
- Provide process guidance, training, and communication to internal users to ensure adoption of procurement best practices.
5. Operational Governance & Compliance
- Ensure SLA adherence for all sourcing, contracting, and procurement lifecycle activities.
- Maintain complete data accuracy and documentation across SAP, eSourcing platforms, contract repositories, and audit trails.
- Support internal audits, compliance checks, and process optimisation programs.
Education & Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain, Commerce, or related field.
- 7–10 years of progressive experience in Indirect Sourcing, with strong exposure to HR, Admin & Professional Services categories.
- Expertise in SAP, eSourcing tools (preferably Jaggaer), contract lifecycle management platforms, and global sourcing environments.
- Experience working in multinational organizations with cross-cultural stakeholders is preferred.
Skills & Competencies
Technical Competencies
- Strong understanding of sourcing principles, supplier dynamics, contracts, and professional services procurement.
- Proficiency in spend analysis, negotiation strategy, supplier evaluation, and cost modeling.
- Knowledge of global procurement compliance standards and contract governance.
Behavioral & Leadership Competencies
- Excellent stakeholder management, interpersonal communication, and executive presence.
- Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and ability to manage multiple priorities with high accuracy.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to convert insights into actionable sourcing strategies.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced global environment while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
