Director, Strategic Sourcing, Solar

The AES Corporation is seeking a Director of Strategic Sourcing for their solar division in Arlington, VA. This role involves leading contracting efforts, managing a sourcing team, and ensuring reliable supply of renewable equipment across AES's global operations. Responsibilities include developing strategic vendor relationships and optimizing procurement processes. The position requires some travel (up to 25%) and emphasizes a regular in-office presence despite a flexible work environment.
As part of AES, the Director, Strategic Sourcing will support knowledge and best practice sharing, process-driven collaboration and full leverage of scale across AES’s global businesses. The Director, Strategic Sourcing will have responsibility for implementing the Modules & Racking categories as a leader within the Strategic Sourcing function. This position is responsible for leading contracting efforts across business units and managing a sourcing team supporting Renewable generation projects across the AES businesses globally. Of importance in responsibilities is the management, in coordination with category leaders in diƯerent global regions, from early stages of strategy development through contract execution. This role is responsible for ensuring the safe and timely supply of reliable renewable equipment and services at optimal Total Cost of Ownership and quality to AES.

May require global/national business travel up to 25% of the time.

This role may be based at one of AES’s locations (preference for Louisville, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; Houston, TX; or Arlington, VA). While AES provides a flexible work environment, we do expect a regular in-office presence.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Manage and lead contracting efforts across AES renewable businesses which includes developing and negotiating strategic supply agreements and leading a team to ensure safe and timely supply of renewable equipment 
• Establish and cultivate strategic relationships with renewable equipment vendors ensuring purchasing strategy (including preferred vendors, pricing, terms and conditions) leverages AES scale to the benefit of businesses in the portfolio
• Reviews purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to organization policy and discusses defects and delivery problems with suppliers and negotiates refunds
• Establish and maintain best-in-class procurement processes for new renewable projects, major maintenance projects, and technology improvements to exploit the advantages of the global supply base.
• Acquires and maintains understanding of technology trends, energy market forces, cost trends and supplier technology road maps.
• Partner with Engineering, Construction, and Development teams to implement the unified strategy defined by the Global Supply Chain team to deliver projects on-time and under budget.
• Work with project teams and to define sourcing strategies - including the exploration of alternate sources of supply, the consolidation of requirements across AES businesses, alternative solutions or technologies, cost avoidance, inventory reduction, standardization, low cost country sourcing etc.
• Collaborate with project teams to define cost reduction roadmaps to meet the target on each individual project, applying specific sourcing optimization initiatives
• Foster collaborative partnerships, internally and externally, to ensure achievement of Strategic Sourcing goals as well as those of the Company.

Qualifications:
• Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain/Procurement/Sourcing, Legal, Business Administration or Engineering and studies in Renewable Energy, or technical field from accredited entity
• 7+ years of experience in Supply Chain/Procurement/Sourcing in Renewable Energy Market (primary Solar, Wind and/or Energy Storage and Hydro as a plus)  2+ years managing a team.
• Strong negotiations skills with extensive contract negotiation experience  Financial knowledge for cash-flow evaluation in a project (cost of capital, IRR, NPV).
• Demonstrated success working to develop consensus from diverse opinions in a highly fluid and sometimes ambiguous multi-cultural environment
• Well-developed supplier network and ability to build and leverage strategic partnerships for mutual benefit  Knowledge and experience with sourcing/procuring power plant/utility equipment, services and construction
• Experience in developing “Total Cost of Ownership” and other business models  Solid computer skills including MS Access
• Experience in supplier qualification and supplier development
• Knowledge of SAP MM module (desirable)  Knowledge of SAP Ariba (desirable)