Head of Procurement - Chemicals

KRONOS Worldwide, Inc. is seeking a North America Procurement Manager to lead purchasing functions for its plants in the US and Canada. The role involves managing a procurement team, developing strategies, and collaborating with global teams. Qualifications include a B.S. in Business or equivalent, 10+ years of procurement experience, and strong leadership skills. The position is based in Westlake, OH and is not remote.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: North America Procurement Manager
Primary Report to: Director of Global Procurement
Primary Supervision of: US and Canadian Plant Procurement Teams
Required Qualification: B.S. in Business or equivalent experience & minimum 5 years manufacturing purchasing experience.

Responsibilities / Key Activities

Lead all purchasing functions for North America plants, including raw materials, packaging, energy, and general procurement. Manage and develop the purchasing team, providing technical and disciplinary leadership. Coordinate with global procurement teams and support purchasing strategies across KRONOS sites in Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Canada. This position operates within a matrixed organization, supporting two plant managers (Louisiana Pigment and KRONOS Canada) and functionally to the Director of Global Procurement.

Employee Leadership:

• Set and communicate goals, identify training needs, and support development of team members.
• Attract and retain talent while modeling company values and policies.
• Conduct performance evaluations and manage staffing, workload, and employee relations.
• Lead by example and drive positive change and team engagement.

General Procurement Responsibilities:

• Oversee procurement of all direct and indirect materials and services in North America.
• Develop and implement purchasing strategies, best practices, and KPIs for US and Canadian plants.
• Identify and realize cost-saving opportunities.
• Foster strategic supplier relationships and promote best practices in sourcing, cost modeling, and vendor management.
• Collaborate across departments and sites, improve purchasing processes, and support sustainable procurement initiatives.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to inform purchasing strategies.

Budget Management:

• Accountable for the purchasing cost center budgets for Louisiana Pigment, Kronos Louisiana, and the Slurry Plant.

Qualifications and Skills:

•Business administration or technical (university) degree or comparable training
•10+ years of purchasing or related experience with experience in strategic procurement, negotiation and trade contracts.
•Experience in procurement and employee management.
•Proven success in projects or initiatives.
•Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
•Sound presentation skills
•High level of moderation skills
•Confident in supplier selection and good negotiation skills with strong business acumen.
•Good knowledge of negotiating and developing price and supply agreements as well as contracts
•Possesses leadership, mentoring, training, and project management experience and skills
•Knowledge of related computer systems, e.g. Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office and function-specific software, SAP
•Good technical understanding, knowledge of production processes and procurement processes in the chemical industry
•Extensive supplier and market knowledge
•High level of teamwork and assertiveness
•High level of commitment
•Analytical, structured thinking
•High problem-solving skills
•Result orientation
•Leadership potential
•Ability to deal with conflict