VP of Global Sourcing - Direct Materials

Job description

Sandisk understands how people and businesses consume data and we relentlessly innovate to deliver solutions that enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas. With a rich history of groundbreaking innovations in Flash and advanced memory technologies, our solutions have become the beating heart of the digital world we’re living in and that we have the power to shape. Sandisk meets people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. We do this through the balance of our powerhouse manufacturing capabilities and our industry-leading portfolio of products that are recognized globally for innovation, performance and quality. Sandisk has two facilities recognized by the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Lighthouse Network for advanced 4IR innovations. These facilities were also recognized as Sustainability Lighthouses for breakthroughs in efficient operations. With our global reach, we ensure the global supply chain has access to the Flash memory it needs to keep our world moving forward. The mission of the VP of Global Sourcing - Direct Materials is to create enterprise-wide value by driving procurement excellence, achieving best cost, enabling business continuity, providing market intelligence, and acting as a trusted advisor to secure long-term growth. This role will elevate procurement maturity, embed advanced technologies including AI into solutioning and position Sandisk as an industry leader in strategic sourcing and supplier partnerships. With direct responsibility for Sandisk's global direct material procurement organization, this executive will strengthen capabilities to become an indispensable business partner—not only on cost initiatives but also on innovation, risk mitigation, and strategic growth. The VP will develop long-term sourcing strategies, ensure resilience in the supply chain, and deliver actionable insights that support Sandisk's competitive advantage worldwide. Leadership Scope Leads a global, multi-layered procurement and supply chain organization of 40+ professionals, including Senior Directors and functional leaders, with responsibility for talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, and leadership development across the function. Acts as a key member of the extended executive leadership team, shaping enterprise strategy through partnership with senior leaders on growth initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, capital investments, operational transformation, risk management, and long-term business planning. Key Responsibilities Lead all direct material categories globally for Sandisk. Oversee material planning and purchasing execution, coordinating closely with Sales, Planning organizations, Factories/CMs, and Supply Chain teams. Ensure continuous delivery of annual productivity through aggressive cost innovation Drive spend leverage for select direct material to significantly higher savings Responsible for global talent management Build and develop a leadership team, including coaching and developing Senior Directors and other senior leaders. Provide thought leadership and vision to support the organizational objectives Seen as a key strategic partner across all functions within the business Drive procurement maturity by implementing advanced processes, analytics, and AI-enabled solutions. Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on supply market trends, risk management, and growth strategies. Champion business continuity planning and supplier risk mitigation. Build and prepare executive-level presentations, business cases, and strategic recommendations for senior leadership. Skilled at building supplier relationships and creating “customer of choice” positioning — able to influence suppliers and drive value even when not the supplier's largest customer. Purchasing Organization Act as the senior executive supplier contact point Responsible for the E2E Purchasing processes (systems, policies and processes, P2P) Responsible for cross business commodity coordination as required Align Business Groups around the supplier strategy and supply base consolidation Purchasing Performance Optimization Ensure the optimum Purchasing performance to achieve quality, cost, timing, environmental, safety, sustainability and technology requirements in line with business objectives Deliver committed Key Performance Indicators Roll out global materials forecasts and drive material lead-time reduction programs Rationalize the supply base Implement stringent procedures on supplier quality assurance and track progress Develop Purchasing Organization Drive a transition to a new organizational model Drive the implementation of Purchasing Contract Management, aligning processes, master data management and negotiation time schedules Improve knowledge management and contract templates Continue enhancing the skill sets of the Purchasing organization Coach and develop key individuals Lead the cross sector Purchasing talent process Foster an empowering, coaching-based leadership culture that encourages dissenting opinions, ensures all voices are heard, and drives accountability without command-and-control management. The successful candidate will be a proven, world-class global Purchasing leader who possesses all of the following experience and competencies: Executive Leadership & Large-Team Leadership Brings 15+ years of progressive leadership experience spanning Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, Purchasing, BPO, and Supply Chain Management within complex global organizations. Ideally, this individual has served as the senior-most Procurement executive for a global semiconductor or technology company with oversight of approximately $2.5 billion in annual spend and has successfully led large, multi-layered organizations through periods of growth, transformation, and operational change Demonstrated success leading global teams of 40+ professionals through multiple levels of leadership, including direct management of Senior Directors and other senior executives. Recognized for building high-performing organizations, developing leadership talent, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, combining strong executive presence, commercial acumen, and financial literacy with the ability to influence enterprise-wide decisions. Possesses a deep understanding of P&L drivers and a proven ability to communicate effectively with boards, executive teams, and cross-functional stakeholders. Known for building strategic, mutually beneficial supplier partnerships while balancing long-term relationship management with commercial rigor. Brings a proven track record of procurement transformation, organizational change leadership, and delivering measurable business impact through both strategic vision and hands-on execution. Typically brings VP-level experience or equivalent enterprise leadership responsibility, with scope assessed based on organizational scale, team complexity, spend accountability, business influence, and demonstrated impact on company performance. Global & Cross-Cultural Experience A globally-minded leader, that has done business across Europe, the Americas and Asia. This person will be comfortable with diverse teams of people and should be culturally attuned to succeeding in a complex global environment. Proven experience leading global, culturally diverse teams — actively encouraging dissenting opinions and ensuring all voices are heard across the organization. Broad, Multi-Commodity Procurement Experience Demonstrated experience managing multiple commodity categories and broad procurement organizations, rather than a single narrow procurement area. Prior experience as a strategic category manager strongly preferred; this is viewed as foundational