Job Description

With over 100 years of corporate development and experience, Jowat is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of industrial adhesives. We have a highly motivated team of 1500 employees worldwide and are proud to provide our customers with innovative adhesive solutions in a number of markets.

Senior Director of Purchasing & Global Sourcing

We are the U.S. subsidiary of a leading German multinational manufacturer of industrial adhesives, serving customers across a broad range of manufacturing industries.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Director of Purchasing & Global Sourcing to lead the purchasing and sourcing activities for our U.S. operations in North Carolina. This highly visible leadership role is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies, securing competitive and reliable sources of supply, and building strong supplier partnerships in North America and internationally.

The successful candidate will combine strategic global sourcing expertise with a strong understanding of manufacturing operations. We are looking for a commercial leader who is comfortable negotiating at the highest level while remaining close to suppliers, markets, materials, and the day-to-day needs of the business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead purchasing and strategic sourcing activities for our U.S. manufacturing operations.
• Develop and execute global and regional sourcing strategies for raw materials, packaging, and other key spending categories.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and develop suppliers in North America and international markets.
• Negotiate supply agreements, pricing, payment terms, logistics conditions, and other commercial terms.
• Continuously identify opportunities for cost reduction, value improvement, and total-cost optimization without compromising quality, service, or supply security.
• Monitor global raw-material markets, supply-and-demand developments, geopolitical risks, tariffs, logistics constraints, and other factors affecting availability and cost.
• Develop sourcing alternatives and contingency strategies to improve supply-chain resilience and reduce single-source dependencies.
• Build strategic relationships with key suppliers and conduct regular supplier and commercial reviews.
• Partner closely with Production, R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance to ensure purchasing strategies support operational and commercial objectives.
• Collaborate with purchasing colleagues and other stakeholders across our international organization, particularly our European headquarters and global manufacturing network.
• Support the qualification and commercialization of alternative raw materials and suppliers in cooperation with technical and quality teams.
• Establish and track meaningful purchasing KPIs, savings initiatives, supplier performance, and sourcing projects.
• Lead, develop, and mentor the U.S. purchasing organization.
• Ensure purchasing activities are conducted in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, contractual requirements, and applicable regulations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related discipline. An advanced degree or relevant professional certification is a plus.
• Significant progressive experience in strategic purchasing, procurement, or global sourcing, including senior-level responsibility within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success sourcing raw materials and components internationally and developing suppliers across multiple regions.
• Strong track record of negotiating complex commercial agreements and delivering sustainable cost improvements.
• Experience with chemical raw materials, specialty chemicals, adhesives, coatings, polymers, resins, or related process industries is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing supply chains, inventory considerations, supplier qualification, and risk management.
• Ability to analyze markets, cost structures, supplier economics, and total landed cost.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to balance cost, quality, availability, working capital, and long-term supply security.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites is required. SAP knowledge is preferred.
• Experience working effectively in a multinational and cross-cultural organization.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Benefits of working at Jowat:

• 401(K) with a match
• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, FSA)
• Mileage reimbursement
• Paid vacation
• Paid holidays
• Company Contribution to HAS

The Ideal Candidate

You are a strategic thinker who is equally comfortable operating hands-on. You understand that world-class purchasing is about more than achieving the lowest price. It requires understanding markets, anticipating risk, challenging established supply structures, developing alternatives, and creating lasting value for the business.

You are curious about global markets, comfortable working across cultures and time zones, and capable of building strong relationships with both suppliers and internal stakeholders. You bring the confidence to negotiate significant commercial agreements, but also the practical mindset needed to support a manufacturing organization where quality, continuity of supply, competitiveness, and responsiveness all matter.

About Jowat and our global presence:

The Jowat Group, a medium-sized, family-owned enterprise, is one of the top adhesive manufacturers around the world. Tradition and experience from over 100 years of corporate development allow us to serve as the leading company in adhesive technologies and innovations in numerous markets and areas of application. Our reputation as an innovative leader is made possible by the commitment and competence of our employees, the adhesive experts who always find the perfect solution for our customers. As a new member of the Jowat team, you will continue to advance our reputation by providing customer-focused solutions to further the company’s goals.

Jowat Corporation was formed in High Point, North Carolina as a part of the global Jowat group in 1979. The High Point location serves as the headquarters for all operations in the Americas. The parent company, Jowat SE in Germany, was founded in 1919 and has a total of 6 manufacturing sites around the world.

With over 200 million pounds of adhesive produced each year, Jowat serves as one of the leading suppliers in the industry. Our products are used in a variety of applications, including woodworking, furniture manufacturing, paper and packaging, electrical, textile, automotive, and graphic art. A network of 26 sales organizations and various partners around the globe mean unparalleled service from the company. In the Americas, we employ more than 225 people. Together, our talented teams drive growth in the industry through agility, collaboration, and innovation.