The Global Commodity Leader (CTL) is responsible for working with Advantest business units, R&D, Quality, Product Engineering and Supply Chain organizations globally to determine current and future needs of the assigned commodity areas and to develop, deploy and continuously evolve global commodity strategies. The CTL leads global, cross business commodity teams and represents the enterprise in identifying opportunities for leveraged value creation through structured commodity management, supplier development, and risk mitigation. The role requires seniority and experience in leading complex, technology-driven commodities. Deep component-level design expertise is not required, but the CTL must be able to understand technical challenges, assess technology roadmaps, identify capable suppliers beyond the existing supply base, and engage in forward-looking discussions with suppliers on technologies not yet fully developed.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the global commodity strategy for the assigned categories (Power Modules,
Standard Semiconductor Components) with active participation from all major business
units and R&D organizations. - Establish Power Modules as a strategic commodity with focus on high-density power
solutions and long-term technology access. - Develop/enhance, implement and execute global commodity strategies addressing cost,
supply continuity, technology access, and dependency reduction for each commodity. - Identify, evaluate and develop suppliers capable of delivering future technologies,
including suppliers that may not yet fully meet current requirements. - Proactively reduce single-source and regional dependencies by qualifying alternative
suppliers and solution concepts. - Lead or co-lead global supplier negotiations and contractual frameworks in close
collaboration with Supplier Relationship Management. - Drive supplier development activities to close capability, capacity, quality or technology
gaps. - Assess market trends, emerging technologies and alternative solutions and translate
them into actionable sourcing and technology strategies. - Own and drive global procurement projects delivering sustainable cost improvements,
risk mitigation and working capital optimization. - Build followership and lead through influence in a highly matrixed, global organization.
- Coach, mentor and support commodity team members and stakeholders.
- Identify gaps in processes, tools or talent and take ownership for improvement
initiatives across Global Procurement and CoE.
Key Interfaces
1. Internal Relationships:
- Head of Global Procurement Center of Excellence
- Global and local Supplier Relationship Managers
- Business Unit Procurement Leaders
- R&D, Product Engineering and Technology Teams
- Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Quality Organizations
2. External Relationships:
- Strategic and potential suppliers across global regions
- Technology and solution providers
- Industry partners and, where required, external consultants
Success Metrics (Excerpt)
- Assurance of supply and risk reduction, especially for strategic and single-source
components - Year-over-year sustainable cost improvements, and larger generational step
improvements - Supplier diversification and development progress
- Contract coverage and compliance
- Access to future technologies aligned with business roadmaps
