Director, Global Supplier Performance, Relationship & Risk Management
Lincoln Electric is a high-performance industrial machinery and technology leader who helps customers manufacture and maintain vital equipment and infrastructure. Lincoln Electric’s innovative solutions enable higher quality and productivity across a variety of processes including welding, cutting, brazing, machining, process automation, and field repair. The Company leverages proprietary technologies and expertise in materials science, power electronics, automation, and intelligent software to help customers build better and achieve resilience in their operations. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric is the essential ‘Linc’ that keeps the economy running. The Company operates 71 manufacturing and automation facilities across 20 countries and serves customers in over 160 countries. For more information about Lincoln Electric and its products and services, visit the Company’s website at https://www.lincolnelectric.com.
Location: Euclid - 22801
Req ID: 30226
Position Summary
Are you a strategic supply chain leader with a passion for building world-class supplier partnerships, driving operational excellence, and reducing enterprise risk? We are seeking an experienced Director of Global Supplier Performance, Relationship & Risk Management to lead our global supplier governance strategy and elevate supplier performance across a complex manufacturing environment.
In this highly visible leadership role, you will own the enterprise framework for Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Supplier Performance Management, Supplier Risk Management, Supplier Quality Governance, and Strategic Supplier Development. You will partner with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure our supply base delivers exceptional performance, resilience, quality, innovation, and long-term value.
The successful candidate will lead global initiatives focused on supplier performance optimization, risk mitigation, business continuity, supplier quality improvement, and supply chain transformation. You will develop and execute governance models, performance scorecards, executive supplier review processes, and supplier segmentation strategies that drive measurable business results across cost, quality, delivery, compliance, and risk management.
This is an outstanding opportunity for a procurement and supply chain executive who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and has a proven track record leading global teams, influencing senior leadership, and building strategic supplier partnerships that create competitive advantage.
Core Responsibilities
1. Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
- Own and enhance the global Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) framework.
- Develop supplier segmentation and governance strategies based on spend, risk, criticality, and business impact.
- Lead executive supplier reviews and governance forums for strategic suppliers.
- Drive supplier engagement, innovation, collaboration, and long-term partnership initiatives.
- Promote supplier accountability while strengthening supplier relationships.
- Integrate supplier performance and risk considerations into sourcing and business decisions.
2. Supplier Performance Governance
- Own supplier scorecards, KPIs, performance reporting, and governance processes.
- Establish supplier performance standards, review cadences, and escalation protocols.
- Monitor supplier delivery, quality, responsiveness, capacity, and overall effectiveness.
- Lead performance reviews, corrective actions, and supplier recovery plans.
- Leverage analytics to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- Provide executive leadership with supplier performance insights and recommendations.
Core Responsibilities (Continued)
3. Supplier Quality Governance
- Partner with Supplier Quality to integrate quality performance into supplier governance processes.
- Incorporate quality metrics into supplier scorecards, reviews, and sourcing decisions.
- Monitor audit findings, defect trends, corrective actions, and supplier quality risks.
- Lead escalation and resolution of significant supplier quality issues impacting operations or customers.
- Drive continuous improvement and supplier development through quality performance insights.
4. Supplier Risk Management
- Own global supplier risk governance processes, standards, and monitoring frameworks.
- Assess supplier risks across financial, operational, quality, compliance, logistics, and continuity-of-supply factors.
- Establish risk segmentation and mitigation requirements for strategic and critical suppliers.
- Lead reviews and recovery actions for high-risk suppliers.
- Partner with sourcing, operations, and supply chain teams to strengthen business continuity and risk mitigation strategies.
- Provide leadership visibility into supplier risk exposure, emerging risks, and mitigation status.
Core Responsibilities (Continued)
5. Strategic Supplier Initiatives & Program Management
- Lead strategic supplier initiatives that support business objectives and supply chain strategy.
- Drive supplier-focused programs including cost reduction, localization, dual sourcing, resiliency, capacity expansion, compliance, and continuity planning.
- Establish project governance, milestones, executive reporting, and accountability measures.
- Partner cross-functionally to execute high-impact supplier initiatives.
- Lead supplier performance transformation efforts and deliver measurable operational, financial, quality, and risk improvements.
6. Supplier Audit & Corrective Action Governance
- Own the enterprise supplier audit governance framework.
- Define audit priorities, standards, frequency, and escalation criteria.
- Monitor audit execution and closure across strategic, critical, and high-risk suppliers.
- Ensure audit findings are addressed through effective corrective action plans.
- Drive sustainable supplier performance improvements through disciplined follow-up and accountability.
7. Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Sourcing, Supplier Quality, Engineering, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance to drive supplier excellence.
- Align supplier management, performance governance, and business objectives across the organization.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on supplier performance, risk, and strategic initiatives.
This is about as concise as I'd go without losing important SEO terms or diminishing the seniority of the role. It reads like a polished Fortune 500 Director-level job description.
Core Responsibilities (Continued)
8. Team Leadership
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global supplier governance team.
- Establish team priorities, operating processes, and accountability measures to drive execution excellence.
- Allocate resources to the highest-impact suppliers, initiatives, and business priorities.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
- Coach, mentor, and develop future procurement, supply chain, and supplier management leaders.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field.
- 10+ years of leadership experience in supplier management, sourcing, procurement, supplier quality, supply chain, or operations within a manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading supplier performance, supplier quality, supplier governance, and supplier development programs.
- Proven success leading teams in a global, matrixed organization.
- Experience managing global supplier relationships and cross-functional stakeholder partnerships.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable business decisions.
- Excellent communication, influence, and executive stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
- Experience in metals, raw materials, industrial manufacturing, engineered products, or other complex direct-material supply environments.
- Experience with ERP systems, supplier management platforms, and performance analytics tools.
- Lean, Six Sigma, or other operational excellence certification or training.
Lincoln Electric is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to promoting equal employment opportunity for applicants, without regard to their race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to, lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, and any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.
Nearest Major Market: Cleveland
Job Segment:
Welding, ERP, Machinist, Manufacturing, Technology