Supply Chain Manager/Executive - EV Motor Components

About the Role

The Supply Chain Manager/Executive position leads the development and execution of sourcing and procurement strategies for electric vehicle (EV) traction motor parts, engaging suppliers both domestically and internationally. This role manages key commodities such as laminations, NdFeB magnets, copper, machined parts, castings, winding materials, insulation and resins, housings, sensors, and electronics, ensuring optimal cost efficiency, quality, delivery timelines, and risk management. Collaboration with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance departments is crucial for should-cost analysis, value analysis/value engineering (VAVE), supplier risk oversight, inventory optimization, and ensuring production part approval process (PPAP) readiness for new and existing projects.

Primary Responsibilities

• Formulate global and local sourcing strategies for traction motor commodities including laminations, magnets, copper, machining, castings, resins, winding materials, and sensors.
• Identify, assess, and onboard capable suppliers by evaluating quality, capacity, costs, technology, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, and logistics.
• Ensure supplier readiness for APQP and PPAP across new programs.
• Conduct supplier audits consistent with VDA 6.3 or equivalent standards and facilitate closure of identified gaps.
• Design dual-sourcing and local supplier strategies to minimize costs and supply risks.
• Lead should-cost analyses, benchmarking, and collaboration on VAVE initiatives with design and manufacturing engineering teams.
• Negotiate pricing structures, contracts, and long-term agreements to secure advantageous commercial terms.
• Oversee cost reduction initiatives encompassing materials, logistics, and process efficiency.
• Monitor cost of goods sold (COGS), purchase price variance (PPV), and commodity price volatility risks, especially in magnets and copper.
• Partner with supplier quality engineers and quality teams to maintain supplier defect levels, process capability indices (Cp/Cpk), and compliance with IATF 16949 standards.
• Track supplier performance metrics including on-time delivery, quality, responsiveness, and costs through scorecards.
• Manage timely resolution of supplier issues via 8D problem-solving and corrective actions.
• Drive improvements in incoming quality, lot traceability, and testing protocols.
• Coordinate material availability for stator, rotor, and assembly lines through demand planning and supplier communication.
• Maintain inventory metrics such as days on hand (DOH), inventory turns, and safety stock levels.
• Implement and manage Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Execution (S&OE) processes addressing demand-supply balance, shortage response, and escalation.
• Oversee procurement workflows including purchase requests, orders, goods receipt notes, and invoicing.
• Develop resilient inbound logistics strategies covering domestic and international suppliers.
• Manage freight, customs clearance, warehousing, and material flow to support production schedules.
• Assess and mitigate supply chain risks including capacity constraints, geopolitical issues, logistics disruptions, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead crisis management efforts to handle shortages, quality issues, and supplier interruptions.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design Engineering on design-for-manufacturing (DFM), specifications, and early supplier participation.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering on tooling readiness, capacity planning, and production ramp-up.
• Coordinate with Finance for budgeting, working capital management, and contract administration.
• Support Program Management by ensuring new product introduction (NPI) timelines, PPAP compliance, production rates, and launch readiness.
• Maintain precise data management within ERP platforms such as SAP, Oracle, or Dynamics 365.
• Ensure adherence to IATF 16949, environmental norms, RoHS/REACH requirements, and supplier ESG and ethical policies.
• Maintain thorough documentation including requests for quotations (RFQ), bills of materials (BOM), contracts, PPAP documentation, and risk registers.
• Champion continuous improvement efforts incorporating Lean methodologies, digital dashboards, and analytics.

Required Qualifications

• Four to twelve or more years of experience in supply chain, sourcing, or procurement functions within automotive or electro-mechanical manufacturing sectors.
• Comprehensive knowledge of EV motor components such as laminations, NdFeB magnets (grades, coatings, sourcing risks), copper wire and hairpin, insulation materials, varnishes and resins, precision machining, castings, shafts, housings, sensors, connectors, and harnesses.
• Proficiency with APQP, PPAP, IATF 16949 standards, and supplier auditing techniques.
• Strong expertise in negotiation, commercial management, and risk mitigation.
• Experienced with ERP systems and supply chain data analytics.
• Excellent communication skills, effective stakeholder management, and decisive decision-making capabilities under uncertain conditions.

Company Overview

Larsen & Toubro is a multinational conglomerate with revenues of approximately USD 30 billion, specializing in engineering, procurement, and construction projects, high-tech manufacturing, and service industries across various geographic markets. The company emphasizes customer-centric approaches and uncompromising quality, sustaining leadership positions over eight decades. Recently, L&T has expanded into strategic electronics sectors, semiconductor design, and industrial electronic modules and systems focused on power electronics, automotive electronics (including ADAS, electrification, and connectivity), industrial robotics and automation, communications, and electronic system design and manufacturing.