Lead Sourcing Specialist

Important Application Submission Information

In order to ensure your application is successfully received before the job posting expires, please submit your application by 11:59 PM on Thursday, December 18, 2025

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Build an exciting, rewarding career with us – help us make a difference for millions of people every day. Consider joining the Duke Energy team, where you'll find a friendly work environment, opportunities for growth and development, recognition for your work, and competitive pay and benefits.

Position Summary

This is the fourth level of the Sourcing classification hierarchy. Employees at this level solve complex solutions, manage work, and provide leadership to others with minimal supervision and increased latitude for unreviewed work. Incumbents function in lead roles providing guidance to others. Managing the sourcing of products and services that align with Business Unit requirements and standards. Success requires excelling at thought leadership, challenging assumptions, and operating procedures, gaining buy-in on the approach, and developing robust processes and governance. In order to do all of this, the individual will need to be able to operate with little direction, work as “one team,” withstand pushbacks, move beyond traditional organizational boundaries, and communicate at all levels to deliver results. A strong understanding of business operations, legal concepts, and risk evaluation will enable this individual to lead the total cost of ownership approach that will assess the total economic cost to Duke Energy of procuring through different tactics and sourcing strategies. Employees at this level are also expected to have expert skills and have the ability to work independently across any and all categories, sourcing teams and business units. Progress to this level is restricted on the basis of business need. Advancement requires CPO and their leadership team's approval.

Responsibilities

- Category Management: Leads, develops, coordinates and execute enterprise and regional (short and long term) strategic sourcing strategies with key business partners for complex/high value/ high risk equipment, materials, and/or services, which maximize value to Duke Energy, while managing overall risk. Identify and anticipate Business Unit demand and needs, issues, and cost reduction opportunities. Have an understanding of SWOT analysis for each assigned category, spend identification, and total cost of ownership. Identify and assess short- and long-term risks. Ensure alignment with internal SME parties to ensure risk is controlled through collaboration with the Legal, Security, Tax, and Credit departments when necessary. Maintain knowledge of commodities, sources of supply, corporate responsibility opportunities, industry leading practices, and market conditions that may impact future procurement. Utilize procurement tool and grid/relays for documentation/retention of category plans. Applies an enterprise-wide focus to management of the category and influences sourcing strategies beyond business unit silos. Develop automated and analytical solutions for more efficient outcomes. Utilize procurement tool and grid/relays for documentation/retention of category plans. Identify and implement opportunities for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to automate processes.

- Strategy Development: Develops sourcing strategies for complex, high value materials, equipment or services including the execution of regional and/or enterprise-wide initiatives.

- Strategy Execution: Research best practices successfully adopted by other industries and companies. Understands how to use benchmarking and/or other outside resources. Demonstrates knowledge of other industry practices. Develops strategies to align with Corporate and Supply Chain initiatives to include but not limited to safety, corporate responsibility, savings, and value. Creates strategies and utilizes supply chain processes to lead competitive bidding processes, lead the objective criteria based bid evaluation with a cross-functional group, recommend award to Supply Chain and Business Unit Leadership, develop appropriate terms and conditions, negotiate strategic contracts, integrate contracts with internal systems, and manage ongoing supplier/contract management and day-to-day support when issues arise (such as mismatches billing or shipment issues).

- Negotiation: Utilizes data-driven decision making to implement effective strategic sourcing strategies, thus enabling better terms with suppliers and identification of cost-saving opportunities. Develops “should cost models” that will calculate an estimated price by researching all material costs, labor costs, overhead costs, and profit margins that would apply to sourced products and services. Performs analysis of historical spending patterns, pricing fluctuations, and market trends and indices. Calculates impacts to net working capital and uses outcomes to impact deal structure. Negotiates with upper-level management of suppliers and manufacturers. Demonstrates advanced understanding of Duke Energy contractual terms and conditions. Drives cost avoidance and cost savings through supplier negotiations and/or the identification and implementation of process efficiencies. Negotiates pricing, discounts, value, or other competitive differentiators based on market research analysis and delivers on annual savings targets.

- Risk and Financial Analysis: Maintains knowledge of commodities, sources of supply, services, corporate responsibility opportunities and market conditions that may impact future strategies. Effectively communicates with the Business Unit and other executive leadership and committees (e.g., TRC) on risks related to the transaction and provides potential opportunities for risk mitigation. Reviews financial statements (income statement and balance sheet) to determine the financial viability of prospective suppliers. Identifies risks in contractual terms and conditions and deal structures and communicates to business unit partners appropriately.

- Legal Terms and Conditions: Applies in-depth knowledge, redlines, and negotiates complex legal issues, commercial business, and sourcing expertise to lead the delivery of favorable contractual outcomes. Rarely will engages legal but will if necessary for advanced issues.

- Change Management: Proactively identifies how sourcing strategies may impact key stakeholders and provides input to change management strategies in partnership with cross-functional teams to ensure successful implementation.

- Relationship Management: Develops and manages supplier relationships at a strategic level. Builds and nurtures excellent client relationships, including executive level business interfaces. Provides guidance to Supply Chain leadership as well as cross functional sourcing initiatives. Manages post award supplier activities, settlements, claims or disputes. Performs purchase order and agreement maintenance including invoice mismatches, prices changes, amendments, change orders, etc. Collaborates with business unit partners to ensure contract terms are being met and supplier performance is appropriately monitored and measured. Resolves escalated issues between BU and Supplier, as necessary. Consistently reviews supplier impacts at an enterprise level to understand best ways to leverage strategic suppliers.

- Leadership: Mentors and assist in the development of sourcing personnel, processes, and procedures.

- Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Prevailing Wage (PW): Ensure compliance with all IRA and associated PW requirements and ensure all contracts and POs contain the applicable federal requirements. Work with the BU, Treasury/Tax, and legal to ensure alignment with the federal requirements. Manage and enforce supplier compliance to the IRA and PW requirements in their contracts and POs. Support internal audits as well as external audits by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

- Nuclear Sourcing and Procurement Performance and Metrics. Employee takes both tactical and strategic action internally with the BU and engineering as well as externally with suppliers to remedy Nuclear Condition Reports (NCRs) as well as satisfy the monthly Nuclear Sourcing Performance Metrics including the 7-day Late Report; Overage, Shortage, Damaged, & Discrepant (OSDD) Report; Min/Max Report; PRs Not on PO, CRs Not on Contract.

Required/Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree

- 7 years related work experience

- In lieu of Bachelor's degree(s) AND 7 year(s) related work experience listed above, High School/GED AND 11 year(s) related work experience

Preferred Qualifications

- Graduate Degree

- C.P.M. (Certified Purchasing Manager), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) certification, or CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional)

- Strong working knowledge of electric utility plant operations and related customer operations

- Strategic Sourcing experience in leading large (>$25M) sourcing initiatives

- Experience in managing high value and strategic supplier relationships.

- Demonstrated interpersonal, leadership, team building including frequent interface with cross functional teams and executive management.

- Contract management skills

- Demonstrated knowledge of Nuclear Operations, NQA-1 Standards, 10 CFR Part 21 and 10 CFR Par 50 Appendix B Programs.

- Experience with e-sourcing tools (Wood McKenzie (formerly PowerAdvocate)) and ERP systems (NAS, Maximo)

Working Conditions

- Hybrid Mobility Classification – Work will be performed from both remote and onsite locations after the onboarding period. However, hybrid employees should live within a reasonable daily commute to a Duke Energy facility.

- 15% to 25% travel

- Office setting

- Some travel for plant and vendor visits, conferences, visits to other Duke Energy facilities and territories

Specific Requirements

- Bachelor's degree + 7 years of work experience OR - Associate's degree + 9 years of work experience OR - HS/GED + 11 years of work experience

Additional Preferred Qualifications

- Graduate Degree

- C.P.M. (Certified Purchasing Manager), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) certification, or CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional)

- Strong working knowledge of electric utility plant operations and related customer operations

- Strategic Sourcing experience in leading large (>$25M) sourcing initiatives

- Experience in managing high value and strategic supplier relationships.

- Demonstrated interpersonal, leadership, team building including frequent interface with cross functional teams and executive management.

- Contract management skills

Working Conditions

- Mobility classification to be determined by manager

- Office setting

- Some travel for plant and vendor visits, conferences, visits to other Duke Energy facilities and territories

Specific Requirements

- Bachelors degree + 7 years work experience OR - Associates degree + 9 years work experience OR - HS/GED + 11 years work experience

Travel Requirements

5-15%

Relocation Assistance Provided (as applicable)

No

Represented/Union Position

No

Visa Sponsored Position

No

Please note that in order to be considered for this position, you must possess all of the basic/required qualifications.

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