Direct Materials Lead

About the Role Accenture Supply Chain & Enterprise is seeking an experienced Direct Materials Lead to drive procurement transformation, cost optimization, and value creation initiatives across direct material categories. This role partners with senior client stakeholders and cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business outcomes through strategic sourcing, category management, operating model transformation, and digital procurement capabilities. The ideal candidate combines deep procurement expertise with strong consulting, stakeholder management, and transformation leadership experience to help organizations improve supply chain resilience, profitability, and operational performance. Key Responsibilities • Lead end-to-end direct materials procurement and supply chain transformation engagements across multiple industries. • Develop and execute category strategies that deliver cost savings, supplier performance improvements, value engineering opportunities, and risk mitigation. • Drive Design-to-Value, cost optimization, and value-chain transformation initiatives aligned to client business objectives. • Partner with senior client stakeholders to identify opportunities for EBITDA improvement, working capital optimization, and operational excellence. • Lead cross-functional teams across procurement, engineering, manufacturing, operations, and finance to deliver transformation outcomes. • Assess and redesign sourcing, procurement, supplier management, governance, and operating model processes to improve effectiveness and efficiency. • Support business development activities, including solution development, proposal creation, client presentations, and practice growth initiatives. • Coach and mentor team members, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. Required Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related discipline. • Proven experience leading direct materials procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, or supply chain transformation initiatives. • Strong knowledge of procurement operating models, strategic sourcing methodologies, supplier relationship management, and cost optimization strategies. • Experience managing large-scale transformation programs and engaging senior executive stakeholders. • Demonstrated ability to translate complex business challenges into actionable strategies that deliver measurable outcomes. • Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills. • Experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams within consulting or industry environments. Preferred Qualifications • Experience in Design-to-Value, value engineering, should-cost analysis, or manufacturing cost optimization methodologies. • Exposure to digital procurement solutions, intelligent operations, analytics, AI-enabled sourcing, or supply chain technologies. • Experience supporting procurement transformation programs within industrial, automotive, consumer goods, life sciences, or manufacturing sectors. • MBA, Master's degree, or relevant professional certifications such as CPSM, CIPS, APICS, or CSCP. • Demonstrated track record of contributing to sales pursuits, practice-building activities, and thought leadership initiatives. About the Company / Team We work with one shared purpose: to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity. Every day, more than 775,000 of us help our stakeholders continuously reinvent. Together, we drive positive change and deliver value to our clients, partners, shareholders, communities, and each other. We believe that delivering value requires innovation, and innovation thrives in an inclusive and diverse environment. We actively foster a workplace free from bias, where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is respected and empowered to do their best work. At Accenture, we see well-being holistically, supporting our people's physical, mental, and financial health. We also provide opportunities to keep skills relevant through certifications, learning, and diverse work experiences. We're proud to be consistently recognized as one of the World's Best Workplaces™. Join Accenture to work at the heart of change. Visit us at www.accenture.com. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process. Accenture is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 791,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each…