Supply Chain Director

Company: SVI Public Company Limited

Location: Thailand

Industry: Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)

Reporting to: COO

Position Purpose

Lead and transform the end-to-end supply chain function in a complex, high-mix electronics manufacturing services (EMS) environment. The Supply Chain Director will be responsible for ensuring material availability, optimizing inventory and working capital, improving supplier performance, reducing total supply chain costs, and meeting demanding customer delivery requirements.

The successful candidate must have substantial, hands-on leadership experience within the EMS or electronics contract manufacturing industry, with a proven ability to manage global electronic component supply chains, navigate volatile demand, mitigate component shortages, and deliver measurable business results.

Key Responsibilities

1. End-to-End Supply Chain Leadership

• Develop and execute the supply chain strategy aligned with business growth, customer commitments, manufacturing capacity, and profitability.
• Lead supply chain planning, procurement, strategic sourcing, material management, inventory control, logistics, and warehousing, according to the organizational structure.
• Partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, Program Management, Finance, and Customer Service to align material supply with production and customer demand.
• Drive supply chain performance, accountability, standardization, and continuous improvement across the organization.

2. EMS Material Planning and Customer Delivery

• Lead demand and supply planning, MRP, material requirements planning, production scheduling coordination, and S&OP.
• Manage complex BOMs, electronic components, long-lead-time materials, customer-specific parts, and engineering change requirements.
• Ensure material readiness for new product introductions (NPI), production ramp-ups, engineering revisions, and customer demand changes.
• Proactively resolve material shortages, allocation constraints, excess inventory, and supply-demand imbalances.
• Improve material availability, production schedule attainment, and on-time delivery to global customers.

3. Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Management

• Lead strategic sourcing and procurement of electronic components, semiconductors, PCB/PCBA-related materials, mechanical parts, and other manufacturing inputs.
• Build strategic relationships with global and regional suppliers, distributors, and authorized component channels.
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, payment terms, allocation commitments, and commercial agreements to improve total cost of ownership.
• Develop dual-sourcing strategies, supplier risk mitigation, and alternative component solutions in collaboration with Engineering and Quality.
• Manage supplier capacity constraints, component obsolescence, lifecycle transitions, and allocation risks.

4. Inventory and Working Capital Optimization

• Develop strategies to optimize raw materials, WIP, finished goods, and customer-owned inventory, where applicable.
• Reduce excess and obsolete inventory, aged stock, material write-offs, and working capital exposure.
• Establish effective controls for customer forecast changes, order cancellations, excess material liability, and customer material commitments.
• Balance inventory investment with service levels, material availability, and production continuity.
• Improve inventory accuracy, inventory turns, cash conversion, and material utilization.

5. Logistics, Trade Compliance and Supply Chain Risk

• Oversee inbound and outbound logistics, freight, warehousing, customs, and international shipment coordination.
• Optimize logistics cost, delivery reliability, and material flow across international supply networks.
• Ensure compliance with applicable import/export regulations, customs requirements, and company policies.
• Develop business continuity plans for geopolitical disruptions, supplier failures, transport delays, and critical component shortages.

6. Digital Transformation and Supply Chain Excellence

• Optimize ERP/MRP, supply chain planning tools, reporting, and end-to-end material visibility.
• Use data analytics and, where appropriate, AI-enabled forecasting, inventory optimization, and supplier risk monitoring.
• Establish dashboards and performance reviews to support faster, fact-based decision-making.
• Drive automation, process simplification, and productivity improvements across supply chain operations.

7. Leadership and Organizational Capability

• Lead and develop supply chain managers and functional teams, building a strong performance-oriented culture.
• Establish clear KPIs, accountability, succession plans, and capability development priorities.
• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration and influence senior stakeholders on supply, inventory, cost, and customer delivery decisions.
• Lead change initiatives and build a proactive, resilient, customer-focused supply chain organization.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related discipline. A master's degree or MBA is an advantage.
• Typically 12–15+ years of progressive supply chain experience, including substantial leadership responsibility in the EMS or electronics contract manufacturing industry.
• Mandatory: Direct EMS industry experience in an established electronics manufacturing services or contract manufacturing organization.
• Proven track record leading supply chain teams in a complex electronics manufacturing environment with high-mix products, complex BOMs, and global customer requirements.
• Strong experience in electronic component procurement, semiconductor sourcing, supplier negotiations, material planning, and inventory optimization.
• Demonstrated capability in managing component shortages, long lead times, supplier allocation, obsolescence, and excess material exposure.
• Strong understanding of ERP/MRP, S&OP, production planning, NPI, engineering changes, and customer forecast management.
• Proven results in cost reduction, working capital optimization, customer delivery, and operational performance improvement.
• Experience managing international suppliers and working with global OEM customers.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, analytical, and commercial negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English; additional languages are an advantage.

Preferred Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have held a senior supply chain leadership position, such as Supply Chain Director, Head of Supply Chain, or Senior Supply Chain Manager, within an EMS or electronics contract manufacturing business.

Candidates from other manufacturing industries should only be considered if they also have substantial, directly relevant electronics manufacturing services experience.

The candidate must demonstrate strategic thinking, operational execution, commercial acumen, strong people leadership, and the ability to drive measurable improvements in supply chain performance.

Core Competencies

• EMS supply chain expertise and electronics component knowledge.
• Strategic sourcing and commercial negotiation.
• Material planning, inventory optimization, and working capital management.
• Customer-centric decision-making and delivery excellence.
• Supply chain risk management and problem-solving.
• Digital transformation and data-driven decision-making.
• Executive stakeholder influence and cross-functional leadership.
• Talent development, change leadership, and results orientation.