Supplier Performance Manager (Open also to Protected Categories, Law 68/99)

Location: Gorgonzola, Italy

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Gorgonzola hosts Navigations Air Systems (NAS) domain. The activity of NAS domain: avionics, navigation and radar systems for civil air traffic and technologies supporting the activities of civilian and military pilots, ATC controllers and technicians of several airlines, air traffic control agencies and Air Force around the world. Italy is the Group’s Competence center for the design, production and delivery of Navigation Aids products and Competence Centre for the delivery of non-Radar Surveillance Products.

The Supplier Performance Manager organization is responsible to manage and improve the operational performances of key suppliers (On Time Delivery and On Conformity deliveries).
A Supplier Performance Manager is appointed for several suppliers at local level entity/region as soon as needed according to context (High technical stakes or Risky technology or Mass production or Performance below objective reached).

The main missions of a Supplier Performance Manager are :

• Manage operational performances for some selected Thales suppliers in close relationships with Procurement, Industrial, Engineering, Services and Quality teams and ensure that all the conditions, internal and external, enabling performances are in place.
• Initiates improvement plans for the selected suppliers in terms of quality and on time deliveries during the execution phase
• Defines and controls the SKPIs (Suppliers Key Processes Indicators) objectives with the GBUs organization: punctuality, quality....

Experience:

• Understanding and knowledge of Quality Management principles and systems.
• Broad industrail process knowledge including mechanical and electronical assembly and test.
• Awareness and use of continuous improvement techniques and practical implementation of lean manufacturing.
• Experience of operational management, manufacturing and ERP systems, including routings, BOM`s & Concessions etc.;
• The job holder is also expected to have the ability to communicate clearly and freely as well as to have the ability to produce high standard documentation for project and external use.

Mission & Responsabilities:

In agreement with head of local entity operations, the Supplier Performance Manger main activities are:

• Anticipation and Continuous Improvement, In order to manage the continuous improvement, put in place the Thales best practices, including lean manufacturing, within Suppliers portfolio
• Responsible for the deployment, within the selected suppliers, of corrective and preventive action plans which address process, product, or component alerts from industrial operations, customer line fit manufactures, or the field support organization.
• Act as a conduit to improve the overall interface between Thales and the Supplier, using lessons learned for the continuous improvement of both parties. Develop and execute plans, within the selected suppliers, to eliminate non-value add activities (e.g. the Seven Wastes, MUDA) in both Thales and Supplier processes, consistent with improving the quality and reliability of procured items
• Deploy, within the selected suppliers, techniques including Six Sigma, DMAIC or Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis (PFMEA) to identify and evaluate the potential failures of process, prioritize actions to alleviate risk in both Thales and Supplier activities.
• Participate to the transverse optimization actions such as Air Supply deployment (internet portal for exchanging data for Purchase Orders and forecasts), specific programs (ramp-up, ramp-down), new KPIs implementations, Reach (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) regulations, logistics …
• Establish high level communication and intimacy with supplier's leadership team
• For anticipation, identify transformation targets, support associated roadmap deployment through weak signals awareness and risk mitigation plans
• For anticipation, set up subtiers mapping to assess risk exposure and propose ad hoc securization

Reviews, SKPIs and reporting

• Organize and conduct the Suppliers PERFormance REViews with the purchase department
• Validate and issue the SKPIs for own portfolio
• Establish a monthly reporting for own portfolio
• Prepare and participate to the local Suppliers Performance Committees and category performance reviews if needed
• Transmit the SKPIs to the group level
• Monitor and report on a regularly basis the global performance action plan addressing two main topics: quality and punctuality

Relationships with the global SPM organization and BLs

• Support Group initiatives in order to improve supplier performances for the Group
• Throughout his network, he/she escalates the identification of weak signals (in coordination with Industry,Engineering, Services , Quality and Purchasing departments) to the head of entity/region SPM when needed
• Reports the performance of his/her suppliers in category performance reviews when requested by Global SPM for suppliers with very low OTD/OCD
• Contribute to the knowledge of the complete Supply Chain starting from the tier one supplier and identify the weaknesses
• May participate to the Thales IPCA Audit (Industrial Process Control Assessment) and support auditors for the closure of the findings

Requirements:

• Experiences in Industry in supply chain > 4 years of experiences
• Demonstrable history of managing performance improvement projects preferably in Defence, Aerospace, & Security sectors.
• Understanding and knowledge of Quality Management principles and systems.
• Supply chain engineering experience within a low to medium volume environment, light mechanical / electro-mechanical production environment or other relevant sectors.
• Awareness and use of continuous improvement techniques and practical implementation of lean manufacturing.
• Experience of operational management, manufacturing and ERP systems, including routings, BOM`s, Concessions, Change Requests etc.

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