Will AI replace director of strategic sourcings?

Why AI struggles to replace this job

• Developing a 5-year sourcing strategy requires a level of abstract planning AI hasn't mastered.
• Assessing the long-term stability of a new market involves subjective political and social analysis.
• Building a culture of innovation with suppliers requires collaborative human problem-solving.
• Managing the risk of single-source dependencies requires human risk appetite and judgment.

Tasks AI could automate

• Conducting market research on raw material price trends.
• Performing spend categorization and tail-spend analysis.
• Scoring potential suppliers based on standardized performance metrics.
• Automating the tracking of contract expiration and renewal dates.

The 10-year outlook

Professionals will need to pivot toward sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, areas where AI lacks the necessary ethical context to lead.

Common questions