Sr. Buyer

Job DescriptionBasic Purpose

The corporate senior buyer oversees procurement activities for corporate functions and supports procurement of products and services required to maintain plant operations. The category of spend includes capital equipment (buy and lease), direct material, indirect production supplies (e.g., maintenance, spare parts, outside processing, general supplies, services, etc.). The senior buyer supports each manufacturing site to reach their business savings plan goals and objectives, by negotiating contracts and implementing projects, services and processes that leverage cross-plant purchases for maximum value (e.g., lowest cost, best quality, on-time-delivery, sustainability, etc.). The senior buyer will ensure sufficient levels of inventory and a continuous flow of supplies. They will assist and/or lead key supplier negotiations and executing contracts with input and coordination from plant supply chain operations.

Principal Accountabilities

• Define scope of work and launch RFQs
• Negotiate and execute supply agreements with suppliers
• Negotiate capital equipment contracts using cross-functional teams
• Identify opportunities to leverage spend across North America plants
• Add and/or validate new suppliers' profile set-up
• Assist in resolution of supplier escalation issues on invoicing and/or and receiving discrepancies
• Support plant supply chain leads by communicating strategies, goals, processes and procedures related to procurement
• Benchmark, analyze, and review spend categories for process improvement areas.
• Utilize data resources to create and execute material velocity projects.
• Assist in developing a global, strategic supplier base that provides the highest level of quality, service, and delivery of parts and services, at the most competitive total cost
• Establish key supplier partnerships and assist in negotiating long-term agreements.
• Lead continuous improvement (CI) activities that have cross-functional reach
• Lead "Shared Services" activities by working with plant supply chain leads to analyze supplier consolidation opportunities and influencing the respective Supplier Scorecards
• Act as a shared resource for all Accuride business units
• Assist in development and design of supply chain processes and systems to reduce administrative costs
• Effective communication with all levels of staff to achieve objectives herein
• Ensure effective and consistent administration of all company policies, procedures, programs, and system
• Ensure compliance relative to the procurement/sourcing cycle with all governing laws and regulations
• Manage supplier data integrity, including conflict materials, supplier diversity status, country of origin and other compliance reporting requirements

Required Skills, Education, and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or Engineering
• A minimum of three years of experience in purchasing, supply chain or related functions
• Professional certification in Purchasing (CPM) and/or Materials Management (CPIM) desired
• Project management skills
• Competency in lean sigma techniques and demonstrated ability to lead change
• Strong negotiating skills and a solid understanding of market dynamics
• Firm understanding of business processes and ability to transform functions into processes
• Demonstrated strong leadership skills with proven success in leading cross-functional teams or projects
• Proven proficiency with Microsoft applications

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