Category Buyer

**Category Buyer**:

- Functional area: Management- Country: United States- City: Chandler- Company name: Edwards Vacuum, LLC- Date of posting: May 24, 2024**Edwards Vacuum**

Edwards is a global leader of vacuum and abatement. We are proud to lead the industry, pushing the boundaries of science to deliver innovative products which are intrinsic to everyday life, working in partnership with our customers and continually setting new standards.

**Buyer**
- Chandler Arizona_

**Scope of the job**:
Develop and implement direct material category and supplier strategies in line with Divisional and local procurement strategy. Establish critical supplier partnerships & relationships. Drive continuous QCD improvement and resourcing programs keeping supply strategy aligned with changing and evolving business requirements.

**This position will entail training in Japan for a duration of 3-6 months.**

This role will play an important part in setting up the new line in Chandler to ready it for production, helping with the transfer of knowledge from Japan and actively participating in the installation and commissioning phase of the project.

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Supplier relationship management
- Develop high performing supply partners, with aligned business strategies and long-term sustainable performance
- Deploy performance management tools and techniques to create a continuous improvement culture
- Maintain awareness of supplier opportunities, risks, vulnerabilities and levers. Evolve strategies to exploit or mitigate
- Ensure continuity of supply as part of a structured escalation process
- QCD supplier development to support Business objectives (OGSM)
- Identify and implement supplier development projects including VA/VE, lead time, waste reduction
- Responsibility for cost down projects and negotiated savings for defined categories and suppliers
- Supplier agility & sustainability
- Lead risk assessment and develop mitigation plans through improving existing suppliers or developing new sources
- Actively monitor supplier health in multiple dimensions of supply continuity including financial, capacity, quality, compliance
- Develop category knowledge & deploy category management processes
- Category analysis & part understanding to segment spend in relation to supply market
- Deploy cost modelling techniques to define should-cost
- Understand, mitigate or exploit impact of material commodity pricing
- Supply market research and benchmarking
- Category and supplier strategies
- Application of portfolio analysis to understand supply market balance of power
- Identify spend areas of opportunity and risk, and projects to optimise
- Develop supply base knowledge, including supplier profiles, power structures, dynamics and competitors
- New supplier search and selection
- Sourcing projects and program management
- Identify and execute projects to deliver the strategy and optimize category supply chain
- Project justification & resource planning, defining costs and benefits
- Internal stakeholder communication ensuring management buy in and cross functional support when needed
- Managing supplier expectations and risks due to change
- Seamless implementation, working closely with operations to avoid any interruption to production
- Supply contracts & negotiation
- Deploy global contract framework with critical Partner suppliers. Establish appropriate legal and commercial foundation for long term supply, investment, cost reduction and new product development
- Technology and innovation
- Ensure category and supplier strategies support NPI roadmaps
- Drive early supplier engagement in Technology and innovation projects
- Synergies
- Support cross divisional and VTBA procurement synergies
- Leverage best in class suppliers across regions and divisions
- Processes and compliance
- Support roll out and evolution of global procurement and sourcing processes
- Ensure supply base compliance with AC Business Code of Practice and any related legal requirements

**Skills/Knowledge/Experience**
- Minimum 7 years procurement experience preferably in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
- 2 years experience in category management or strategic sourcing
- Track record improving supply chains and supplier performance including new supplier search, selection and integration
- Track record managing large scale supply chain transfer or new product introduction projects
- Proven experience negotiating sourcing and supply contracts
- Excellent communication skills across all levels of an organization, both internally and with suppliers
- Degree in engineering or business management, ideally with professional procurement qualification
- Line management or supervisory experience useful but not essential
- Willingness to travel as when the business conditions and strategies require

**Wellbeing**

We have a number of services and programs to help you be the best you can be. A choice of three medical and prescription drug benefit