Buyer

This fast-growing, international manufacturing business is seeking a Directs Buyer to join their dynamic procurement team. The Directs Buyer is responsible for overseeing and managing the strategic sourcing of direct (raw) materials within the organization. This role ensures that the needed materials and services are ordered, and that the right management procedures are set in place to support business operations. The Directs Buyer collaborates with various departments, including quality, inventories, operations, and sales, to maintain a balanced and efficient strategic sourcing system. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES Develop and implement directs savings program for year-over-year cost reduction Partner with stakeholders and department heads to understand business needs and act as primary interface with suppliers Planning and Forecasting: Review Requisition Forms provided by internal customers. Translate required raw materials (provided by planning) into quantity sourced by vendor and total expected spend. Prepares and analyzes market intelligence as appropriate Assemble and maintain historical spend data in standard excel file Establish requirements, scope and criteria for prioritized procurement projects Lead market research to aid supplier selection Category Management: Lead Request for Proposal (RFP) events focused to generate cost out of the business for raw materials Drive quarterly results review meetings with suppliers Lead multi-year contract negotiations with preferred vendors, using contract templates, terms and conditions. Risk Management: Enable alternative supply sources (supply redundancy) Perform tactical procurement activities (e.g. create purchase orders in SAP, seek PO approval) Proactively communicates to Quality, Operations, Production Scheduling, Demand Planning and Sales. Proposes strategies to reduce costs and improve efficiencies (e.g. offshore vs near shore supply, make, buy or lease, vertical integration) Actively participates in Sales and Operations planning meetings Optimization: Perform regular reviews of established procurement processes to ensure continual improvement. Refine policies, due diligence questionnaires and RFP templates Other projects/duties as assigned for the overall benefit of the organization. Qualifications/ Experience Successful candidates will possess the following qualifications: Bachelor's degree or a related field. SAP knowledge and computer skills. Certifications: ISM: CPSM, APICS: CSCP, CPIM and LEAN Preferred experience: At least 5 years in Strategic Sourcing of raw materials (chemicals) Procurement, Logistics, Warehouse management (Toyota). Ideally, experience managing and coaching diverse Teams