CATEGORY BUYER TUBING AND FASTENERS

IMPACT and OPPORTUNITY

As a member of the Global Purchasing team you will be responsible for acquiring, purchasing, negotiating pricing/services for the global harness wire sub-category. You will obtain quotations, supplier cost breakdowns, and technical feasibility (FS) data from suppliers. You will prepare quotation analysis and evaluate potential suppliers to determine if they are compatible with company objectives. You will identify and lead cost savings projects with suppliers and internal cross-functional team members (VAVE, engineering, operations, PM, sales, etc). You will also monitor supplier performance by reviewing costs, schedules, timeliness of delivery, and conformance to specifications. You will interface with global suppliers on an on-going basis and lead resolution of commercial issues and minimize disruptions to production processes. You will have the opportunity to lead the development of category strategies to meet business objectives for cost, quality fulfilment, and innovation

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute category strategies for wire, resin, and assigned electromechanical categories in partnership with the Global Category Manager and Director
• Lead contract negotiations and developments with wire and resin suppliers to ensure consistent commercial terms and conditions
• Lead regular global/regional benchmarking activities for wire and resin materials to determine best in class suppliers
• Negotiate quarterly/semi-annual wire and resin pricing based on regional indices, market factors, and global benchmark data
• Manage and approve ECR for new or changed materials
• Qualify new suppliers in collaboration with category strategy / technical roadmap
• Improve efficiency in terms of reliability of supply and price as well as risk management
• Ensure early involvement of SQD in case of new suppliers and/or materials and on-time PPAP approval
• Conduct purchasing of materials independently and select supplier and second sources for the components out of an approved supplier list
• Ensure correct, complete and timely maintenance of master data and workflows in all relevant systems
• Collaborate with engineering to confirm technical approval of supplier offers and required validation plans for alternative material approvals
• Support and execute cost reduction ideas
• Confirm material availability and lead time for the components
• Ensure supplier capacities to avoid supply bottlenecks
• Support product change requests and “End of Life” ramp-down activities at the component level

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business with technical background and/or Engineering with economical background.
• Minimum 5-7 years experience as a buyer, or commodity manager at Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier in automotive industry.
• Familiarity with Copper surcharge / Copper / Resin indexing agreements (LME, COMEX, SHMET, IHS etc)
• Minimum of 3 years - related commodity experience
• A record of achieving purchasing cost savings through negotiation, resourcing, & VAVE
• Familiar with single source situations with experience in such an environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Preferred experience in electromechanical commodities such as wire, resin, fasteners, tubing, clips, etc.
• SAP, PCP, IBS APQP, customer requirements, job specific processes and reporting tools, lean training, MS Office
• Strong negotiation, communication and assertiveness skills
• Project management experience
• Ability to transfer technical matters into economic considerations
• Strong team player and intercultural competence
• Strong English language verbal and written skills
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills
• Cost calculation knowledge
• Legal/contractual knowledge
• Strong MS Office skills