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We are seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Senior Buyer to complement our team at JTEKT North America Corporation, a leading automotive supplier. This role involves identifying and implementing cost-effective procurement strategies, optimizing supplier relationships, and ensuring that non-product-related expenditures are aligned with business goals and objectives. This requires ownership and accountability for the supply base across various indirect categories within the organization, and collaborate cross-functionally, ensuring clear expectations. The role will be responsible for optimizing procurement strategies, managing supplier engagement, and driving cost efficiencies across various indirect categories (IT, Packaging, Chemicals & Gas, HR, Marketing & Sales, Professional Services, Facility Management, Travel, etc.). This role focuses on category strategy development, RFP processes, contract negotiations, and cost reduction initiatives to enhance operational effectiveness.
Key Responsibilities
- Drive Indirect category strategy and supplier selection.
- Generate and lead sourcing events & plans including Request for Proposal (RFP) processes to identify and secure optimal suppliers.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, ensuring quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Identify and develop supplier relationships & supplier performance with a strong focus on customer service, flexibility / agility, quick response times, process flow efficiency, product quality, on time commitments, distribution excellence and supplier reliability.
- Monitor key supplier score cards that provide an objective view of our supply base, and implement corrective actions as required.
- Lead contract negotiations to optimize cost and value.
- Work with manufacturing facilities to align sourcing and ensure buy-in to achieve decentralized execution of the sourcing and strategy.
- Analyze spending levels and confirm JTEKT remains within budget.
- Analyze market trends and sourcing opportunities to drive continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders (plants, facilities, engineering, departments, etc.) to align sourcing strategies with business objectives.
- Investigate and implement new technologies or methods that improve purchasing and inventory management.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, industry regulations, safety, and demonstrate the JTEKT Way.
- Participate in the company, department and team Objectives.
- Support / attend and participate in meetings scheduled by the Purchasing Manager, customers and/or Buyers, and Weekly / Monthly Operating Reviews unless circumstances prevent attendance. Support 1-on-1 meetings with the Purchasing Manager.
- Support Buyers and Coordinators with supplier issues.
- Perform other duties as assigned / requested by Purchasing Manager.
Qualifications & Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field. MBA preferred. A certification in Purchasing or Procurement is a plus.
- 5+ years of experience in the Purchasing field or in a related area. Proven expertise in Indirect procurement and strategic sourcing.
- Experiences in a variety of procurement concepts, practices, and procedures.
- Ability to read engineering drawings and prints and understand technical concepts.
- Project management skills that are cross functional.
- Solid communication skills external and internal to the organization.
- Proven experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management.
- Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Excellent analytical and complex problem-solving abilities.
- Strong command of ERP and sourcing tools.
- Ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple projects.
- Comfortable with data – able to analyze and interpret large amounts of data to support decision making. Ability to work with ambiguous and imperfect data / information, operate in “gray” area (when issues are not black or white).
- Time Management (including effectively managing email and calendar).
- Collaboration and teamwork are crucial to perform this role well.
- Effective Communication skills (verbal – in person and by phone / MS Teams – and written), assertive when appropriate.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), MS Outlook, MS Teams, SharePoint, MS Copilot and other computer applications as necessary. Data analytics and visualization software is a plus.
- Proactively address issues with customers, suppliers and team members.
- Strong organizational skills, able to work well under pressure and manage several tasks simultaneously.
- Risk mitigation / management – identify and communicate potential risks associated with supply chain disruptions, supplier failures or price fluctuations. Propose and support strategies to mitigate risks and ensure continuous supply of materials as needed.
- Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision.
- Ability to handle confidential information.
Additional Information
- This is not a supervisory position but requires strong collaboration across departments.
- This position will require on-site support in Greenville, SC 3 days / week and the remaining day(s) will be remote as agreed with the Purchasing Manager. This position is expected to work a minimum of 40 hours / week and may require working outside normal working hours and/or weekends.
- Maintain a minimum of 40 hours per week, consisting of minimum of 8 hours per day. Normally Monday through Friday, or as directed by the Purchasing Manager, to support the team and JTEKT NA facilities.
- The daily work is mostly performed in a normal office or home setting with minimal exposure to most health or safety hazards, and with substantial time spent working on a computer. Requires sufficient hand, arm and finger dexterity to operate a computer and other office equipment.
- This role involves 10-25% travel to domestic and international JTEKT facilities for supplier visits and cross-functional collaboration.
- The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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