Senior Buyer

Senior Buyer Job Description

The Senior Buyer is a strategic sourcing professional responsible for managing supplier relationships, negotiating contracts, and driving cost optimization initiatives. This position plays a key role in aligning procurement strategies with organizational goals, ensuring supply continuity, and supporting cross-functional business operations within a manufacturing or industrial environment.

Key Responsibilities

Lead strategic sourcing initiatives to identify, evaluate, and select suppliers that align with company objectives for cost, quality, and sustainability.

Negotiate long-term agreements, pricing, and supply terms with key suppliers to achieve optimal total cost of ownership.

Monitor supplier performance using KPIs (e.g., on-time delivery, quality, cost savings) and implement supplier development plans as needed.

Collaborate with engineering, quality, and operations teams to introduce new materials, components, or suppliers.

Analyze market trends, commodity pricing, and risks to proactively mitigate supply disruptions.

Serve as a subject matter expert for ERP purchasing workflows, supplier management, and procurement analytics.

Develop and report procurement metrics, dashboards, and improvement projects using Power BI or Excel.

Ensure sufficient supply of all materials and timing of deliveries across multiple sites through robust processes for purchase orders, blanket orders, transfer orders, and manufacturing orders.

Proactively communicate cross-functionally expected delays, root cause of supplier issues, and countermeasures implemented to prevent occurrences.

Continually look for opportunities to increase efficiency within the purchasing organization

Create and maintain documentation around current and best practices for all steps within procurement.

Mentor junior buyers and provide training on purchasing procedures and supplier engagement best practices.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field required.

5–7 years of progressive procurement experience in manufacturing, industrial, or regulated industries (medical device, aerospace, or plastics preferred).

Demonstrated success in contract negotiation, supplier performance management, and strategic sourcing.

Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., Business Central, SAP, Oracle) and advanced Excel or Power BI skills.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong analytical, negotiation, and vendor management capabilities.

Ability to lead cross-functional sourcing projects with minimal supervision.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present to senior leadership.

Familiarity with sustainability initiatives and supplier ESG data collection preferred.

Ability to manage multiple priorities and work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.