Purchasing Director - Europe (m/f/d)

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What we offer:

At Magna, you can expect an engaging and dynamic environment where you can help to develop industry-leading automotive technologies. We invest in our employees, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed. As a member of our global team, you can expect exciting, varied responsibilities as well as a wide range of development prospects. Because we believe that your career path should be as unique as you are.

Group Summary:

The Magna Exteriors portfolio of products includes access systems such as liftgates, exterior trim, modular systems, front-end modules including fascia, active aerodynamic systems and other lightweight structural components for automotive, commercial truck and other industrial markets.

Recognized globally as an innovator in all aspects of vehicle exteriors, Magna provides everything needed, from materials development and design through manufacturing and assembly, to help automakers create sleek, state-of-the-art vehicles across the world.

Job Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establishment of strategic sourcing planning objectives and definition of requirements for goods, services, supplies, and equipment in cooperation with the Leadership Team
• Coordination of Purchasing Managers to define, implement, and realize purchasing strategies and activities, ensuring the accomplishment of objectives
• Establishment and maintenance of measurable performance metrics for all levels of procurement activities, including supplier performance, internal order placement performance, buyer activity levels, financial performance, and material shortage elimination
• Responsibility for annual budget planning, including scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions in coordination with the Finance Department and Magna Exteriors divisions / Group Office
• Provision of insight and expertise into assigned commodity markets, including industry trends, cost drivers, global pricing, lead times, technology, and supplier manufacturing capabilities that best meet company expectations and objectives
• Leadership of product development commodity strategies in line with corporate initiatives to improve supply chain efficiencies and reduce total cost of supply chain management
• Driving of cost reductions through negotiations, leverage, rationalization, and process improvements to meet annual budget objectives
• Negotiation and execution of purchase orders and vendor contracts to support critical business needs
• Development of an overall vendor base that creates and sustains competitive advantage through global market exploitation, spend leverage, and the leveraging of technologies
• Establishment and maintenance of relationships with preferred and strategic suppliers
• Promotion of “Unified Efforts” and creation of synergies throughout Exteriors globally and Magna International
• Collaboration across a large matrixed organization, including promotion of best-practice sharing and learning, and balancing corporate objectives with local needs and impacts
• Development and maintenance of a high-performance culture, achievement of functional KPIs, and improvement of customer service levels for internal and external customers
• Identification and implementation of process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy
• Management and mentoring of a dynamic team of purchasing professionals
• Liaison with counterparts in other functional areas (e.g., Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing) to ensure alignment of activities and objectives

EDUCATION:

• Graduate degree in Business Administration, Economic Sciences, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Purchasing; or comparable education

EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE:

• Several years of experience in Purchasing & Sourcing with extensive experience in the manufacturing industry, preferably in the automotive sector (e. g. welding plants, bodyshell lines, pressing and moulding tools, thermoforming tools)
• Extensive, well established business-network in the automotive sector is an asset (contacts with OEMs, TIERs etc.)
• Project management experience

SKILLS:

• Time flexibility and willingness to travel

• Fluent business-level English is required; German language skills are a plus.

• Ability to work under pressure, high frustration tolerance and stress resistance

• High degree of self-motivation, hands-on approach and ability to work on own initiative
• Strong communication and negotiation skills and persuasive power
• Financial management and controlling skills
• Computer literate (MS Office, SAP and AI skills)
• Ability to coordinate and foster interdisciplinary teamwork
• Methodical, structured and systematic working approach and good analytical skills
• Good decision making and problem solving skills
• Ability to think economically, innovatively, conceptually and strategically
• Experience in cost analysis and cost effectiveness studies (cost accounting, cost breakdown etc.)
• Profound knowledge of international contract laws
• Good training, coaching, motivation, networking and team building skills

Awareness, Unity, Empowerment:

At Magna, we believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success. That’s why we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of experience and qualifications, and in consideration of job requirements, regardless of, in particular, color, ancestry, religion, gender, origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity. Magna takes the privacy of your personal information seriously. We discourage you from sending applications via email or traditional mail to comply with GDPR requirements and your local Data Privacy Law.

AI-Assisted Screening Disclosure

As part of our commitment to a fair, consistent, and efficient recruitment process, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the initial screening of applications submitted through our Workday system. These tools help identify qualifications and experience that align with the role requirements. Please note that AI is used solely to support our recruiters. Final decisions are always made by the hiring manager and the hiring team. Importantly, no applicant data is shared externally through these AI tools. All information remains securely within our systems and is handled in accordance with our privacy and data protection policies.

Under conditions defined by applicable law, you may have the right to request an explanation of how AI is used to support decision-making.

If you have any questions or concerns about this process, feel free to contact our Talent Attraction team.

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