{"id":2102846,"url":"https://alion.io/job/tpc-group-principal-buyer","title":"Principal Buyer","company":{"id":3868293,"name":"TPC Group","domain":"tpcgrp.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/tpcgrp","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"UltiPro","truth_index":null},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Houston, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":80000,"max_usd":187000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":1211},"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-23T15:51:07Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-10-20T23:51:59Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":27,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":27},"description":"Job Summary\nThe Procurement Principal Buyer supports TPC Group's safe, reliable, and cost-effective operations by leading complex sourcing initiatives and procuring materials and services that deliver the best total value to the organization. Reporting to a Category Manager, this role independently executescomplex sourcing and contracting activities in support of assigned category strategies and business priorities established by the Category Manager while serving as a procurement resource for internal stakeholders and other members of the Procurement team.\nThe successful candidate combines strong analytical capability, sound business judgment, and deep procurement expertise to manage high-impact sourcing initiatives while collaborating across functions in a fast-paced, changing environment. This position requires initiative, integrity, adaptability, and a continuous improvement mindset while helping advance Procurement Excellence throughout the organization.\nEssential Duties and Responsibilities\nList the core functions and daily responsibilities.\nSourcing and Category Strategy Execution\nExecute sourcing initiatives and commercial negotiations consistent with category strategies, procurement priorities, and business objectives established by the Category Manager. Execute sourcing strategies developed in collaboration with the Category Manager while recommending opportunities to improve commercial outcomes, supplier performance, and total value. \nLead competitive sourcing events (RFPs, RFQs, auctions, and negotiations), ensuring a fair, transparent, and compliant procurement process. \nAnalyze supplier proposals using commercial, financial, operational, and risk considerations to develop well-supported sourcing recommendations. \nNegotiate complex commercial agreements, pricing structures, contract terms, and service level expectations to achieve optimal business outcomes. \nEnsure procurement activities comply with company policies, procurement procedures, delegated authority requirements, and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) controls\nSupplier and Contract Management\nDevelop and maintain strong commercial relationships with strategic suppliers while serving as the primary procurement contact for assigned supplier portfolios. \nManage supplier performance by monitoring contract compliance, service quality, delivery performance, commercial issues, and continuous improvement opportunities. \nLead resolution of complex supplier performance and commercial issues in collaboration with internal stakeholders. \nManage contracts throughout their lifecycle, including implementation, amendments, renewals, and closeout. \nIdentify supplier risks and collaborate with stakeholders to develop appropriate mitigation strategies. \nSupport supplier qualification activities, audits, and contractor compliance requirements, including ISNetworld and other applicable supplier management processes.\nAnalytical and Leadership\nAnalyze spend data, supplier performance, and market conditions to identify sourcing opportunities and commercial improvements. \nDevelop financial analyses including total cost of ownership evaluations, pricing comparisons, savings analyses, and business cases supporting sourcing recommendations. \nMonitor commodity markets, supplier capabilities, and industry trends to provide market intelligence to internal stakeholders. \nTrack and report savings realization, contract compliance, supplier performance, and other procurement performance metrics. \nEvaluate commercial alternatives and recommend solutions balancing cost, risk, operational requirements, and long-term value\nStakeholder Collaboration and Influence\nServe as a trusted procurement advisor by understanding stakeholder objectives and providing commercially sound sourcing recommendations. \nLead cross-functional sourcing teams involving Operations, Maintenance, Capital, EHSS, Finance, Legal, and other business functions. Build consensus among stakeholders during sourcing events while balancing operational priorities, commercial objectives, and procurement best practices. \nAnticipate procurement risks, supply disruptions, and commercial issues, proactively developing solutions before they impact the business. \nPresent sourcing recommendations, negotiation strategies, and supplier evaluations to stakeholders and leadership in alignment with Category Manager direction\nContinuous Improvement & Knowledge Sharing\nIdentify and implement procurement process improvements that enhance efficiency, compliance, and stakeholder experience. \nPromote adoption of procurement best practices, sourcing tools, and standard work processes. \nMentor Buyers and Associate Buyers by sharing procurement knowledge, commercial expertise, and lessons learned. \nSupport development and refinement of procurement templates, sourcing methodologies, and continuous improvement initiatives.\nMaintain awareness of procurement trends, market developments, and emerging technologies to improve procurement effectiveness.\nStrategic Procurement Execution\nAnticipate sourcing, supplier, and commercial challenges and proactively develop solutions before they impact operations. \nExecute sourcing strategies for assigned categories in partnership with the Category Manager, providing market intelligence and commercial recommendations to improve business outcomes. \nIndependently executecomplex sourcing events (RFPs, RFQs, tenders, auctions, and negotiations) from planning through contract execution. \nAnalyze supplier proposals, commercial terms, total cost of ownership, supplier risk, and market conditions to develop well-supported sourcing recommendations. \nLead complex commercial negotiations and contract reviews, balancing commercial objectives, operational requirements, and risk. \nEnsure procurement activities comply with company policies, delegated authority requirements, contract standards, and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) controls.\nSupplier & Commercial Management\nDevelop and maintain strategic supplier relationships that promote reliability, innovation, continuous improvement, and long-term value. \nMonitor supplier performance and collaborate with internal stakeholders to resolve commercial issues, improve supplier performance, and mitigate supply risk. \nManage contracts throughout their lifecycle, including implementation, amendments, renewals, compliance monitoring, and closeout. \nIdentify opportunities for supplier consolidation, commercial optimization, and cost savings while supporting broader procurement objectives\nBusiness Analysis & Performance\nAnalyze spend, supplier performance, market trends, and cost drivers to identify sourcing opportunities and improve procurement performance. \nDevelop and maintain financial analyses, including total cost of ownership models, cost comparisons, business cases, and savings analyses to support sourcing decisions. \nTrack and communicate procurement performance metrics, including savings realization, supplier performance, contract compliance, and other key performance indicators\nContinuous Improvement & Leadership\nIdentify and implement procurement process improvements that enhance efficiency, compliance, stakeholder experience, and business value. \nLeverage technology, data analytics, and market intelligence to improve procurement effectiveness and decision-making. \nMentor and share knowledge with Buyers and Associate Buyers, promoting procurement best practices and continuous development. \nApply structured problem-solving techniques to resolve complex procurement challenges and drive sustainable process improvements. \nAdapt quickly to changing business priorities, market conditions, and operational requirements while maintaining focus on delivering results.\nQualifications\nRequired: Minimum education, experience, certifications, and skills.\nPreferred: Nice-to-have but not essential qualifications.\nMinimum Requirements\nBachelor's degree in supply chain management, Business, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, or a related field required (equivalent combination of education and relevant procurement experience may be considered)\n8-10 years of experience\nCertifications (if any): Professional procurement certification such as CPSM, CPSD, CPM, or equivalent preferred\nMaster's Degree Preferred\nThis hybrid role operates in a professional office and/or plant administration environment, with a typical expectation of 3-4 days per week in the office and flexibility to work remotely based on business needs. Regular visits to operating facilities, warehouses, contractor work areas, and supplier locations are required to support sourcing activities, supplier evaluations, stakeholder engagement, and project execution. The position requires the ability to safely access industrial plant environments while complying with all applicable safety requirements and personal protective equipment (PPE) standards. Standard working hours apply; however, occasional travel and flexibility to support critical business needs, supplier meetings, negotiations, turnarounds, or project milestones may be required\nAll applicants must be eligible to work for any employer in the United States without needing any company sponsorship.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9185,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Natural Resources","Logistics","Oil & Gas"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-08T19:15:54Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":56,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.751,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":26,"expected_fill_days":32,"reasons":["conf:3","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/tpc-group-principal-buyer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/tpc-group-principal-buyer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-21T00:57:46Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1487,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3868293},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3868293"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ftpc-group-principal-buyer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ftpc-group-principal-buyer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ftpc-group-principal-buyer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/tpc-group-principal-buyer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ftpc-group-principal-buyer"}]}