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.