Senior Specialist, Buyer

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Specialist, Buyer is responsible for leading and executing the purchasing of materials, equipment, services, and supplies to support operational and project requirements. The position reports to the Purchasing Manager and works closely with SCM, Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, Production, Capital Projects, Finance and other stakeholders to ensure purchasing activity aligns with business requirements, inventory strategies and organizational objectives. 

This role manages tactical, strategic, as well as complex purchasing activity, develops supplier relationships, monitor supplier performance, negotiates commercial terms, and ensures materials, equipment and services availability at the right quality, cost and time.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

The Senior Buyer is responsible, but not limited to: 

• Lead end-to-end purchasing-to-pay (P2P) process from requisition through purchase order issuance, delivery, payment and close out.
• Ensure processes alignment with Cheniere policies, standards and procedures.
• Establish Contract Purchase Agreements (CPA’s) and Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA’s) as appropriate for the business and supplier contracts.
• Support the identification of suppliers to secure quality materials at the best overall cost for Cheniere.
• Coordinate and expedite delivery dates for materials as needed. 
• Identify, support and execute implementation of transaction reduction programs and continuous improvements opportunities, to optimize resources and build efficiency into the purchasing process.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, warranties, and other commercial conditions.
• Prepare and issue RFOs/RFPs, evaluate and award bids from suppliers and analyze cost versus approved budgets and estimates.
• Work closely with stakeholders to ensure project deliverables are met, and effectively interface with operations, engineering & construction, legal, finance, insurance, health, safety and environment, etc., as well as suppliers and contractors.
• Monitor purchase orders to ensure material and services are delivered according to agreed delivery terms and dates. Identify proactively potential delays and develop recovery plans with supplier and internal stakeholders.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with materials planning, inventory, maintenance, operations, engineering, and logistics to understand requirements and priorities. 
• Support material availability and ensure procurement activities align with operational schedules.
• Provide visibility to stakeholders regarding purchase order status, delivery commitments, risks, and recovery actions.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve lead times, reduce costs, and mitigate supply disruptions.
• Support inventory optimization by balancing material availability with appropriate inventory levels.
• Support cross-team workload balancing to assure SCM services are delivered with quality and timely response. 
• Collaborate with the sites to provide thought leadership and way-of-working that drive purchasing best practices.
• Support contract owners to gather performance feedback for effective supplier management.

Category Strategy and Implementation

• Provide input to the development of Category Strategies.
• Implement the relevant procurement instruments and call-off processes.
• Ensure competitive bidding with incumbents, are compliant with Category Strategies, sourcing, local laws/regulations, and SCM policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Sourcing, Contracting, and Implementation

• Develop bid evaluation (commercial and technical) documentation and perform commercial analysis.
• Ensures compliance with contractual requirements, especially related to records and  documentation, pricing, KPIs, etc.
• Manage and address legal exceptions, including but not limited to commercial, technical, insurance, tax, etc.

Supplier Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with strategic and critical suppliers.
• Evaluate supplier performance related to cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, and service.
• Identify supplier risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Support supplier qualification, development, and performance improvement initiatives.

Participate in supplier negotiations, business reviews, and performance meetings.

• The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• In-depth knowledge of all processes and capabilities to manage the end-to-end P2P process, typical contract provisions, compensation structure and legal terms. 
• Knowledge of purchasing within construction, maintenance and/or operations (LNG or Oil and Gas) and maintenance planning.  
• Strategic sourcing, category management and supplier performance management.
• Purchase order monitoring and expediting. 
• Ability to work proactively in a collaborative environment.
• Spend analysis and cost reduction.
• Contract and commercial negotiation. 
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and build relationships to achieve results. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Detailed oriented, organized, and able to complete activities and programs timely.
• Computer savvy, including but not limited to: Oracle, Maximo, and Microsoft Office.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education and Certifications: Bachelor’s degree in supply chain or related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education, experience, and certifications may be considered in lieu of degree.

Experience: Minimum five (5) years of purchasing experience, preferably within the LNG or Oil and Gas industry. Applicable experience includes: 

• Inventory and material planning knowledge.
• Strategic sourcing, competitive bidding, bid evaluations and award recommendations. 
• Supplier performance management and contract administration.

DIRECT REPORTS

No direct reports.

FREEDOM TO ACT

Ability to multi-task and function in a highly dynamic atmosphere; must exercise discretion independently. 

WORK CONDITIONS

• Job is performed in a typical office environment, but is subject to time pressures and constraints, and is often dependent on input from others.  
• Occasionally, work may be performed from home, after normal work hours or on weekends. 
• Periodically travel as business requires.
• Subject to drug and alcohol testing, per applicable federal regulations or as required by Cheniere.  
• Physical Area: Our Houston office is located in the heart of downtown and we offer free parking or a metro ticket to get here. With all corporate teams at the same location, there’s always a buzz around the office. You’ll have dedicated desk space and plenty of human interaction. 
• Facilities and hardware: Our offices are modern, bright and designed to foster collaboration. You’ll have access to great IT equipment and support and can readily access the downtown tunnels, restaurants and gyms. Frequent travel to our operations facilities (LNG Terminals, Pipeline and others) will be required.  
• Working conditions: Cheniere is committed to improving the wellbeing of our employees and while you may on occasion need to work outside usual working hours, we aspire to provide a good work life balance for all. This position will require travel to our facilities located in Corpus Christi, Texas and Sabine Pass, Louisiana in a regular basis.
• Cheniere culture: So what’s the culture like at Cheniere? It’s our values — teamwork, respect, accountability, integrity, nimbleness and safety — at work. We’re happy when we hear employees say we have a great culture. But we’re not satisfied with building a great culture, we’re endeavoring to build the best culture. 

ADA JOB REQUIREMENTS

Reasonable accommodation will be made to ensure that the essential functions of the job can be performed and not hinder the employee's performance due to physical, mental, or emotional disability.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cheniere Energy is an equal opportunity workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected categories. This includes providing reasonable accommodation if requested for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.