Junior Buyer

Role: Junior Buyer

Are you the kind of person who is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious? Are you always solving? Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Junior Buyer to join our Global Indirect Procurement team, with the work location in Hyderabad in India. This is a significant role within the Company and the procurement function. This position will report to the Procurement Manager, Indirect Global Procurement.

Work hours: 2 PM to 11 PM IST with flexibility

Location: Hyderabad

Work Type: Hybrid

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Support Indirect Procurement activities for Corporate Services Category (IT, R&D and others as needed) & MRO in accordance with Ashland Global Procurement Policy. 
• Serve as a point of contact between Indirect Global Procurement, local site teams, suppliers, and contractors for day‑to‑day purchasing needs.
• Assist the Procurement Manager with the execution of contracts, order placement, expediting, and issue resolution. 
• Perform tactical procurement activities, including purchase requisition review, PO creation, and order follow‑up. 
• Support RFP / RFQ / RFI preparation, bid collection, and basic bid analysis based on defined specifications and requirements. 
• Help identify cost savings, efficiency improvements, and process enhancements, escalating opportunities to senior team members. 
• Assist with managing operational supply challenges under the direction of the Procurement Manager. 
• Collaborate as a team member within the Global Indirect procurement team to support corporate and functional objectives. 
• Support supplier communication related to pricing, lead times, documentation, and compliance requirements. 
• Extract and maintain basic spend, pricing, and supplier data from ERP and S2P tools (e.g., SAP, Coupa, QlikView). 
• Support compliance with corporate procurement policies, regulatory requirements, and internal controls. 
• Adhere to Ashland’s Zero Incident Culture and Responsible Care Guidelines in all procurement activities. 

To be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field required; an Engineering degree is a plus
• 3–5 years of experience in indirect procurement or a related function
• Prior experience in the Chemical or Pharmaceutical industry, or within a large multinational/Fortune 500 environment, is preferred
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and support decision-making
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams, present information clearly, and operate with a sense of urgency in a fast-paced environment

The following skill sets are preferred:

• Experience working in global, cross-functional teams within a highly matrixed organization
• Understanding of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and other supplier evaluation methodologies
• Familiarity with Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) principles and tools within a global supply base
• Basic knowledge of contracting processes and procurement practices in an international business environment
• Good knowledge of SAP and other tools such as Coupa, Ariba, or equivalent ERP systems