Senior Buyer Direct

The Senior Direct Buyer is responsible to execute day to day sourcing activity with the goal to meet or exceed the expectations of the organization, sourcing at best overall value considering price, quality, sustainability, and delivery.

Main Responsibilities:

• Oversee all Program Procurement activities and execute decisions in line with customer demands and commodity strategies.


• Manage the Suppliers within the assigned programs throughout program life (Request for Quotes RFQ, change management, contract negotiations, payment queries, dispute resolutions etc.).


• Perform cost analysis on goods purchased through competitive bidding, and/or cost breakdown analysis.


• Purchase goods, materials, and services that meet or exceed the cost, quality, and delivery targets.


• Utilize strategic sourcing practices to select best value suppliers, and execute sourcing as specified by internal processes.


• Prepare purchase orders in line with final negotiations with selected suppliers and in line with program targets and requirements.


• Communicate and support to mitigate escalated supply problems which may impact our business operations.


• Comply with internal systems such as YF IOS, PMP, etc. to meet audit requirements.

Additional Responsibilities

• Support of Make or Buy decisions. 


• Actively seek and implement opportunities for cost reductions, quality improvements, and speed of delivery with suppliers for the overall benefit of the company and our customers.


• Lead discussions with suppliers on changes to product, processes or cost that will affect the agreement or relationship.


• Identify risks in the supply chain, and drive solutions to mitigate risks.


• Support as an interface between suppliers and other departments at Yanfeng.


• Enforce the supplier’s compliance with the contracts.


• Travel to suppliers and internal plants up to 25% of the time.

Education: Bachelor's Degree 

Area of Study:  Supply Chain Management or equivalent.

*Equivalent work experience may also be considered for certain positions.

Required Qualifications: 5+ Minimum Years of Experience within the automotive industry or commodity / operational / strategic related procurement experience.  

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of purchasing systems and procedures.


• Experience in interior flexible materials procurement a plus.


• Practice good communication, negotiation, interpersonal, and influencing skills.


• Planning, negotiations, and contract management experience.


• Practice technical knowledge of Purchasing and ERP systems.


• Able to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks.


• Able to work well under pressure and handle emergency and stressful situations well.


• Manage and maintain required documentation.


• Practice good project management skills.

Essential Common Requirements for all Employees:

• Quality System: Understand, apply and meet all function-related Quality requirements.


• Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS): Understand, apply and meet all function-related EHS requirements.


• Product Safety: Understand, apply and meet all function-related Product Safety requirements.


• Compliance: Understand, apply and meet all function-related Compliance requirements


• Information Security: Understand, apply and meet all function-related IT / Information Security and confidentiality of YFAI information requirements.


• Must comply with all company policies and procedures. 


• Employee must have the ability to work additional hours and / or overtime as needed or assigned to complete job duties on time.


• Ability to multitask, interact politely and professionally with customers, suppliers and vendors, and work cooperatively with employees at all levels.