Strategic Buyer

Summary

The Strategic Buyer serves as a procurement lead for CAPEX projects, including indirect sourcing and managing equipment integrators, custom 1‑up assemblies, and specialized capital equipment used in manufacturing and operations. The Strategic Buyer has accountability for supplier performance, cost competitiveness, sourcing strategy, risk mitigation, and execution. This role independently leads sourcing projects, influences cross-functional decisions, and delivers measurable business value through cost reduction, supplier optimization, and supply continuity.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies, RFQs, bid analysis, supplier selection, and commercial negotiations.
• Lead procurement activities for capital equipment and CAPEX projects, including RFQs, SOW development, and commercial negotiations with equipment integrators and specialized OEMs.
• Provide concise project reporting, risk visibility, recommendations, and executive-level updates as required.
• Proactively identify process, supplier, and supply-chain gaps that may impact cost, schedule, quality, or continuity and drive corrective actions.
• Manage supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery, capacity, responsiveness, and overall business risk.
• Lead supplier onboarding activities, including capability assessments, onboarding documentation, compliance validation, and ensuring new suppliers meet quality, technical, and commercial requirements prior to production engagement.
• Lead supplier transitions, second-source qualification, capacity actions, and continuity/risk mitigation initiatives.
• Manage equipment integrators responsible for designing, assembling, and commissioning complex systems or production equipment.
•  Oversee procurement and tracking of custom 1‑up components, prototypes, and one-off engineered assemblies associated with capital projects.
•  Collaborate with Engineering and Facilities to ensure integrator-built equipment meets technical, safety, and operational requirements.
• Administer formal change-control processes with integrators to manage scope changes, cost impacts, and schedule risks.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Program teams to drive sourcing decisions and project execution.
• Develop fact-based recommendations using spend, cost, market, supplier, and total-cost-of-ownership analysis.
• Lead sourcing initiatives from opportunity identification through implementation and value realization.
• Maintain strong commercial and purchasing discipline, including PO accuracy, pricing, lead times, contractual compliance, and supplier commitments.
• Support FAT/SAT activities (Factory and Site Acceptance Testing), ensuring integrator compliance with contractual and technical requirements.
•  Maintain project documentation including BOMs, progress reports, milestones, risk registers, and supplier deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Finance, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Experience managing capital equipment procurement, equipment integrators, or custom-engineered hardware preferred.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, or commodity management experience, preferably within aerospace & defense or complex manufacturing.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead RFQs, supplier negotiations, sourcing decisions, supplier transitions, and complex sourcing initiatives.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost reduction, cost avoidance, working-capital improvement, or other procurement value.
• Strong understanding of commodity cost drivers, market dynamics, supplier capacity, total cost of ownership, and supply-chain risk.
• Demonstrated supplier performance management experience across cost, quality, delivery, capacity, and risk.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating pricing, payment terms, contractual terms, and supplier commitments.
• Strong ERP/MRP and P2P/S2P experience with demonstrated purchasing and data Ability to analyze spending, supplier, market, and cost data and translate findings into actionable sourcing strategies and executive-level recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with limited supervision and influence on Engineering, Quality, Operations, Finance, and Program stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Power BI, Tableau, Oracle Analytics, or similar analytical tools.
• Aerospace quality and regulatory knowledge, including AS9100 and NADCAP, preferred.
• Familiarity with FAT/SAT, SOW creation, and change-order management for integrator-led projects.

Desired Competencies

• Ability to manage complex CAPEX projects, including integrator coordination, custom build oversight, and milestone execution
• Strong understanding of engineered-to-order, prototype, and custom 1‑up procurement processes. 
• Program Management experience
• Familiarity with ERP system integrations including Oracle
• Previous familiarity with OEM machines, sensors, robotics, automation 
• Indirect Strategic sourcing and Commodity Management
• Strong negotiation and commercial judgment
•  Demonstrated cost-reduction and value-delivery capability
•  Supplier performance and risk management
•  Data-driven decision making
•  Cross-functional influence without direct authority
•  High ownership, urgency, and execution discipline
•  Ability to independently manage multiple complex priorities
•  Executive-level communication and business acumen

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