Category Buyer

Purpose

As a Category Buyer, you will take ownership for a defined group of commodities within upholstery and soft trim, being a focal point for the business and providing commodity management expertise.

You'll manage supplier relationships, issue RFQ s and tenders, negotiate contracts, drive cost reduction initiatives, improve supplier performance and control delivery of goods / materials to ensure smooth manufacturing operations, in a thriving NPI production environment. In addition, you will contribute to creation of commodity sourcing strategies aligned with market trends and business goals.

Key Responsibilities

- Build and manage supplier relationships, driving performance, quality and on-time delivery to Operations and other internal departmental needs and requirements

- Serve as the focal point for Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) activities with suppliers

- Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, resolving technical, quality and delivery issues in collaboration with internal stakeholders

- Lead end-to-end sourcing activity, including RFIs, RFQs, supplier evaluation and contract award

- Negotiate pricing, lead times and commercial terms / LTA s to achieve cost savings

- Drive sustainable and ethical sourcing practices across the supply-chain

- Develop, create and deliver Procurement strategies for the commodities and critical suppliers, securing a global supply base that meets the business cost, reliability and performance targets

- Contribute to the overall Procurement make vs buy strategy, identifying opportunities and synergies both within the supply chain and current make portfolio

- Provide recommendations based on analysis, research, trends, benchmarking and best practice

- Leverage project / change management skills to manage outsourcing / re-sourcing projects

Key Performance Measures

- On-time ordering (Purchasing placement) to the MRP demand signal

- Supplier delivery (OTIF) and quality (defect rate) performance

- Creation and execution of commodity specific sourcing strategies

- Spend control (vs budget) and attainment of annual cost reduction targets

Key Challenges

• An appropriate balance of Purchasing (transactional) vs Procurement (strategic)
• Operating in an NPI business environment, meaning;
  • Heavily reliance on master data, planning, engineering and design collaboration
• A high reliance on an agile yet robust supply-chain, to support variability in manufacturing processes and component design

Knowledge, Education, Skills and Experience

Knowledge:

• Category Supply Market knowledge, as detailed below;
  • Upholstery Commodity (Interior décor for Aerospace cabin systems)
    • Upholstery, fabrics, leathers, thread, and webbing materials
    • Critical features include appearance, comfort and durability
    • Driven by functional needs and aesthetic design
    • A diverse commodity driven by consumer personalisation, expanded even more through eco-friendly (renewable / recycled) and high performance requirement

Education

• CIPS qualification / Advanced Practitioner or equivalent is preferred

Skills and competencies required

• Adept at maintaining business relationships with internal and external stakeholders, even in geographically dispersed teams
• Able to proactively identify and evaluate issues, and problem solve with creative and innovative thinking, in complex / ambiguous situations and with incomplete data
• The ability to influence decision making at all levels, and across all functions
• Skilled negotiator with both external and internal stakeholders
• Collaborative team player able to work across businesses and geographies
• Strong initiative and commitment to accomplishing work and achieving results / deadlines
• Demonstrates exceptional customer service to both internal and external customers
• Offers new ideas and creative suggestions for continuous improvement
• Ability to interpret technical manufacturing drawings and part templates
• Actively participates in professional development and training opportunities
• Leader or influencer of change (processes, projects, procedures)
• Professional-level communication required (verbal, written, listening)
• Intermediate to advanced technology skills (ERP, Power
  
  BI, Microsoft Office)
• High degree of integrity as data confidentiality is paramount to this position
• Ability to create, analyse, interpret, summarise and effectively communicate complex information

Professional experience

- Demonstrated experience in commodity procurement (>3 years) Upholstery and Soft Trim commodities strongly preferred

- Demonstrated experience of Procuring for an NPI production environment is preferred

- Demonstrated Procurement experience (>5 years) in a manufacturing environment Aerospace or highly regulated industry is preferred

- Demonstrated development and execution of structured commodity strategies, including negotiating pricing agreements and creation of contracts

- Sound understanding of end-to-end supply-chain planning and MRP systems

Key Relationships & Interaction (Optional)

Internal Relationships & Interactions:

Confident working with all key…