Merchandise Buyer Assistant, Sr. jobs in Gastonia, NC

Where you will work:

What you will do:

Leadership

• Responsible for helping drive improvement in safety performance and supporting a culture of EHS excellence.
• Develop training plans for procurement team direct reports and all other necessary site personnel to ensure all people that have a responsibility within the procurement lifecycle understand and follow the Procurement Policies and Procedures
• Hold periodic training sessions to help further the skills and education of the procurement team.
• Attend seminars, classes, or virtual training sessions to further skills and be able to impart those learnings onto the rest of the procurement team.
• Develop individual training plans for each member of the site procurement staff to better grow skills in areas that are identified as needing further development.

Sourcing

• Should engage and own the procurement process supporting reliable manufacturing for the most difficult, highest risk, and highest spend site agreements.
• Perform pre-bid qualifications on all new contractors and vendors (as deemed necessary due to risk factors) prior to inviting them into the RFP process: ISNetworld, Financial, Legal
• Pull RFP package together and follow RFP flow diagram and guidelines to conduct the bidding process.
• Negotiate the contract/agreement, best TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), and best possible value for the necessary services or equipment as required in the RFP.
• Load and manage all documents into the appropriate repository.
• Review RFP packages prior to release for bid from members of the site procurement staff as deemed necessary.
• Engage in and ensure all site procurement staff are following the RFP guidelines and Procurement Policies
• Develop site strategies that align with corporate initiatives towards category management and have the procurement staff implement the strategies.
• Actively engage in issuing PO’s, resolving invoice (EXL) issues timely, and accounting closing procedures where procurement has direct involvement.

Reporting

• Accountable for reporting the progress on any capital project: potential risks, big wins with negotiations, potential schedule issues, potential overruns, overall status of the project from a procurement perspective.
• Responsible for reporting any needs within a timely manner.
• Accountable for ensuring any dashboard information is up to date as required.
• Use WAVE process to track cost savings initiatives and enablers that are impactful to the business.

Success Measurements

• The Sr. Buyer will work with the Director of Indirect Procurement and Plant Manager to establish savings goals for categories including P&L savings, cost avoidance, negotiated savings, working capital, and additional value.
• Will be responsible for developing a trend line towards the savings targets and be able to report out how well the site procurement team is in achieving their yearly goals.
• Accountable for measuring policy compliance.
• Establishing yearly and quarterly goals towards deleveraging the overall inventory that matches with the overall goals as established by corporate.
• Be able to report out monthly results and variance towards targets.
• Be able to report out any needs, roadblocks, and opportunities associated with the Procurement Team.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Actively seeks and allocates appropriate decision-making authority or task responsibility to appropriate individuals based on their abilities, availability, motivation, and development needs; considers potential positive and negative impact, business unit priorities, organizational values, and the opportunity to enhance others’ knowledge and skills.
• Identifies barriers that impact customer service and retention; communicates concerns and recommendations to others.
• Uses understanding of customer needs and the organization’s customer service practices to set priorities, make decisions, and take actions that create customer satisfaction and prevent service issues from occurring.
• Creates relevant options for addressing problems and opportunities that will achieve desired outcomes.
• Systematically evaluates business opportunities, targeting those with the greatest potential for producing positive business results

What you will need:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Supply Chain & Logistics, Operations Management or related field or the equivalent combination of training and experience required, master’s degree is a plus.
• At least Five (5) years of procurement experience required.
• Three (3) years of people leadership experience preferred.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment a plus.
• Supply chain or Purchasing certification is a plus.
• Strong computer skills required including experience using Excel spreadsheets.
• Experience using JD Edwards software is a plus.
• Experience in contract management systems is preferred.
• Ability to work on non-routine purchases that require analysis to arrive at best decision.
• Must have strong professional communication, planning and organizational skills.
• Understanding of procurement procedures and legal contracts
• Occasional exposure to manufacturing machines and areas, shipping, and warehousing areas.
• Must wear required Personal Protective Equipment in the manufacturing environment.
• Some mental, visual, and physical fatigue from computer terminal use.
• Extended periods of sitting.
• Occasional travel required.