Strategic Buyer - Electronics - Basel, CH

1st Executive Ltd; Basel; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

1st Executive Ltd in Basel is seeking a Senior Strategic Buyer / Category Manager – Electronics to lead a global electronics sourcing portfolio. You will influence category strategies, negotiate with suppliers and drive partnerships across international teams, ensuring cost, quality and continuity.

The role offers autonomy, exposure to a developing global procurement function and the opportunity to shape strategic supplier relationships within a financially strong industrial technology group.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement or category management.
• Strong electronics commodity expertise across semiconductors, microcontrollers, passive components, PCBs, PCBAs.
• Experience developing or implementing category strategies and managing international supplier portfolios.
• Proven negotiation and supplier management capabilities.
• Experience within industrial manufacturing, electronics, automotive, automation, instrumentation or high-tech environments.
• Fluent English; German is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel internationally, approximately 10%.

Responsibilities

• Implement and support strategic sourcing and category strategies across electronic components, working closely with global category management teams.
• Manage a significant portfolio of electronics suppliers, ensuring cost competitiveness, quality, delivery performance and supply continuity.
• Lead supplier identification, qualification, selection, negotiations and contract management.
• Develop long-term strategic supplier partnerships and drive supplier performance improvements.
• Identify supply chain risks, including component shortages, allocation constraints, extended lead times and obsolescence.
• Drive cost optimisation, supplier consolidation, dual sourcing and supply chain improvement initiatives.
• Conduct market intelligence, spend analysis and supplier benchmarking to identify opportunities and mitigate risk.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, logistics and procurement stakeholders internationally.
• Support procurement transformation, process improvements and digitalisation initiatives.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Category management

Electronics expertise

Negotiation

Supplier mgmt

Analytical skills

Stakeholder mgmt

Fluent English

Travel willingness

Job description

Strategic Buyer - Electronics - Basel, CH

Senior Strategic Buyer / Category Manager - Electronics

Location: Basel Area, Switzerland
Industry: Industrial Technology / Advanced Manufacturing / Process Automation
Employment: Permanent

The Opportunity

We are partnering with a leading global industrial technology organisation to recruit an experienced Senior Strategic Buyer / Category Manager - Electronics to join its international procurement team in Switzerland.

Our client is a highly successful, financially strong Global manufacturing business recognised for its technological innovation, engineering excellence and long-term investment in advanced manufacturing.

As the organisation continues its procurement transformation, this is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of a significant electronics sourcing portfolio, with approximately CHF 25 million in annual spend, and play an influential role in strengthening global sourcing strategies, supplier partnerships and supply chain resilience.

The position offers significant autonomy, international exposure and the opportunity to contribute to a developing global procurement function.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and support strategic sourcing and category strategies across electronic components, working closely with global category management teams.
• Manage a significant portfolio of electronics suppliers, ensuring cost competitiveness, quality, delivery performance and supply continuity.
• Lead supplier identification, qualification, selection, negotiations and contract management.
• Develop long-term strategic supplier partnerships and drive supplier performance improvements.
• Identify supply chain risks, including component shortages, allocation constraints, extended lead times and obsolescence.
• Drive cost optimisation, supplier consolidation, dual sourcing and supply chain improvement initiatives.
• Conduct market intelligence, spend analysis and supplier benchmarking to identify opportunities and mitigate risk.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, logistics and procurement stakeholders internationally.
• Support procurement transformation, process improvements and digitalisation initiatives.

Candidate Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement or category management, ideally within electronics or technical manufacturing.
• Strong electronics commodity expertise, particularly across semiconductors, microcontrollers, passive components, PCBs, PCBAs and related technologies.
• Demonstrable experience developing or implementing category strategies and managing international supplier portfolios.
• Strong commercial negotiation, supplier relationship management and contract management capabilities.
• Proven ability to manage supplier quality, lead times, delivery performance and supply chain continuity.
• Experience within industrial manufacturing, electronics, automotive, automation, instrumentation or high-tech environments.
• Strong analytical, commercial and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent English; German is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel internationally, approximately 10%.

What's on Offer:

• Opportunity to join a globally established, innovative and financially stable organisation.
• A key role within an exciting international procurement transformation.
• Significant responsibility for strategic supplier relationships and electronics sourcing.
• International exposure and collaboration with global procurement and engineering teams.
• Flexible working arrangements and a supportive, collaborative working culture.