Advanced Purchasing Specialist

Flint Hills Resources; Lisle, Naperville (IL, IL); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Koch Companies seeks an Advanced Purchasing Specialist to lead sourcing activities for new product introductions, partnering with engineering and product management to ensure seamless launches. This role supports multiple programs across global regions and requires strong negotiation skills and supplier relationship management.

You will work in Lisle or Naperville, IL, with a five-day workweek and one remote day per week, joining a high-visibility team focused on value creation and margin

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, or advanced purchasing.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or supply chain management or equivalent.
• Experience with SAP or similar procurement systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic sourcing for new product introductions and create sourcing roadmaps.
• Collaborate with engineering, project & product management to drive value and on-time launches.
• Negotiate pricing, tooling investments, and contracts to ensure cost competitiveness.
• Manage prototype sourcing and track procurement milestones for launches.
• Identify, evaluate and develop new suppliers for emerging programs.

Skills

Sourcing experience

Procurement experience

Advanced purchasing

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or supply chain management

Tools

SAP

Job description

As an Advanced Purchasing Specialist supporting New Product Development (NPD), you will play a critical role in bringing innovative products to life. You’ll partner closely with engineering, procurement, and category management teams in Lisle and across global regions to develop sourcing strategies that ensure flawless product launches.

This is a high-impact, high-visibility individual contributor role supporting multiple product lines, commodities, and global programs simultaneously. Success in this role requires agility, strong organization, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple BOM revisions and shifting priorities.

If you enjoy influencing design decisions, building global supplier partnerships, and driving cost competitiveness from concept to launch, this is the opportunity for you.

Location:This role can be filled in either Lisle, IL or Naperville, IL and follows a five-day workweek, with one remote day per week in accordance with company policy.

Our Team

You will join the CCS team, a highly collaborative group that partners across North America and Europe to support product innovation and operational excellence.

What makes this role exciting:

• Exposure to global sourcing strategies and international supplier networks
• Direct involvement in new product launches
• Opportunity to influence margin improvement and value creation
• Growth aligned with advancements in AI and emerging technologies
• Career development within a rapidly expanding global organization

What You Will Do

Strategic Sourcing Leadership

• Lead sourcing activities for new product introductions, creating sourcing roadmaps aligned with product lifecycles
• Partner with Category Management, Engineering, Project & Product Management and other key stake holders to execute strategies that drive value and ensure seamless product launches

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with engineering, project & product management, and manufacturing teams
• Influence design decisions to optimize supplier capabilities, cost, and manufacturability
• Identify, evaluate, and develop new suppliers for emerging programs
• Manage and strengthen existing supplier relationships to ensure quality, delivery, and cost performance

Cost Management & Negotiation

• Negotiate pricing, tooling investments, and contracts to ensure total cost competitiveness
• Conduct detailed cost breakdown analyses and Total Landed Cost evaluations
• Drive margin improvement through leverage creation and implementation of VA/VE initiatives
• Identify supply chain risks related to materials, processes, and supplier capacity
• Develop mitigation strategies before product transition to manufacturing

Project Execution

• Manage prototype sourcing and track procurement milestones to support on-time launches
• Navigate multiple BOM revisions and shifting program priorities with precision and organization
• Develop your capabilities in alignment with PBM principles
• Contribute to a culture of innovation, value creation, and operational excellence

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• 2+ years of experience in sourcing, procurement, or advanced purchasing
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or supply chain management or equivalent
• Foundational understanding of purchasing principles with the ability to work across various commodities
• Experience working in fast-paced, multi-program environments
• Experience with SAP or similar procurement systems
• Potential travel up to 10%

What Will Put You Ahead

• Experience sourcing industrial, metal, mechanical, injection molded, or related commodities
• Experience working with commodities related to injection molding, stamping, machining, electronics, PCB, films, adhesives, foams and converting.
• Background supporting automotive, consumer, commercial, or industrial product environments
• Strong expertise in supplier negotiations focused on BOM cost optimization and margin improvement
• Experience performing cost breakdown and total landed cost analysis
• Exceptional communication, influence, and persuasion skills
• Ability to manage multiple commodities and programs simultaneously with strong organizational discipline

For this role, we anticipate paying $80,000 - $100,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Who We Are

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here , aquí , or tu ).