Commodity Buyer

Knorr-Bremse; Grain Valley (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Holidays

Parental leave

Stock purchase program

Job summary

KB Signaling in Grain Valley, MO seeks a Commodity Leader to develop global sourcing strategies across assigned categories and optimize total cost of ownership. You will own end-to-end sourcing, engage with engineering, operations, quality, and finance, and drive supplier performance and risk mitigation.

You will lead governance routines, negotiate contracts, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure supply continuity and value creation, while delivering sustainable cost savings and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 5+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, or commodity management.
• Proven ability to negotiate complex contracts and deliver measurable cost savings.
• Experience in bid evaluations, cost analysis (TCO), and supplier assessments.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement global commodity strategies aligned with business goals, product roadmaps, and demand forecasts.
• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, including RFx processes, supplier selection, and contract execution.
• Apply total cost of ownership (TCO) models to inform sourcing decisions and optimize value.
• Own strategic supplier relationships and drive performance across cost, quality, delivery, and innovation.
• Establish supplier governance through QBRs and executive escalations; monitor supplier performance.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Negotiation & influence

Analytical capability

Cross-functional leadership

Risk management

Communication

Results orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Summary

The Commodity Leader is responsible for developing and executing global commodity strategies that align with business objectives, optimize total cost of ownership, and ensure supply continuity across assigned categories. This role owns the end-to-end sourcing lifecycle, including market analysis, supplier selection, contract negotiation, performance management, and risk mitigation.

As a strategic partner to engineering, operations, quality, and finance, the Commodity Leader translates business requirements into competitive sourcing strategies that drive measurable value. The role plays a critical part in shaping supply base capabilities, enabling supplier-driven innovation, and improving overall supply chain resilience.

The Commodity Leader is accountable for delivering sustainable cost savings, improving working capital, mitigating supply risk, and ensuring supplier performance aligns with operational and financial targets. This position also leads governance routines, including quarterly business reviews and executive-level reporting, to ensure transparency and alignment with organizational priorities.

Reporting Line

Head of Procurement

Key Responsibilities

• Commodity Strategy & Execution
  • Develop and implement global commodity strategies aligned with business goals, product roadmaps, and demand forecasts
  • Conduct market intelligence analysis, including pricing trends, capacity constraints, and supplier landscape benchmarking
  • Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, including RFx processes, supplier selection, and contract execution
  • Apply total cost of ownership (TCO) models and should-cost analysis to inform sourcing decisions
• Own strategic supplier relationships, driving performance across cost, quality, delivery, and innovation
• Establish and lead supplier governance frameworks, including quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and executive escalations
• Define and track supplier `s, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement
• Develop supplier segmentation strategies and cultivate preferred/strategic supplier partnerships
• Cost Optimization & Value Creation
  • Deliver measurable cost savings through negotiations, cost breakdown analysis, and value engineering initiatives
  • Identify and drive cost reduction opportunities through design-to-cost and specification optimization
  • Improve working capital through payment term optimization, inventory reduction, and supply chain efficiencies
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with engineering to influence design decisions and align sourcing strategies with product development new product introduction (NPI)
  • Collaborate with operations, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure material availability and operational continuity
  • Lead cross-functional sourcing projects and influence stakeholders to align with strategic sourcing outcomes
• Risk Management & Supply Continuity
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks, including single/sole source dependencies and geopolitical exposure
  • Develop and execute risk mitigation strategies, including dual sourcing and supplier diversification
  • Lead crisis response efforts related to supplier disruptions, ensuring minimal impact to operations
• Supplier Innovation & Capability Development
  • Drive supplier-enabled innovation aligned with business and product strategies
  • Identify and onboard suppliers with advanced capabilities to support growth and competitive differentiation
  • Continuously evaluate and optimize the supply base to improve performance and resilience

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, or commodity management
• Demonstrated experience managing commodities such as raw materials, components, or indirect categories
• Proven track record of negotiating complex contracts and delivering measurable cost savings
• Experience conducting bid evaluations, cost analysis (TCO), and supplier assessments
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required, up to 25% of the year to support business objectives.

Other Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop long-term sourcing strategies aligned with business objectives
• Negotiation & Influence: Strong commercial acumen and ability to drive outcomes in complex negotiations
• Analytical Capability: Proficient in cost modeling, data analysis, and market intelligence interpretation
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to influence stakeholders across engineering, operations, and finance
• Risk Management: Skilled in identifying and mitigating supply chain risks
• Communication: Effective executive-level communication and presentation skills
• Results Orientation: Driven to deliver measurable impact across cost, performance, and innovation

Please note: At this time, we are not able to offer immigration sponsorship for new hires. All applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for current or future employment-based visa sponsorship.

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in Grain Valley, MO is $89,900 to $134,900 per year. The final pay offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and years of experience within the job, the type of years and experience within the industry and education. KB Signaling is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect positions that work in other states or locations. Provided they meet all eligibility requirements under the applicable plan documents, employees (and their eligible dependents) will be eligible to enroll in group healthcare plans that offer medical, dental, vision, and basic life and disability insurance. Employees also will be able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan. Employees will also receive 120 hours of vacation leave and 40 hours of Personal Paid Absence every year. Employees will also enjoy 12 paid holidays, and 1 floating holiday throughout the calendar year, subject to relevant terms outlined in the employee handbook. 6 weeks of paid parental leave will also be available for use. Requirements for these benefits will be controlled by applicable plan documents and policies. Employees working on federal contracts covered by the Federal Paid Sick Leave requirements will be notified and will receive benefits consistent and compliant with the FPSL requirements. Hired applicant will be able to purchase company stock, subject to the relevant plan documents and annual bonuses based on achievement of certain metrics of up to 4% of annual salary. This is intended to provide a general description of benefits and other compensation and is not a substitute for applicable plan documents or company policies. Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis

What does KB Signaling have to offer you?

• Competitive Health Benefits, including Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision and Virtual visits
• Company-paid Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• Company-paid Short-Term Disability Coverage
• Voluntary life, Disability, and other Supplemental coverages
• Identity Theft and Legal Protection benefits
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• Generous 401(k) plan
• Personal Paid Time Off
• Company-paid holidays

KB Signaling Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.