Director of Purchasing

Voith Paper; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

401K with generous company match

Job summary

Voith Paper in Appleton, WI is seeking a Director of Purchasing to lead regional procurement across North America. You will drive cost savings, improve on-time delivery, and supplier quality while aligning with corporate governance and strategy.

You will manage a NA procurement team, negotiate major contracts, implement regional SCM programs, and partner with sales, operations, and product teams to meet customer needs. On-site role with travel expectations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with technical or business major required.
• Strong coaching, developing, mentoring and leadership skills required.
• Strategic mindset and ability to develop differentiated strategic plans and approaches.
• Must have customer centricity orientation and strong communication skills.
• Familiar with MRP/ERP systems and data analytics programs, including SAP and Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Champion safety in everything we do.
• Develop and implement a regional Voith Paper procurement strategy in alignment with the overall group strategy to ensure the cost effective, timely, and high‑quality sourcing of products and services.
• Oversee the NA procurement team to ensure all employees are focused on supporting strategy and measured on fulfilling key KPIs with a special emphasis on safety, cost competitiveness, OTD, supplier quality and productivity.
• Manage and lead tough purchasing negotiations (e.g. frame agreements, major purchasing order releases, quality and back charge negotiations, etc.).
• Implement an effective regional Supply Chain Management program in cooperation with the NA Logistics Global Business Services (GBS) group.
• Drive alignment of procurement activities within NA and across Voith group divisions to ensure consistency in sourcing strategies and information sharing.
• Lead and mentor procurement team members to collectively lift team and individual personal performance.
• Promotes a work culture which is aligned with Voith values including ownership (100% responsibility), teamwork, respect and customer centricity. Transform procurement into a proactive organization committed to continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with People & Culture policies and promote an engaging work environment.
• Work regularly with other stakeholders including sales, applications, operations, product and project management to fully understand the end customer’s needs (quality, delivery, etc.) to consistently achieve desired business results.
• Lead major transformation initiatives, including automation, digitalization, and process redesign.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Coaching & leadership

Strategic planning

Customer focus & communication

SAP & Power BI

MRP/ERP systems

Paper industry experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical or business field

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Job description

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 20,700 employees, sales of 4.8 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

Voith Paper is hiring for:

Director of Purchasing

Appleton, WI

You can learn about Voith through our video "Voith careers" on YouTube.

Reasons you'll love working here:

• Flexibility with Work/Life Balance
• Competitive Compensation and Benefits Package
• 401K with generous company match

Summary

The Director of Purchasing is responsible for leading the strategic and operational execution of procurement across North America (NA). Key performance indicators (KPIs) include cost savings, on-time delivery (OTD), supplier quality, and productivity improvements.

This role drives overall supply chain performance, supports profitable business growth, and ensures adherence to corporate policies and governance standards while building and maintaining strong supplier partnerships.

As a member of the North American leadership team, the Director of Purchasing collaborates cross‑functionally to translate strategic priorities into actionable plans, enabling sustainable growth and the achievement of long‑term business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Champion safety in everything we do.
• Develop and implement a regional Voith Paper procurement strategy in alignment with the overall group strategy to ensure the cost effective, timely, and high‑quality sourcing of products and services.
• Oversee the NA procurement team to ensure all employees are focused on supporting strategy and measured on fulfilling key KPIs with a special emphasis on safety, cost competitiveness, OTD, supplier quality and productivity.
• Manage and lead tough purchasing negotiations (e.g. frame agreements, major purchasing order releases, quality and back charge negotiations, etc.).
• Implement an effective regional Supply Chain Management program in cooperation with the NA Logistics Global Business Services (GBS) group.
• Drive alignment of procurement activities within NA and across Voith group divisions to ensure consistency in sourcing strategies and information sharing.
• Lead and mentor procurement team members to collectively lift team and individual personal performance.
• Promotes a work culture which is aligned with Voith values including ownership (100% responsibility), teamwork, respect and customer centricity. Transform procurement into a proactive organization committed to continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with People & Culture policies and promote an engaging work environment.
• Work regularly with other stakeholders including sales, applications, operations, product and project management to fully understand the end customer’s needs (quality, delivery, etc.) to consistently achieve desired business results.
• Lead major transformation initiatives, including automation, digitalization, and process redesign.

Requirements

• Proven experience in procurement, including a leadership role. Pulp and paper experience a plus.
• Bachelor's degree with technical or business major required.
• Strong coaching, developing, mentoring and leadership skills required. Ability to align a team on common goals and deliver results.
• Strategic mindset and the ability to develop differentiated strategic plans and approaches. Ability to execute strategic plans and deliver strong financial results.
• Must have customer centricity orientation and strong communication skills.
• Action oriented with a strong attention to detail.
• Familiar with MRP/ERP systems and data analytics programs, including SAP and Power BI. Capable of running queries to extract data and compile information for data‑driven business decisions.

Physical Demands

• The employee will need to stand, walk and sit frequently throughout the day. The employee will also occasionally be required to reach with hands and arms, lift, stop or crouch.
• Must be able to work full‑time on‑site at our Appleton, WI facility.
• The job requires occasional domestic and international travel.

* This job description is not all encompassing, however, is intended to be a general description of the responsibilities of this position.

Voith US Inc. is an EEO/AA/VEVRAA compliant Federal Contractor and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in the industry including people of color, LGBTQI+ community, women, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), Veterans, people of any age or family status. We embrace the competitive advantage that diversity brings and we strive to create a working environment that is inclusive of thought and talent.