MRO Buyer

OPmobility; Greer (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

OPMobility in the United States (Greer, South Carolina) seeks an experienced MRO buyer to manage supplier relationships, RFQ processes, and cost reductions across plant procurement. You will lead ordering, contract adherence, and supplier performance under POAE governance.

The role requires strong purchasing expertise, market insight, and coordination with cross-functional teams to optimize costs and ensure timely deliveries.

Qualifications

• Technical or business background with specialty in purchasing.
• 3 years of experience in a purchasing department in an industrial & international environment.
• Knowledge of the markets (local, regional, global).
• Purchasing process knowledge: Sourcing process and Order to pay.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify market opportunities to satisfy the plants needs.
• Manage the supply base to answer plant needs considering all performance criteria.
• Elaborate and implement cost reduction programs and benchmark costs.
• Manage various commodities with understanding of drivers and processes.
• Lead RFQ processes and recommend awards respecting quality, cost and delivery.

Skills

Purchasing background

Industrial purchasing

Market knowledge

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Multi-tasking

Problem solving

Customer orientation

Job description

Responsibilities

Supports the operations, bringing value through the suppliers (cost, on time delivery, quality) and contributing to the plant performance through the supplied products and services.

• Identifies the market opportunities (economical, technological and geographical) to satisfy the plants needs
• Manages the supply base to answer proactively to the plant needs taking all criteria of performance into account
• Elaborates and implements the cost reduction programs (productivities through price reduction, cost optimizations). Benchmark the costs with the other plants POAE.
• Manages the various commodities with a good understanding of the drivers and technical processes
• Is responsible for the RFQ process and recommend the business awards in front of the sourcing committee in observation of the deontology rules and in the respect of the objectives set in terms of quality, cost and delivery.
• Is in charge of the "order to pay" process: manage the process respecting the spend authorization rules. Track the conditions of application of the contracts up to the final payment of the supplier
• Manages if any the crisis with the suppliers.
• Manages the activities in line with the POAE governance rules, purchasing policy and in the respect of the processes in place.
• Is the owner of the plant supply base: is accountable for the local supply base and evaluate it through a vendor rating process once a year.
• Is responsible for the risk management with the support of the Finance department (financial health of suppliers, penetration rate, …)
• Compares the MRO costs and purchasing conditions with the ones of the other POAE plants – Benchmark the data and identify opportunities of improvement
• Contributes to the plants synergies, developing the conditions with the other buyers to leverage the volumes and optimize the costs
• Manages the supply base relationships according to PO purchasing policy. Solve the issues with the suppliers
• Follows and reports the MRO performance through the standard KPIs. Commit on savings. Reports monthly and declare the savings achieved in the respect of the processes and rules in place.
• Leads the negotiation with the suppliers: Ensures a fair competition between suppliers. Makes sure 3 competitors at least compete to provide best technical solution and lowest landed cost.
• Manages the Purchasing requests flow and launch the RFQ process for the plant.
• Prepares the sourcing recommendations and present them in sourcing.
• After sourcing approval, manages the ordering process in the respect of the law, in line with the legal constraints and obligations and PO policy.
• Manages the plant contracts and implement, for the plant, the global contracts managed by the lead buyer.
• Optimizes the order to pay process, proposing solutions for recurrent purchases.
• Manages the order to pay process, tracking the supplier activities to be managed up to full achievement and payment of the supplier
• Promotes the technical savings proposed by the suppliers
• Takes part and lead the internal working groups for technical savings identification or problem solving.

Lead buying Activities

The MRO buyer can take responsibilities in some lead buying activities. As such, in addition of his MRO buyer assignment, the buyer may be responsible to conduct the following activities :

• Defines the purchasing strategies for the scope of commodities, identifying the market opportunities and key drivers
• Coordinates the other MRO buyers network for the scope of commodities
• Builds up the data bases for the scope of commodities
• Defines the supply base for the commodities. Manage the relationships with the players
• Drives the RFQ and propose the sourcing choices to the various plant representatives and Purchasing management
• Delivers and commit on the savings for the scope of work
• Negotiates contracts reaching POAE objectives in terms of costs, quality, delivery, flexibility

Coordination Activities

The MRO buyer can take responsibilities in coordination activities. As such, in addition of his assignment, the buyer may coordinate some management activities :

• Drives the coordination with the buyers to provide good feedback on the activity, deploy the business knowledge and provide a forum for discussion and exchanges, fostering a trust climate conducting to best practices, performance and achievement and motivation.
• Supports and drive the team members in line with the objectives
• Assesses the team members in terms of skills and performance
• Participates to the recruitment process and yearly assessment
• Manages the activities in line with the POAE governance rules, purchasing policy and in the respect of the processes in place. Is responsible for the good use of POAE information system tool.
• Consolidates the performance and report the team activity and achievements to the Plant Director and the BU/Operations MRO manager.

• This role operates under TISAX confidentiality level [Level 1], requiring appropriate handling of sensitive information

Desired Profile

• Technical or business background with specialty in purchasing
• Previous experience 3 years in a purchasing department in an industrial & international environment
• Previous experience in industrial indirect purchasing is a + (Scope Maintenance, Repair, industrial consumables and services, CAPEX and lost packaging)
• Knowledge of the markets (local, regional, global)
• Purchasing process knowledge :
  • Sourcing process
  • Order to pay process
• Key behavioural competencies (on top of PO Group competencies)
• Other requirements
• Technical negotiations
• Good ability for communication (verbal, written)
• Customer and result oriented
• Multi task abilities & strong reactivity to new events