Procurement Manager

LANXESS; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Global bonus program

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

LANXESS, a leading specialty chemicals company, is seeking a Senior Procurement Professional in Pittsburgh with strong contract management, supplier relationships and strategic sourcing expertise. The role is hybrid, requiring on-site presence in the Pittsburgh office at least three days a week.

You will negotiate contracts, develop regional/global strategies, analyze market trends, and coordinate raw material sourcing with internal stakeholders to drive savings and uptime while ensuring

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or Engineering; MBA is preferred.
• 5+ years of strategic procurement and/or commercial contracting experience; MBA with 3 years is acceptable.
• Professional Certification (C.P.M., CPSM) is a plus.
• Previous chemical industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of chemical manufacturing processes and major market/price drivers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across LANXESS and supplier organizations.
• Ability to develop persuasive arguments in pricing/contract negotiations and influence internal stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of commercial contract law and its regulatory implications.
• Proven ability to organize diverse information, analyze disputes, and manage multiple projects with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical skills using PowerPoint and Excel; familiarity with LANXESS tools like SAP BW reports and databases.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate contracts and manage ongoing supplier relationships to ensure satisfactory performance.
• Develop and present strategies to regional and global Procurement leadership for alignment and implementation.
• Analyze market structure, trends, and regulatory developments impacting costs and competitiveness.
• Review input cost forecasts and communicate raw material issues to BU stakeholders to support uptime and profitability.
• Coordinate raw material orders with internal site planning and BU stakeholders.
• Conduct fair bid processes and implement new supplier programs to realize savings.
• Negotiate changes in contract scope and pricing with suppliers.
• Identify and qualify new raw material sources to maximize supply flexibility and reduce costs.
• Ensure compliance with supplier evaluations, sustainability initiatives, and cost-reduction reporting using LANXESS tools.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Contract negotiations

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or Engineering

MBA (preferred)

C.P.M., CPSM certification (optional)

Tools

SAP BW

Excel

PowerPoint

E-sourcing platform

SAP databases

Job description

Job Highlights

• Negotiate contracts and manage ongoing relationships with critical supply partners to promote and enforce satisfactory performance.
• Develop and present formal strategies to regional and global Procurement leadership to ensure corporate alignment and successful implementation.
• Analyze market structure, trends, technical developments and regulatory trends that impact competitiveness and/or affect availability and delivered cost of raw materials.
• Review and update input cost forecasts to support Business Unit (BU) budgeting, communicate key raw material issues with BU stakeholders to support uptime and profitability.
• Engage with internal site planning and business unit stakeholders to coordinate order placement of raw materials in accordance with established strategic directives.
• Conduct fair and effective bid processes; guide the implementation of new supplier programs as needed to ensure savings realization.
• Negotiate resolution of disputes, changes in contract scope and pricing with suppliers where applicable.
• Investigate, identify, and qualify new sources for raw materials with technical departments to maximize supply flexibility and lower costs.
• Ensure compliance of established departmental objectives with regard to supplier evaluations, sustainability initiatives, supplier visit reports, cost reduction reporting, etc. using the appropriate LANXESS tools.

Experience / Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, Engineering or a closely related field. MBA is preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years relevant strategic procurement and/or commercial contracting experience or an MBA with 3 years of relevant experience is required.
• Professional Certification (C.P.M., CPSM) is a plus.
• Previous chemical industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of basic chemical manufacturing processes and of the major factors that influence markets and prices for the major materials that are within the position’s responsibility.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) with individuals at all levels of LANXESS and supplier organizations are required.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver persuasive argumentation in pricing and contract negotiations with vendors, as well as the ability to influence and persuade internal stakeholders to gain support for key procurement initiatives.
• Thorough understanding of the legal requirements and sensitivity of commercial contract law.
• Proven organizational skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously, with minimal supervision.
• Must have the ability to organize diverse information, analyze and resolve disputes, understand internal customer requirements and make independent decisions.
• Strong analytical skills using PowerPoint and Excel. Must have the ability to quickly master internal LANXESS tools such as SAP BW reports, supplier and contract databases, e-sourcing platform.
• Occasional travel may be required.
• This is a HYBRID role with the expectation to be on-site in the Pittsburgh office at least three days per week every week.

Location Pittsburgh

Employee Type Regular

Who We Are

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with about 12,000 employees in 32 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives and consumer protection products. LANXESS has achieved leading positions in the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index and the MSCI ESG and ISS ESG ratings, among others, for its commitment to sustainability.

Be part of it!

What We Offer You

• Compensation We offer competitive compensation packages, inclusive of a global bonus program. Please note, the actual compensation may vary based on geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level.
• Comprehensive Benefits We provide a variety of benefits to support your financial security, health and wellbeing including retirement plans, health programs, life insurance and medical care.
• Work-Life & Flexibility We support you in maintaining a balance between working hours and personal life. With our global “Xwork” program, we offer flexible working arrangements in all countries in which we operate.
• Training & Development We are committed to your professional and personal development and encourage you in the ongoing pursuit of education, training and knowledge through both formal and informal learning.
• Diversity LANXESS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religion, national origin, veteran status and political beliefs.

LANXESS has a value-based performance culture. We are seeking a range of human interests, backgrounds, and experiences that can be engaged to achieve respect, ownership, trust, professionalism, integrity and healing across all sectors.

We are looking to find diverse and talented people to join our team. Studies have shown that some individuals are less likely to apply if they do not meet 100% of the criteria. We are looking to equalize the gap! If you are excited about this role but your past experiences do not align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We will look to assess your talent against our competencies, values and requirements to get the best organizational fit. You might be the right candidate for this or other roles we have available!

Join the LANXESS team!