Senior Buyer

Eaton Group; Greenwood (SC); On-site; USD 86,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Eaton’s Power System Division in Greenwood, SC seeks a Senior Buyer to lead strategic procurement for complex materials and services, aligning with Lean and supplier performance goals.

The role partners with cross-functional teams to qualify suppliers, negotiate terms, and drive cost-reduction initiatives while ensuring material availability for plant production and new product introductions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience within production, procurement, or engineering in a manufacturing environment.
• Relocation benefits offered; within 50 miles of Greenwood, SC considered.
• No visa sponsorship is provided for this position.
• Must be able to work in the United States without sponsorship now and in the future.

Responsibilities

• Develop procurement strategies to ensure timely, cost-effective material availability for production.
• Understand supplier capabilities, production schedules, inventory policies, and supply constraints.
• Promote efficient material movement using Lean principles and Kanban to reduce waste.
• Analyze inventory and delivery issues, identify root causes, and optimize materials flow.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop new supplier sources to meet cost and capacity goals.
• Maintain effective supplier relationships and act as primary contact for commercial matters.
• Solicit quotes, evaluate proposals, negotiate pricing and delivery terms for best value.
• Administer purchase orders and supply agreements per policy.
• Develop strategic supplier relationships to improve cost, quality, and delivery performance.
• Maintain procurement records in applicable business systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on cost-reduction and productivity initiatives.
• Monitor supplier performance and address delivery, quality, and lead-time issues.
• Support cycle counts, annual physical inventory, and supplier readiness for inventory accuracy.
• Assist with sourcing for new product development and introduction activities.

Skills

Lean principles

Kanban

Supplier relationship management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management or related field

Tools

SAP

Job description

Eaton’s Power System Division has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Buyer at our Greenwood, South Carolina facility. (Relocation is offered)

The expected annual salary range for this role is $86000 - $126000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What you’ll do:

PRIMARY FUNCTION

The Senior Buyer is responsible for the strategic procurement of a broad range of complex materials and services required to support plant production and operational objectives. This position evaluates and implements effective procurement and inventory strategies, leveraging Lean principles and supply chain tools to optimize material availability, inventory investment, total cost, and supplier performance.

The Senior Buyer partners with corporate and plant resources to identify and develop sources of supply, negotiate pricing and commercial terms, and support cost-reduction initiatives. Working closely with Supplier Quality and Engineering, this position supports supplier qualification and ensures purchased materials conform to applicable quality and manufacturing specifications.

This role also supports new product development and introduction activities, analyzes appropriate stocking and replenishment strategies, and proactively manages supplier relationships, quality, delivery, cost, and inventory performance in alignment with plant and company objectives.

Essential Functions:

• Develop and execute procurement strategies that ensure the timely and cost-effective availability of materials required to support production while meeting established inventory objectives.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of supplier capabilities, material requirements, production schedules, inventory policies, and supply chain constraints to proactively address material availability and supply risks.
• Develop and implement methods and policies that promote the efficient movement and replenishment of materials into and throughout the plant. Utilize Lean principles, Kanban, and other appropriate supply chain tools to improve material flow and reduce waste.
• Analyze inventory, delivery, and material availability issues; identify root causes; and recommend and implement solutions to optimize inventory levels, material flow, and production continuity.
• Identify, evaluate, develop, and select new and alternate sources of supply to support capacity, cost, quality, delivery, and business continuity requirements.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with suppliers and serve as a primary point of contact for commercial, delivery, and performance-related matters.
• Prepare and communicate product and service requirements to potential suppliers, solicit competitive quotations, evaluate proposals, and negotiate pricing, lead times, delivery terms, and other commercial conditions to achieve the best overall value.
• Award, administer, and maintain purchase orders and supply agreements in accordance with established company policies, procedures, and authorization requirements.
• Develop, coordinate, and manage strategic relationships with key suppliers to drive improvements in cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, and overall supplier performance.
• Maintain accurate procurement and supplier records within applicable business systems to support effective management of purchased materials and services.
• Partner with corporate commodity management and cross-functional teams to identify and execute cost-reduction, productivity, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor supplier performance and proactively address issues involving delivery, quality, capacity, lead time, pricing, and supply continuity.
• Support inventory accuracy initiatives, including regular cycle counts for A-class and/or consignment inventory, and assist with the coordination and execution of the annual physical inventory.
• Support new product development and introduction activities by coordinating sourcing, supplier readiness, material availability, and procurement requirements.
• Serve as a senior-level procurement resource, providing guidance and support on complex sourcing, supplier, inventory, and material-related issues.

Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree from an accredited institution.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience within production, procurement, or engineering within a manufacturing environment
• Relocation benefits are being offered for this position. Candidates that currently reside or are willing to relocate within the immediate geographical area of 50 miles of Greenwood, SC will be considered. Active Duty Military Service member candidates are exempt from the geographical area limitation.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1, H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, 1-485 job profitability, etc.
• Must be able to work in the United States without corporate sponsorship now and within the future

Preferred Qualifications:

• Eight (8) or more years of experience in procurement, supply chain, production, engineering, or a related discipline within a manufacturing environment.
• Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• APICS certification, such as CPIM/CSCP, or equivalent professional supply chain certification.
• Advanced SAP experience, preferably at a Super User level.
• Experience with strategic sourcing, supplier development, contract negotiation, and cost-reduction initiatives.

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Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

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We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work.

Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.