Senior Buyer

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International (MCO-I); Houston (TX); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International (MCO-I) is seeking a procurement professional to support day‑to‑day sourcing for New Unit Business packaging, CSB components and MRO items. Responsibilities include RFQ preparation, supplier sourcing, expediting, and cost control to meet internal customer requirements and project timelines.

The role requires strong negotiation, supplier management and SAP MM experience, with a focus on reducing total cost of ownership and ensuring compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or related field or 7+ years of industrial buying experience in lieu of degree.
• Experience with PV&F, electrical components, fasteners, seals and gaskets used in rotating equipment is preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proficient in SAP MM and MS Office; strong procurement ethics and sourcing knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Prepare RFQ/RFP documents with technical, commercial and quality requirements.
• Coordinate bid clarifications with engineering and commercial teams.
• Issue POs and changes; manage negotiated outline agreements.
• Monitor supplier performance via open order reports and quarterly KPI updates.
• Lead SCAR process for non-conforming materials and pursue corrective actions.
• Identify and qualify new suppliers and negotiate supply agreements including discounts and rebates.

Skills

7+ years purchasing experience

Strong negotiation skills

Supplier relationship management

Analytical and cost-control mindset

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain/Business

Tools

SAP MM

MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Smartsheet

Tableau

Job description

Summary

This role requires the day‑to‑day procurement support of New Unit Business (NUB) packaging, Customer Service (CSB) components and MRO items. This includes RFQ, PO entry and management, supplier management & sourcing, expediting, cost control, material PO‑invoice resolution and procurement reporting.

• Foster an environment of teamwork, compliance and continual improvement.
• Adhere to the Company’s objectives, i.e. Safety, Quality, Environmental and Information Security
• Ensure compliance with departments’ standard procedures.
• Ensure that all requests from internal customers, for assigned categories, have clearly defined mechanical, performance and quality specifications and/or scope of work to effectively communicate MCO-I requirements to potential suppliers
• Prepare Requests for Quotation (RFQ) or Proposal (RFP) documents in accordance with the specifications and/or scopes of work, including all technical, commercial, and quality requirements
• During bid evaluation cycle, coordinate requests for technical clarification with engineering, commercial communications and bid clarification, as required
• Prepare and submit timely RFQ’s, obtain and organize quotations and proposals in designated folders
• Prepare complete commercial bid evaluations and prepare the sourcing recommendation for approval by supervisor
• Identify supplier source restrictions based on Approved Supplier or Material Lists (ASL/AML) as specified during project kickoff meetings. This includes Country of Origin (COO) restrictions.
• Conduct commercial negotiations and ensure properly documented achievements for KPI metrics with regard to cost savings, payment terms, freight, etc.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders, purchase order changes and negotiated outline agreements, as needed, to support operations’ need dates and customer contract dates. KPI’s are in place to measure performance
• Manage supplier performance through the use of open order reports and communicating quarterly metrics such as quality and OTD
• Regular follow up and expediting of materials, as required to support the business needs
• Ensure that supplier issues after the issuance of a purchase order are resolved timely and effectively. This includes but is not limited to delivery issues, quality issues, and invoicing issues
• Initiate the supplier correction action requests process (SCAR) for non-conforming materials and follow through to completion for rework or replacement of material, submission of required documents and charge backs to recover any costs incurred by MCO-I
• Assist with identifying & qualifying new suppliers for assigned categories, agree on terms and negotiate supply agreements when appropriate, including discount structures and volume rebates
• Proactively identify and communicate significant supplier, material, transit, cost and/or market trends that would impact MCO-I business
• Manage and negotiate supplier pricing agreements
• Initiate and coordinate with various service providers to support production, external and on-site
• Work with IT, QA and other departments on continuous improvement projects related to systems and processes
• Support the development of policies, work procedures, and provide related training to internal stakeholders
• Become the MCO-I subject matter expert (SME) for assigned part categories
• Ensure that PO delivery dates are maintained accurately in SAP for stakeholder visibility and reporting integrity
• Update required status reports on defined frequency for CSB spares, NUB packaging or other supported teams
• Attend required meetings with operations, engineering, project management, spare parts team, etc. for purchased part issues affecting production schedules or customer delivery dates
• Complete all required company training, as assigned, in a timely manner
• Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Foster an environment of teamwork, compliance and continual improvement.
• Adhere to the Company’s objectives, i.e. Safety, Quality, Environmental and Information Security
• Ensure compliance with departments’ standard procedures.
• Ensure that all requests from internal customers, for assigned categories, have clearly defined mechanical, performance and quality specifications and/or scope of work to effectively communicate MCO-I requirements to potential suppliers
• Prepare Requests for Quotation (RFQ) or Proposal (RFP) documents in accordance with the specifications and/or scopes of work, including all technical, commercial, and quality requirements
• During bid evaluation cycle, coordinate requests for technical clarification with engineering, commercial communications and bid clarification, as required
• Prepare and submit timely RFQ’s, obtain and organize quotations and proposals in designated folders
• Prepare complete commercial bid evaluations and prepare the sourcing recommendation for approval by supervisor
• Identify supplier source restrictions based on Approved Supplier or Material Lists (ASL/AML) as specified during project kickoff meetings. This includes Country of Origin (COO) restrictions.
• Conduct commercial negotiations and ensure properly documented achievements for KPI metrics with regard to cost savings, payment terms, freight, etc.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders, purchase order changes and negotiated outline agreements, as needed, to support operations’ need dates and customer contract dates. KPI’s are in place to measure performance
• Manage supplier performance through the use of open order reports and communicating quarterly metrics such as quality and OTD
• Regular follow up and expediting of materials, as required to support the business needs
• Ensure that supplier issues after the issuance of a purchase order are resolved timely and effectively. This includes but is not limited to delivery issues, quality issues, and invoicing issues
• Initiate the supplier correction action requests process (SCAR) for non-conforming materials and follow through to completion for rework or replacement of material, submission of required documents and charge backs to recover any costs incurred by MCO-I
• Assist with identifying & qualifying new suppliers for assigned categories, agree on terms and negotiate supply agreements when appropriate, including discount structures and volume rebates
• Proactively identify and communicate significant supplier, material, transit, cost and/or market trends that would impact MCO-I business
• Manage and negotiate supplier pricing agreements
• Initiate and coordinate with various service providers to support production, external and on-site
• Work with IT, QA and other departments on continuous improvement projects related to systems and processes
• Support the development of policies, work procedures, and provide related training to internal stakeholders
• Become the MCO-I subject matter expert (SME) for assigned part categories
• Ensure that PO delivery dates are maintained accurately in SAP for stakeholder visibility and reporting integrity
• Update required status reports on defined frequency for CSB spares, NUB packaging or other supported teams
• Attend required meetings with operations, engineering, project management, spare parts team, etc. for purchased part issues affecting production schedules or customer delivery dates
• Complete all required company training, as assigned, in a timely manner
• Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Requirements

• Qualified candidates will possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business or a related field or a minimum of 7 years of industrial buying experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s Degree
• Candidates should have a general knowledge for PV&F, electrical components, fasteners, seals, gaskets and other typical commercial items used in the rotating equipment industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in SAP (MM module) and MS Office including Excel, Word and Outlook, Smartsheet, Tableau, etc.
• Good knowledge of all procurement functions, terms and conditions, Incoterms, Uniform Commercial Codes, fair business practices, procurement ethics and knowledge of sources to gather critical market information is required
• High degree of service orientation to build strong and value add to relationships with manufacturing and after sales service personnel are required
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and prioritize multiple tasks with ever changing priorities
• Curiosity and willingness to learn and grow with the organization
• Positive attitude with a strong affinity to change management
• Strong planning and analytical skills
• Basic understanding of cost accounting
• Cool and calm under fire in fast paced work environments
• Clear understanding and working knowledge of BOM structures
• Ability to influence internal customers to follow Procurement best practices
• Excellent organization, communication and presentation skills
• Strong mechanical aptitude
• Travel percentage 0% to 10%.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience with, or the ability to work within, management systems aligned with ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) standards is valued and supports MCOI's commitment to quality, environmental sustainability, information security, workplace health and safety, and continuous improvement.
• Experience or exposure to the turbomachinery industry
• APICS certifications such as CPIM, CSCP
• Good understanding of Lean and other continuous improvement principles
• Experience in multi-cultural work environments
• Experience in low volume, high mix manufacturing environments