Senior Buyer

Atkore International Group; Merrillville (IN); On-site; USD 81,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401k

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Leave rights

Job summary

Atkore International Group in Hobart, IN is seeking a Senior Buyer to lead purchasing for the CRC Strategic Business Unit. You will negotiate contracts, manage supplier relationships, and drive cost reductions while ensuring alignment with Atkore’s sourcing strategies.

The role reports to the Senior Manager - Supply Planning and requires cross‑functional collaboration with operations, finance, and quality to improve DOH and service levels and to reduce lead times.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in supply chain management, operations, or manufacturing.
• Proficiency in Excel; SQL queries preferred.
• Experience with Lean, 5S, Kaizen; Gemba boards preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to write procedures.
• Ability to work in a team and as an individual contributor; aligns with Atkore values.

Responsibilities

• Identify domestic and international suppliers and evaluate them.
• Negotiate contracts and pricing; draft strategic sourcing agreements.
• Analyze market trends, currency, tariffs; optimize sourcing strategy.
• Coordinate with logistics for import processes and costs.
• Develop and monitor KPIs; improve lead times and resilience.
• Collaborate with operations, finance, quality to align sourcing with goals.

Skills

5+ years experience in supply chain

Excel proficiency

SQL queries

Lean / Kaizen

Strong communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or Supply Chain

Tools

SQL queries

ERP systems

Procurement software

Job description

Atkore, is forging a future where our employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and communities are building better together – a future focused on serving the customer and powering and protecting the world.

With a global network of manufacturing and distribution facilities, Atkore is a leading provider of electrical, safety and infrastructure solutions.

Who we are looking for:

We are currently searching for a Senior Buyer to be based out of our Hobart, IN facility. Reporting to the Senior Manager - Supply Planning, this person will be responsible for all purchasing activities in support of our Corrosion Resistant Conduit (CRC) Strategic Business Unit. These responsibilities include negotiating international and domestic supply agreements, soliciting complex RFQs, writing and processing purchase orders, Stagegate project management, identifying/resolving any commercial discrepancies, and managing supplier relationships in accordance with Atkore’s purchasing strategies. In addition, this role involves developing and improving any processes or tools that are used to ensure timely and accurate execution of purchasing activities resulting in both DOH and service level improvements. Cross functional communication and teamwork will be vital to ensure all processes and procedures are aligned with the overall plant’s key performance indicators.

What you’ll do:

The Senior Buyer will be engaged in the following activities to improve material purchase prices, supplier reliability and reduce lead times:

Sourcing and Supplier Management:

• Identify and evaluate potential domestic and international suppliers.
• Develop and maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Conduct supplier audits and performance evaluations.
• Develop and manage supplier performance and scorecard systems.
• Develop purchasing strategies to mitigate risk within current supply chain.

Negotiation and Contracting:

• Negotiate contracts, terms, and pricing with domestic and international suppliers.
• Draft and implement strategic sourcing supply agreements ensuring alignment with company goals.
• Resolve disputes or discrepancies in contracts and transactions.

Market and Cost Analysis:

• Analyze global market trends to identify cost-saving opportunities and mitigate risks.
• Evaluate currency exchange rates, tariffs, and customs duties to optimize sourcing strategies.
• Monitor commodity pricing and supply chain dynamics affecting total landed cost.
• Drive improvements in top spend categories to support supply chain productivity goals.
• Perform Make vs. Buy analysis evaluating and presenting the costs, benefits, and risks associated with each option.

Logistics and Compliance:

• Coordinate with logistics teams to ensure efficient import processes and costs.
• Ensure adherence to international trade regulations, including customs compliance, documentation, and country-specific laws.
• Stay updated on changes in trade agreements, tariffs, and international sourcing policies for risk mitigation to cost and service.

Process Optimization:

• Analyze procurement processes to identify inefficiencies and implement improvements.
• Implement procurement best practices such as economic order quantities, stocking agreements and Kanban material deliveries
• Develop metrics and KPIs to measure the performance of sourcing strategies.
• Support initiatives to reduce lead times and enhance supply chain resilience.
• Participate and Lead Kaizen events to support continuous improvement and Atkore Business System initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with internal teams, such as operations, finance, and quality assurance, to align sourcing strategies with business objectives.
• Be a key contributor to the SBU’s new product development stagegate process.
• Interface regularly with the finished goods inventory planning teams ensuring material supply consistency with finished goods stocking requirements while optimizing inventory days on hand.
• Coordinate with operations and value stream managers to ensure continuous material flow to operations with changing demand profiles and schedule changes, while ensuring control of stocking levels.
• Assist Fiberglass SBU with special projects e.g. domestic source for conduit bodies, molded fittings.
• Support Hobart production scheduler with balancing labor, materials, and machinery to meet customer delivery deadlines by analyzing demand, production capacity, and inventory levels.
• Embrace the Atkore Business System and serve as “Black Dot Owner” of the business’s SDP initiative of stocking attainment and DOH reduction.

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related technical field.
• Must have minimum 5 years of experience working in Supply Chain management, Operations, or Manufacturing
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications especially Excel, experience using database access tools (SQL queries, etc) is strongly preferred
• Experience and working knowledge in Lean, 5S, Kaizen Events and Gemba boards preferred
• Manufacturing or six sigma methodologies and problem-solving skills are a plus
• Excellent written and communication skills, the ability to write procedures, good training skills
• Must embrace and foster an environment that supports our core values of Integrity, Respect, Excellence, Teamwork and Accountability Ability to work in a team environment and as an individual contributor.

Within 3 months, you’ll

• Complete your new hire “Immersion” so that you are ready to rock in your new role.
• Have developed relationships with the key stakeholders for this role.
• Have learned our systems and procedures.

Within 6 months, you’ll

• Understand the business well enough to own and drive operational activities with minimal internal support.
• Maintain and be accountable for KPI reporting while actively participating in Lean Daily Management activities.
• Have assumed ownership of targeted locations and accountable for performance expectations.

Within 12 months, you’ll

• Manage the onboarding of green field sites.
• Own and maintain master data for assigned locations.
• Be developing and driving best practices and demonstrating an ability to get results through influencing others.

Join our team and align yourself with an industry leader!

As of the date of this posting, a good faith estimate of the current pay for this position is $ 81,120 - $111,540 . Placement in the range depends on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, relevant experience, skills, seniority, performance, shift, travel requirements, and business or organizational needs and may change over time. Other compensation may include, but not limited to, overtime, shift differentials, bonuses, commissions, stock, and other incentives.

Benefits available include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• 401k
• Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays
• Any leave required under federal, state, or local law

Benefits are subject to vesting and eligibility requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.