Senior Buyer

Solar Turbines; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in energy solutions seeks a Senior Buyer who will oversee supplier management and procurement processes. This role involves strategic supplier relationships, risk management, and contract negotiation. The ideal candidate will have extensive purchasing experience and a strong background in supply chain management, ensuring effective cost management and compliance.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer)

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Career Development

Incentive bonus

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of purchasing experience or equivalent.
• Fluent in Business English in written and oral form.
• Supply Chain Certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage supplier relationships and performance metrics.
• Develop and track contracts ensuring compliance and risk management.
• Conduct negotiations and execute purchasing strategies.

Skills

Communication

Analytical Skills

Negotiation

Risk Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s Degree in Business, Engineering, or Supply Chain

Tools

ERP software

MS Office Suite

Job description

Career Area:

Procurement

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you'rejoining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don'tjust talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Employees in this position work directly with a specific group of suppliers in the Machining Supply Chain and cross functional clients daily to help ensure uninterrupted availability of material to worldwide locations in direct response to our customers’ requirements. The Senior Buyer has a direct impact on improving and sustaining supplier performance with impact to quality, cost, delivery, and ultimately to customer commitments and satisfaction.

Responsibilities include day-to-day and strategic supplier management including, but not limited to: purchase order placement, follow-up, issue resolution, communication of demand and forecasts, preparing contracts, negotiating contract terms, providing solutions to a wide range of issues, managing supplier relationships and performance metrics, facilitating communications and mitigating risk that could impact Solar’s ability to meet customer commitments or business plan.

This position acts with a sense of urgency and is diligent in providing timely support to internal clients and external customers. This individual operates in compliance with corporate and Supply Chain policies and procedures and continuously practices and demonstrates Safety and acts in adherence to Our Values in Action. A Senior Buyer will manage relationships of a supplier portfolio with relatively low to moderate complexity. This individual has no direct reports but works within a team structure typically including a Sourcing Specialist, Supply Chain Coordinator/Planner, Supplier Technical Engineer and reports directly to a Supply Chain Manager. There is an expectation to actively participate and contribute to supply chain projects through its conception to maturity that directly support organizational objectives. The work environment is office based with occasional visits to internal production areas as well as external supplier sites, which may involve domestic and/or international travel.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated skills and competencies that include:

Supply Chain Management – Ensures procurement processes meets audit, regulatory, and legal standards. Develops and maintain relationships with internal clients and supplier executives.Applies advanced Supply Chain knowledge to manage processes, establish policies, and develop value-adding strategies. Monitors and manages ownership of risk from financial, business continuation, and compliance perspectives.

Supplier Management - Manages each relationship of relatively low to moderately complex suppliers. Drives cost management through identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction, utilizes cost modeling techniques, and analyzing TCO to ensure the best overall value to Solar. Manages and maintains the supplier relationship at a day-to-day and strategic level. Day-to-day activities include purchase order issuance and maintenance, grief resolution, and business review meetings.

Supplier Selection - Strategic activities include working with the Supply Chain Leadership and/or Sourcing Specialist to define the buyer-supplier relationship and the strategic direction (Hold, Grow, Consolidate, Exit). Supports NPI, global strategic sourcing, and supplier selection to ensure flexible capacity and consistent supply from qualified suppliers to support business objectives.

Contract Management –Develops agreements that align with sourcing strategies and utilizes appropriate standard Solar contracts with legal review, as required.Identifies and balances key risks at all stages. Integral in tracking contract execution, leading contract teams, closing contracts, and enforcing any applicable rights beyond contract completion. Works closely with users defining supplier performance measurements and reporting frameworks. Leads commercial negotiations and is accountable for contract execution and maintenance (NDA’s, GP’s, PSAs, JDAs, etc).

Negotiation – Creates negotiation strategies based on thorough knowledge of business requirements.Communicates negotiation strategies and parameters to negotiating team and defines roles. Able to ethically execute negotiation strategy for moderately critical and complex items displaying varied negotiation techniques to achieve best results. Identifies and resolves areas of risk.

Cost Management – Applies business strategies to daily activities, contributes to make-buy decisions, identifies market opportunities, gaps and trends. Understands and applies constructing and analyzing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models.

Purchasing Execution –Manages PO’s from issuance through invoice, and support Supply Chain initiatives. Resolves low to moderately complex purchasing related grief issues with minimal assistance. Understands financial markets and is able to develop low to moderately complex cost/pricing models.

Risk Management –Identifies and mitigates risk to the business. Executes risk mitigation strategies to avoid Supply Chain disruption.Initiates and promotes cross functional teaming in Supplier development, problem resolution, and continuous improvement efforts.

Desired Qualifications

• The position requires a Bachelor’s degree with 3-5 years of purchasing experience or equivalent experience in similar business role(s).
• Alternatively, the qualified candidate can have a Master’s Degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain or other related field with 1-3 years of purchasing experience or equivalent experience in similar business role(s).
• Experience with ERP software and proficient with MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio).
• Fluent in Business English in written and oral form.

Preferred Qualifications

• Supply Chain Certification from a professional institution (ASCM, APICS, IIPMR, ISCEA, ISM, or comparable International Certification).
• Affiliation(s) with ISM, ASCM/APICS or comparable professional purchasing organizations.
• Demonstrated background(s) in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field.
• Individual Contributor Behavior consisting of customer commitment, priority setting, proactiveness, accountability and professional growth.
• 6-Sigma certification as a Blackbelt or Greenbelt with project and team leadership experience.
• Understanding and application of Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Strong Communication and Analytical Skill Sets.
• Proven Influencing and Interpersonal Skill Sets.

Summary Pay Range:

$87,456.00 - $131,184.00

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location,job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*

• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*

• 401(k) savings plans*

• Health Savings Account (HSA)*

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*

• Health Lifestyle Programs*

• Employee Assistance Program*

• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*

• Career Development*

• Incentive bonus*

• Disability benefits

• Life Insurance

• Parental leave

• Adoption benefits

• Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as, H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S which can be found through our employment website at www.caterpillar.com/careers.

Posting Dates:

June 5, 2025 - June 19, 2025

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities.

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