Senior Director - Purchasing U.S.

GEA Systems North America; Romeoville (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and welfare benefits

Tuition reimbursement

401(k) with match

Paid holidays

Job summary

GEA Group is seeking a senior procurement leader for the FT US & LAM organization to drive strategic sourcing, direct and indirect procurement, and supplier management. You will develop procurement strategies, align with local production, and ensure cost, delivery, and quality targets while leading a regional team.

The role requires 5+ years in multinational supply chain, strong contract mastery, and fluent English.

Qualifications

• Master or bachelor’s degree in business administration or engineering.
• At least 5 years multinational Supply Chain experience.
• Experience in leading and implementing corporate Supply Chain networks.
• Strong contracting and procurement knowledge.
• Proficient in English; local language preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive procurement activities for the local FT organization.
• Direct and indirect procurement leadership for US & LAM markets.
• Negotiate long-term vendor contracts and cost reduction.
• Ensure material availability and on-time delivery.
• Lead Make-or-Buy decisions and supplier management.
• Ensure QHSE compliance and support global supply chain projects.

Skills

Procurement

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation

Contract management

Supply chain

Leadership

English fluent

Education

MBA/Engineering degree

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well-established company with the innovation of a forward-thinking industry leader. At GEA, we're not just building equipment, we're building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 5 to over 11+ years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

Working at GEA Group has significant benefits:

• Start strong - Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day
• Recharge and refresh - Enjoy 13 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore
• Invest in your future - A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster
• Keep learning - Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset
• Live well - Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits
• Get support when you need it - Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance
• Save smart - Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out-of-pocket expenses

Responsibilities / Tasks

• Work on strategic vision and initiatives for FT US & LAM
• Develop and drive procurement activities for the local FT organization in America's
• Develop and drive procurement activities for the GEA US & LAM Market and support LAM Hygiene site for strategic procurement needs.
• Responsible for direct and indirect procurement
• Negotiate, involved in long term vendor contracts
• Secure availability of resources and materials, achieve the required performance targets in terms of cost and delivery time.
• Synchronize the requirements of local production with the flow of materials from suppliers in order to achieve a balance between, high delivery performances, low working capital, and low spend.
• Manage Continuous Improvement of procurement processes and structure (strategy, methods, tools, personnel development, etc.)
• Ensure compliance to QHSE regulations.
• Support the execution of the special global supply chain strategic projects as it relates to the local operation.
• Manage and coordinate key suppliers, assess supplier quality, secure priorities, availability of products and materials.
• Define pricing and contractual conditions, negotiate discounts and define terms of payment with suppliers.
• Set and control saving targets for the relevant categories and track Implementation of cost reduction projects, ensure standard spend and savings reporting.
• Develop and procurement team by special training in negotiations or using e-Auction tools
• Develop and implement a performance measurement system to manage the savings, on time delivery and quality of the suppliers
• Understand the customer needs and their specific requirements (Farm Business)
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings and material requirements
• Lead projects for Make or Buy and drive for decisions & implementation.
• Identify and assess key strategic suppliers.
• Perform other tasks as required.

Key Accountabilities:

• Develop and drive procurement activities for the local FT organization.
• Develop and drive procurement activities for the GEA US & LAM Market and support LAM Hygiene site for strategic procurement needs.
• Responsible for direct and indirect procurement
• Will support $125M in annual purchase both direct and indirect for US and LAM market
• Develop purchasing organization and teams to work on a day-to-day basis and at strategic level

Your Profile / Qualifications

Educational Background:

Master/bachelor's degree in business administration/ engineering or equivalent educational level or

Professional Knowledge:

• At least 5 years multinational Supply Chain (Procurement, Planning, Warehousing, Logistics) experience
• Experience in leading and implementation of corporate Supply Chain networks
• Profound know how of supply/demand planning, warehousing and logistics
• Work experience both in complex matrix and centralized organizations
• Deep understanding of business
• Experience in change-management
• Profound know how of contract management
• Profound project management skills
• Negotiation experience across the global supplier markets
• Experience in supplier management

Other Skills and Competencies:

• English (proficient), preferably local language (fluent)
• Deep understanding of business on a broad international scale with developed focus on customer needs and fulfilment of customer expectations
• Open-minded and solution oriented, strong problem solving skills
• Team player, good net-worker and negotiator
• Very good communication skills
• Strong customer orientation
• Leadership skills, entrepreneurial competencies

The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $130,000 - $160,000 per year. GEA Group has different base pay ranges for differ