Sr. Strategic Purchaser

Job Purpose

This role drives company growth and competitiveness by managing strategic procurement, supplier relationships, and negotiating long-term contracts for quality materials and services. It ensures operational excellence through effective purchasing processes, pricing accuracy, and data management. The position also supports innovation and continuous improvement by collaborating across various teams within the Wurth Group.

Roles & Responsibilities

Strategic Purchasing

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with key suppliers by overseeing strategic procurement for assigned product categories, conducting supplier searches and assessments, and ensuring optimal sourcing strategies that support company growth.
• Evaluate, select, and develop suppliers based on quality, value, service, responsiveness, and innovation. This includes supplier performance ratings, risk management activities, and identifying access to technologies or components that support product development and continuous improvement.
• Negotiate, manage, and regularly review long-term contracts and purchasing terms, including pricing, quality standards, cost-reduction targets, delivery requirements, and commercial and legal conditions.
• Monitor supplier performance against contractual obligations, collaborate on cost and performance improvements, and proactively manage purchasing risks through ongoing supplier discussions and negotiations.
• Lead the onboarding of new suppliers by negotiating framework agreements, delivery terms, and related commercial agreements such as rebates and bonus structures, while ensuring compliance with the company's purchasing policies and procedures.
• Organize and participate in supplier meetings, workshops, customer and supplier visits, supplier assessments, and industry trade shows to support purchasing strategies and strengthen supplier relationships.
• Stay informed on commodity markets, pricing trends, industry developments, and geopolitical factors that may impact the supply chain, and adjust purchasing strategies accordingly.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and international purchasing organizations to leverage best practices and strategic opportunities.
• Support innovation and continuous improvement initiatives through the implementation of digital tools and process enhancements.

Operations Management

• Manage day-to-day purchasing activities, including processing purchase requests, tracking deliveries, and preparing expenditure and purchasing reports.
• Work closely with suppliers to achieve agreed-upon service levels and ensure timely product delivery.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholder requests to maintain an efficient and streamlined procurement process, including the effective use of supplier management platforms.
• Resolve daily purchasing and supply chain issues in a timely manner to support internal customers and improve operational performance metrics.
• Maintain purchasing-related master data within ERP and supplier management systems, including supplier setup, supplier relationship records, purchasing information records, and pricing accuracy.
• Ensure the ongoing accuracy and integrity of all relevant purchasing and supplier master data.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, International Trade, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic purchasing and procurement operations, including experience with import/export or trading environments.
• Demonstrated experience in supplier management and development, as well as contract and commercial agreement negotiations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and experience using procurement-related software platforms.
• Experience working with ERP systems, preferably SAP.
• Multilingual capabilities are considered an asset.
• Strong focus on stakeholder satisfaction, including responsiveness and issue resolution

Skills & Abilities

• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong communication, prioritization, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Customer-focused mindset with the ability to balance service excellence and policy compliance while communicating proactively.
• Process-oriented approach with experience documenting procedures, identifying root causes, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.
• Sound judgment and accountability, with the ability to make effective decisions under pressure and consistently follow through on commitments.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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