Buyer

Ahlstrom Nonwovens•Kaukauna, WI

12d

About The Position

• Ensure the optimized and stable supply of materials and services to the manufacturing units, maintaining strong alignment with other members of the unit's purchasing team and with regional category management. • Execute support activities and tasks throughout the Source-to-Contract (S2C) area, in accordance with business needs and expectations. • Lead and develop processes and procedures, suggesting methods to update, simplify, and improve the unit's purchasing processes, procedures, and technologies. • Continuously seek opportunities to optimize the total cost of ownership (TCO), working together with the unit's key stakeholders and supporting the implementation of regional category strategies.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of experience in Purchasing
Proven experience in supplier relationship management
Skills in commercial and contractual negotiation
Proven experience in conducting and executing activities in S2P processes
Experience in service procurement is highly recommended
Advanced English
Bachelor's degree
Advanced English
Good written and verbal communication skills, as well as teamwork skills
Ownership mentality, with a strong work ethic and adherence to policies and processes
Focus on customer service and excellent interpersonal skills
Good business, commercial and financial acumen
Critical thinking, good analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to work under pressure and meet critical deadlines
Ability to influence and persuade
Good negotiation skills
Collaborative spirit and genuine teamwork, proactively supporting initiatives
Willingness and ability to constructively question own and others' beliefs
Attention to detail and ability to see the big picture
Good IT skills and interest

Responsibilities

Actively monitor the supplier base and mitigate risks with third parties.
Ensure and monitor contractual compliance for unit-specific raw materials, packaging, and key indirect categories.
Responsible for selecting suppliers and negotiating specific unit contracts, in accordance with the external expenses policy.
Approve indirect purchase orders above 5,000 euros in the system.
Lead and develop purchasing operations, processes, and procedures in the unit to ensure sustainable and quality supply.
Engage and motivate the unit to operate according to purchasing policies, processes, and procedures.
Act as an ambassador for the purchasing area, actively contributing to the development of the local team's capabilities and skills.
Manage ISO audits and internal audits for the Indirect category.
Identify and drive cost reduction opportunities in the unit, in alignment with regional category strategies.
Collaborate with the unit to align spending with designated suppliers in the Indirect category.
Lead and support the implementation of category strategies in the region and, together with transactional buyers, maintain all relevant supplier documentation in the systems.
Manage complaints and evaluations of plant suppliers, according to Ahlstrom tools and procedures for direct materials and key plant services.
Provide regular feedback on supplier performance and contractual compliance to category managers.
Collect and understand the unit's business requirements, communicating them to the purchasing organization (category managers).
Be the main point of contact and escalation for unit management; participate in local leadership meetings. Work with the regional indirect purchasing team to align priorities and activities for the units.
Promote the standardization of products, services, and processes.
Directly manage supplier complaints for indirect categories.
Lead local projects in alignment with category strategies and CAPEX guidelines, facilitating quotation requests.
Support and implement best practices in CAPEX investment purchases below €0.5 million, ensuring early involvement of the purchasing area in projects.
Collaborate with CAPEX Purchasing Project Managers to ensure the timely and reliable implementation of medium and large-scale projects.