Direct Material Buyer

Volvo Car Corporation•Ridgeville, SC

57d

About The Position

The Direct Material Buyer (Commodity Buyer – Plastics, Injection Molding, Painted Plastics) is responsible for purchasing materials for advanced and new vehicle projects and ongoing production at Volvo Cars’ manufacturing facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina. The role owns procurement of localized parts and challenges and optimizes existing part and tooling setups for imported materials. The Buyer ensures supplier quality, cost, and delivery performance for new vehicle programs; drives cost efficiency; manages the supply base; mitigates supply risk; and supports commodity strategies. The role collaborates with global stakeholders in Purchasing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and other functions, including Purchasing teams in Europe and China. Purchasing activities follow globally aligned processes and governance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, with strong emphasis on Excel.
In-depth knowledge of the automotive industry, including Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, systems, and processes.
At least 3 years of experience in manufacturing procurement.
Strong negotiation skills and a proactive focus on identifying and driving commercial opportunities.
Solid understanding of purchasing fundamentals and ability to optimize business outcomes in the company’s best interest.
Strong collaboration and communication skills, including the ability to respectfully challenge and influence internal and external stakeholders.
Structured, analytical approach and ability to manage multiple issues and projects in parallel.
Positive, solution-oriented mindset.
Ability to independently drive initiatives and see tasks through to completion.
Strategic thinking and ability to understand long-term impacts and broader business objectives.
Results-oriented approach and strong analytical skills.
High level of integrity, honesty, and professionalism.
Strong understanding of cost drivers for assigned products and categories.
Solid knowledge of regional market dynamics for assigned products and categories.
Working knowledge of managing bills of material (BOMs) down to raw material.

Nice To Haves

Experience with interior or platform automotive components.
Purchasing or procurement experience with plastics, injection molding, and painted plastics.

Responsibilities

Map, evaluate, and establish a U.S. supply base for relevant commodities supporting localization, in collaboration with European and China organizations through global councils.
Establish supplier agreements and source local and global content.
Develop, evaluate, and execute localization business cases.
Lead supplier negotiations to achieve optimal cost, quality, and commercial terms.
Serve as the primary commercial point of contact for assigned suppliers.
Issue RFQs and purchase orders, and manage ongoing commercial changes.
Support and act on engineering and design changes within active projects.
Participate in global category meetings to align sourcing strategies and project execution with the Global Purchasing team.
Develop and maintain knowledge of VCC sourcing processes and related IT systems.
Lead cost-savings initiatives from idea generation through implementation.
Manage bills of material (BOMs) down to raw material.
Ensure supplier quality, cost, and delivery performance for new vehicle programs; manage the supply base, mitigate supply risk, and support commodity strategies.
Challenge and optimize existing part and tooling setups for imported materials.