Indirect Purchasing Buyer

Kasai North America • Manchester, TN

1d

About The Position

The MRO Indirect Purchasing Buyer is responsible for supporting enterprise-wide MRO purchasing strategy by developing and managing a standardized catalog used across all manufacturing plants. This role partners closely with site buyers, plant stakeholders, suppliers, and corporate supply chain leadership to consolidate existing catalogs, standardize part numbers, commonize like items, and drive cost reduction initiatives. The Buyer reports functionally to the Corporate Purchasing Manager and has a dotted-line, day-to-day reporting relationship to the site Maintenance or Engineering Manager. The role operates in a highly collaborative, multicultural environment and supports corporate purchasing agendas while ensuring optimal cost, quality, and delivery for MRO materials.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3–5 years of experience in indirect purchasing, MRO procurement, or supply chain roles.
• Strong understanding of MRO materials, catalog management, and indirect procurement processes.
• Experience working cross-functionally with multiple sites or plants.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to benchmark, compare, and standardize items.
• Proven ability to drive cost savings and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, e-procurement tools, and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a multi-plant manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of supplier negotiations and contract management.
• Experience supporting corporate or enterprise-level purchasing strategies.
• Familiarity with KPI development and performance reporting.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with site buyers and plant stakeholders to develop, maintain, and optimize a centralized MRO catalog for enterprise use.
• Consolidate pre-existing plant catalogs into a single, standardized catalog structure.
• Ensure one unique company part number per item and eliminate duplicate or redundant SKUs.
• Commonize similar or equivalent MRO items across plants to reduce complexity and total cost.
• Benchmark MRO items across suppliers to ensure best overall value in terms of cost, quality, and delivery performance.
• Lead and support MRO cost reduction initiatives in collaboration with plant teams and suppliers.
• Support sourcing strategies, supplier rationalization, and contract compliance for indirect materials.
• Drive and support corporate purchasing initiatives and standardization agendas.
• Track, analyze, and report key purchasing KPIs (e.g., cost savings, catalog compliance, supplier performance).
• Ensure data accuracy and governance within purchasing systems (ERP, e-catalogs, pricing files).
• Act as a change agent to promote adoption of standardized MRO practices across all plants.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees