Lead Buyer, Capex

Vallourec North America•Youngstown, OH

About The Position

At Vallourec, we are seeking individuals whose passion and dedication match the strength and resilience of the steel we produce. The Lead Buyer, North America CAPEX, is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing sourcing strategies that support capital projects and operational requirements across the North American region. This role leads procurement activities for construction, capital equipment, tooling, turnkey projects, engineering and plant services, and critical spare parts. The position interacts with a diverse stakeholder community—including MCI, PC, TE, Project Managers, Industrial Directors, Legal, and the broader Sourcing organization—and requires strong alignment with sourcing policies and procedures. The longâterm objective is to enhance stakeholder support, consolidate supplier volumes, drive common sourcing strategies, and maximize cost efficiencies while maintaining a safe and compliant work environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree, with experience in Sourcing and project management, or a minimum of 2 years working experience in related field in lieu of a degree is required
Minimum of 2 years of experience in commercial capacity is required
Enable to adapt to the environment, to position the purchasing function within the project team.
Strong capability to execute structured sourcing processes, including market analysis, total cost analysis, and riskâbased decisionâmaking.
Ability to design and manage contractual frameworks aligned with project objectives and supplier performance obligations.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and customerâservice orientation.
Ability to travel up to 15% domestically annually.

Nice To Haves

Lean manufacturing, 6-Sigma, continuous improvement experience & knowledge preferred

Responsibilities

Collaborate with project teams to define and implement the most appropriate sourcing strategy for each project or work package.
Effectively interact and communicate with internal stakeholders regarding supplier management activities.
Identify and qualify the appropriate supplier panel capable of responding to RFIs, RFPs and RFQs.
Develop optimal negotiation strategies based on risk analysis, quality, cost, delivery and performance metrics.
Implement the Sourcing strategies for his/her scope in accordance to the definition made with both internal stakeholders and the Purchasing Manager.
Use spend analytics and market intelligence to identify sourcing opportunities and drive cost reduction initiatives.
Minimize supply risk and secure sourcing activities as required by project timelines or operational needs.
Manage an annual Capex/Tooling portfolio of approximately 20 to 30M.
Conduct sourcing processes that include market analysis, technical assessment, risk evaluation and total cost analysis and project constraints.
Partner with Engineering and Legal to establish appropriate contractual frameworks and ensure supplier integration.
Lead commercial negotiations, contract development and manage dispute resolution prior to arbitration.
Ensure compliance with Delegation of Authority (DoA) and internal contract-validation procedures
Monitor supplier delivery performance, adherence to quality requirements, and overall execution throughout the project lifecycle.
Uphold Vallourec’s Code of Conduct and promote safe and ethical business practices.
Collaborate with other lead buyers or sourcing representatives for the procurement of items across related project portfolios.